Duque on E-cigarettes: Regulated no differently from other tobacco products!

MANILA - Health Secretary Francisco Duque III said that the approval of a bill raising the tobacco excise tax would save the lives of 200,000 Filipinos from the ill effects of smoking. (PNA, June 5, 2019, 5:53 pm)

With 20 affirmative votes and no negative vote, the Senate passed Bill 2233 seeking an increase in excise tax for every cigarette pack from PHP45 to PHP60 for the next four years.

With regard to claims promoting the use of Electronic Nicotine and Non-Nicotine Delivery Systems or e-cigarettes as healthier alternatives to smoking, Duque reiterated that e-cigarettes should be treated and regulated no differently from other tobacco products.

"There is no scientific proof yet that can say e-cigarettes are completely harmless. For the DOH, there is absolutely no acceptable level of harm, especially when Filipino lives are put to risk," he said.

Duque added the DOH would work on the regulation of other "sin" products, such as alcohol and e-cigarettes, when the 18th Congress commences.

The World Health Organization (WHO) put at 7 million the annual number of deaths worldwide from tobacco use. About 260,000 of these cases are child deaths caused by inhalation of secondhand smoke.
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SBN-2233: Excise Tax Increase on Tobacco Products.

LONG TITLE: AN ACT INCREASING THE EXCISE TAX ON TOBACCO PRODUCTS, THE PENALTIES FOR VIOLATIONS OF PROVISIONS ON ARTICLES SUBJECT TO EXCISE TAX, AND EARMARKING INCREMENTAL TOBACCO EXCISE TAX FOR HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS FOR HEALTH PROFESSIONALS, AMENDING FOR THIS PURPOSE SECTIONS 145, 164, 260, 262, 263, 265 AND 288(C) OF THE NATIONAL INTERNAL REVENUE CODE OF 1997, AS AMENDED BY REPUBLIC ACT NO. 10963, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES filed on May 27, 2019 by Pacquiao, Emmanuel "Manny" D., Ejercito, Joseph Victor G., Gatchalian, Sherwin T., Angara, Juan Edgardo "Sonny" M., Villanueva, Joel

Legislative status: Passed by Both Houses (6/4/2019)
6/6/2019 House of Representatives adopted SBN-2233 as an amendment to HBN-8677 on June 4, 2019.

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