In a follow-up letter to the Department of Health, CAPHRA emphasised the critical importance of consumer input in shaping policies that directly impact public health and individual rights. The organisation highlighted the legitimate process within the FCTC that allows for stakeholder participation, including consumers of safer nicotine products.

“We are deeply concerned that excluding consumer voices may result in policies that inadvertently harm public health,” stated Clarisse Virgino, CAPHRA Philippines representative. “The moratorium could push vapers back to smoking, undoing years of progress in tobacco harm reduction.”

CAPHRA’s appeal comes amidst growing concerns over the potential negative consequences of the proposed moratorium on vaping products in the Philippines. The organisation warns that such a move could lead to increased smoking rates and a surge in illicit trade of tobacco products.

“As the most affected stakeholders, adult consumers of safer nicotine products have invaluable insights to offer,” said Nancy Loucas, Executive Coordinator for CAPHRA. “Their real-life experiences and data are crucial for making informed decisions that truly represent all citizens.”

The organisation also addressed misconceptions about its nature and funding, clarifying that CAPHRA is an independent, grassroots consumer advocacy group with no ties to the tobacco or e-cigarette industries.

CAPHRA’s call for inclusion aligns with FCTC Articles 4.3 and 4.7, which emphasise the importance of civil society participation. The organisation expressed disappointment that some delegates have cited FCTC Article 5.3 as a reason to exclude consumer input, arguing that this interpretation is misguided and counterproductive.

“We remain committed to constructive dialogue and are ready to contribute our expertise to ensure that tobacco harm reduction policies are evidence-based and consumer-informed,” Loucas added.

CAPHRA urges the Philippine government and other FCTC parties to reconsider their stance and engage with consumer advocates in the lead-up to COP11, scheduled for November 2025.

Her comments come as the Philippines awaits presidential approval to regulate vaping while Malaysia and Thailand look to lift their failed vaping bans.

“When these three nations legalise vaping, they will be among at least 70 countries worldwide that have adopted regulatory frameworks on safer nicotine products. All have registered a dramatic decline in smoking, so the message is clear: Tobacco Harm Reduction (THR) is here to stay,” says Ms Loucas.

Alarmingly, when it comes to vaping an undue influence of private wealth over public policy remains strong. Many Asia Pacific countries, she says, are pressured by an overt anti-vape agenda sponsored by foreign think tanks such as those funded by the foundation of American billionaire Michael Bloomberg.

“The World Health Organization all the way down to non-governmental organisations are unduly influenced by the money that can be had by implementing strategies and policies crafted to benefit a select few.”

Ms Loucas says the policies and people who promote the anti-vape agenda appear to be altruistic and charitable to the world at large and are therefore accepted without question. The dark side, however, is that these organisations are predatory and patronising, and the policies they are pushing are inhumane.

“Smoking rates have declined as the use of safer nicotine products has increased – that’s the truth,” says Ms Loucas.

“Safer nicotine products do work to reduce harm from tobacco. However, because they are not developed by corporations who can profit from their manufacture or sale, they must be shut down as they are a threat. They’re also a major threat to government revenue – with tobacco excise tax sadly wanted in this post-COVID world,” she added.

CAPHRA says there is an ongoing refusal to accept the science and evidence supporting vaping, despite it being presented by leading scientists, research institutions and public health experts across the world.

“It’s deplorable that developing countries with limited resources, scientific experts and public health budgets have the funding carrot dangled in front of them plus a scripted tobacco control policy. Bullying them into implementing a failed ‘quit or die’ strategy rather than a proven THR approach shows no deference for the local context or situation.”

Also deplorable, she says, is the well-resourced demonization of those publicly advocating for better access to safer nicotine products over deadly cigarettes.

“Nicotine is not the enemy, nor are the adult consumers of nicotine. Vaping has literally saved their lives. Millions of happier and healthier people are the real-world evidence”, says Ms Loucas.

Keen for more countries to adopt progressive regulations around vaping, THR advocates are coming together to help each other with guidance and support. Dubbed The Advocates Voice ‘Shorts’ Series, the five sessions will be livestreamed fortnightly via the CAPHRA and sCOPe YouTube channels at 12:00pm NZT. To view the first one – The Art of Self Care – on 26 March, visit https://youtu.be/3-2wWX_g65k

A global collaboration of THR consumer groups, sCOPe, has launched a comprehensive library of online panel discussions and presentations. In November 2021, sCOPe broadcast around the clock during COP9 – the 9th Conference of Parties for the World Health Organization’s Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC). To access sCOPe’s online library visit, https://bit.ly/319zzkx

Boasting over 14,000 testimonials, CAPHRA is calling on those who’ve quit cigarettes through smoke-free nicotine alternatives to tell their story on www.righttovape.org

For a free digital media repository on tobacco harm reduction in Asia Pacific – including media releases, images and graphics – please visit https://apthrmedia.org

Both the Philippine Senate and House of Representatives have ratified the harmonized version of the act which will regulate the use, manufacture, importation, sale, distribution and promotion of vaping and heated tobacco products. It now awaits the president’s signature or veto.

“The weight of the scientific evidence shows that potentially thousands of Filipino lives can be saved by making this act the law of the land,” wrote CAPHRA, backed by its expert advisory group and member organizations throughout the Asia Pacific region.

CAPHRA is adamant that when enacted the legislation will provide 16 million Filipino smokers with the world’s most effective smoking cessation tool, saving the lives and enhancing the health of millions of Filipino smokers and their families, friends, and co-workers.

“Hundreds of peer-reviewed international scientific studies have found innovative smoke-free products such as e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products to be far less harmful than combustible tobacco and offer the best options to make smokers switch or quit. The act will ensure the regulation of these products, so that they meet government standards to protect consumers and will contribute revenue, via taxation,” wrote Nancy Loucas, Executive Coordinator of CAPHRA.

The letter said signing the act into law and giving Filipino smokers the option of choosing less harmful alternative nicotine products will create an enduring presidential legacy. It will prove to the world that Mr Duterte is a leader who put the health and well-being of his people, based on science, above the special interests of foreigners.

The Asia Pacific advocacy group explained that the use of non-combustible nicotine products is at the core of Tobacco Harm Reduction (THR) – a public health strategy designed to address the smoking problem by making available less harmful alternatives that do not produce smoke – the main source of toxic chemicals that cause cancer and chronic pulmonary heart diseases.

With Public Health England concluding that vaping is at least 95% less harmful than combustible cigarettes, “we believe that the use of less harmful alternatives to traditional cigarettes will save about 100,000 Filipinos who die every year from smoking-related diseases,” CAPHRA wrote.

The letter noted that once signed into law, the Philippines will join 67 countries around the world that have regulatory frameworks on vaping. Further, those countries that have legalized vaping and the use of other smoke-free products such as heated tobacco have since registered a dramatic decline in smoking prevalence.

Enclosing an extensive bibliography of scientific information, CAPHRA concluded by respectfully asking the President to urgently sign the Vaporized Nicotine Products Regulation Act into law.

Last year, CAPHRA member organization Vapers PH commissioned ACORN Marketing & Research Consultants to conduct ‘A Survey of Attitudes Among Adult Tobacco & Nicotine Users in the Philippines’. A staggering 94% of respondents agreed that the Philippine Government should enact policies to encourage adult smokers to switch to less harmful alternatives to cigarettes.

A global collaboration of THR consumer groups, sCOPe has launched a comprehensive library of online panel discussions and presentations. In November 2021, sCOPe broadcast around the clock during COP9 – the 9th Conference of Parties for the World Health Organization’s Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC). To access sCOPe’s online library visit https://bit.ly/319zzkx

Boasting over 14,000 testimonials, CAPHRA is calling on those who’ve quit cigarettes through smoke-free nicotine alternatives to tell their story on www.righttovape.org

For a free digital media repository on tobacco harm reduction in Asia Pacific – including media releases, images and graphics – please visit https://apthrmedia.org

https://caphraorg.net/

“We salute his bravery at COP9 for promoting the Philippines’ balanced and evidence-based approach to safer nicotine products,” says Peter Dator, president of consumer group Vapers PH and CAPHRA member. “Opponents and officials have since done their best to discredit Secretary Locsin and disrespect our country’s democracy and sovereignty, but they have failed badly.”

Nancy Loucas, Executive Coordinator of CAPHRA (Coalition of Asia Pacific Tobacco Harm Reduction Advocates), says it’s pleasing to see top Filipino politicians rally around Secretary Locsin, with the global vaping community also voicing its strong support via social media.

“In a world where smoking causes eight million deaths every year, Secretary Locsin has done everyone a huge favour. Telling COP9 about the success of ‘far less harmful novel tobacco products’ and the Philippine Government’s political support for them was music to the ears of the millions who’ve successful quit deadly cigarettes, via vaping,” she says.

During COP9 – the 9th Conference of Parties for the WHO’s Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) – Ms Loucas organised a global livestream, featuring world-leading THR experts and consumer advocates.

Dubbed sCOPe, the five-day YouTube simulcast attracted a significant audience globally, adding to the increasing pressure on the WHO to embrace safer nicotine products, rather than pushing to ban them.

“How can we trust the WHO and the FCTC when they are afraid of science? In this age of fake news and alternative facts, it is important for governments to take a stand for the facts and know how to sift through the propaganda. This is what Secretary Locsin did at COP9, and I join the Philippine Cabinet and Congress in commending his actions,” says Mr Dator.

To view Mr Dator’s message to COP9 delegates visit: https://youtu.be/g0pYPmRXxM8

Secretary Locsin’s speech at COP9 and other key moments will be analysed during a post-sCOPe wrap-up and discussion. sCOPe’s COP9 awards will also announced. It will be broadcast at https://bit.ly/30v701b from 6pm (Hong Kong Time) or 10am (GMT) on Wednesday, 17 November.

CAPHRA is calling on those who’ve quit cigarettes through smoke-free nicotine alternatives to tell their story on www.righttovape.org, and add to the more than 14,000 testimonials available.

For a free digital media repository on tobacco harm reduction in Asia Pacific – including media releases, images and graphics – please visit

Her comments follow the release of a survey conducted by ACORN Marketing & Research Consultants. ‘A Survey of Attitudes Among Adult Tobacco & Nicotine Users in the Philippines’ was commissioned by consumer advocacy group, Vapers PH.

Results confirm wide public support for a Tobacco Harm Reduction (THR) approach, using less harmful alternatives to combustible cigarettes such as e-cigarettes, HTPs and other smoke-free products.

The survey revealed a staggering 94% of respondents agree that the Government should enact policies to encourage adult smokers to switch to less harmful alternatives to cigarettes. At the same time, they must ensure these products are not used by the youth.

After the House of Representatives passed the legislation in May, the Senate is now deliberating on the Vaporized Nicotine Products Regulation Act. It empowers the Government to regulate the importation, manufacture, sale, packaging, distribution, use and consumption of vapor (e-cigarettes) and heated tobacco products (HTPs).

Peter Dator, president of consumer group Vapers PH and CAPHRA member, says the results of this survey come at a crucial time.

“The Senate should be very encouraged that 9 out of ten Filipino smokers support the Government passing laws to encourage them to switch to less harmful alternatives. The support is overwhelming,” he says.

Ms Loucas says the Philippine Government should be congratulated for its determination to reflect the will of the people.

“The Government has done well not to succumb to the World Health Organisation’s lies about vaping or Michael Bloomberg’s bullying of governments to ban safer nicotine alternatives,” she says.

ACORN’s survey on the attitudes of Filipino tobacco and nicotine consumers was conducted from 3 to 15 August 2021. It involved 2,000 respondents who were legal-age smokers (above 18) and vapers (above 21) nationwide.

The survey found that 72% of respondents believe e-cigarettes and HTPs are better alternatives to cigarettes and 88% of adult smokers would consider switching to smoke-free products. Nearly 90% believed that flavoured smoke-free products should be allowed, as long as they are not marketed or sold to non-smokers or youth.

As well as an overwhelmingly positive perception about safer nicotine products, the survey showed Filipino consumers wanted greater access to accurate information about the products.

Over 16 million Filipinos still smoke combustible cigarettes. Given nearly 90,000 Filipinos die from smoking-related diseases every year, Mr Dator says the legislation will go a long way to addressing the country’s stubbornly high smoking rates.

“Fortunately, about one million former Filipino smokers have already switched to novel smoke-free products such as electronic cigarettes and HTPs. This legislation will only encourage more Filipinos to put their health first,” says Mr Dator.

Ms Loucas says the Philippines adoption of best practice Tobacco Harm Reduction policies will hopefully be emulated by other Asia Pacific governments.

“Countries like Australia, Thailand, Hong Kong and India should listen to their people, not kowtow to the WHO’s poisoned anti-vaping view. By standing strongly and independently, Filipino Senators can be confident that their risk-proportionate legislation will save thousands of lives,” says Nancy Loucas.

The latest research proving anti-tobacco billionaire foundations have funnelled millions into Asia Pacific NGOs to lobby governments to ban vaping, and discredit vaping advocates, has received worldwide press attention.

To view the full findings and money trails, visit: https://www.24shareupdates.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/Clarisse-Virgino-Research-with-IRS-returns-98.pdf

Now live and boasting over 14,000 testimonials, CAPHRA is calling on those who’ve quit cigarettes through smoke-free nicotine alternatives to tell their story on www.righttovape.org

Consumer groups in the Asia Pacific region have also launched a petition at change.org/v4v-petition that urges the WHO to respect consumer rights and to stop demonizing Tobacco Harm Reduction options ahead of November’s meeting of the WHO FCTC.

By January, 2021, international public health experts were calling for a serious inquiry into the funding. In March, in a “stunning admission,” the FDA admitted to applying for and receiving money from the Union “to hire employees to draft specific regulations on [e-cigarette and heated tobacco] products.”

Most recently, in August, the Philippine House Committee on Good Government and Public Accountability adopted a committee report that calls for the investigation referenced in December’s resolution, requiring the “Commission on Audit … to conduct a full-blown audit on the money received by the FDA from the American anti-tobacco group.”

This is promising news, but the audit should not be limited to only FDA actions on e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products. Since at least 2009, Bloomberg-funded public health NGOs have worked to demonize tobacco use in the Philippines. Interestingly, while these NGOs efforts attempt to marginalize other third-parties under the pretense of combatting tobacco industry influence, they mystifyingly embrace Bloomberg-backed tobacco control programs, which paradoxically require governments to not only still allow the sale of combustible tobacco but rely on taxes from those sales.

One overt Bloomberg-funded NGO is Vital Strategies (VS). According to the organization’s IRS tax documents, in 2017, VS spent “more than $56 million in financial or in-kind support” on tobacco control programs, including “a caravan that went city-to-city in the Philippines to build support for a tax on tobacco products.” According to VS’s 2018 Annual Report, the organization, in conjunction with the Bloomberg Initiative to Reduce Tobacco Use, helped organize a protest of 1,000 students “in response to the tobacco industry’s push to hook new customers in low-and middle-income countries.”

Vital Strategies has also worked with HealthJustice Philippines, an NGO that has received eight Bloomberg Initiative grants since 2009, and has actively promoted draconian tobacco taxes, restrictive smoking policies, and banning the sale of tobacco harm reduction products.

In May 2016, the Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) and HealthJustice staged a protest of “zombies” on World No Tobacco Day “in an attempt to make Filipinos aware of the dangers of tobacco use – something that could turn them into the ‘Smoking Dead.’” Other partners in the protest included the Philippines Department of Health the SEATCA, New Vois Association of the Philippines, Framework Convention of Tobacco Control Alliance Philippines, and Vital Strategies. In a November 2016 Facebook post, the organization posted a picture of a “discussion with the communications team of  Vital Strategies, Health Justice” and others.

Since Bloomberg’s financial involvement in the Southeast Asian country, access to tobacco harm reduction products has been severely restricted – despite the fact that an estimated 16 million Filipinos were smokers in 2019.

Bloomberg’s funding has helped to essentially wage a war against tobacco harm reduction in the archipelago. In November 2019, Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte imposed a nationwide ban on both the use and importation of vapor products, to include authorizing the arrest of persons vaping in public. This led to a February 2020 executive order which banned vaping in public and enclosed places and imposed strict regulations on e-cigarettes. The Philippines FDA “lauded” the order.

The Philippines FDA has also been spreading misinformation on the use of e-cigarettes. In a December 7, 2019 Facebook post, the taxpayer-funded agency declared that e-cigarettes “have been proven to introduce new risk above and over those already present in traditional combustible cigarettes.” This is total contradiction to numerous public health groups, including Public Health England, the Royal College of Physicians, and the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine, all of which have found vapor products to be significantly less harmful than combustible cigarettes.

It is a welcome sign that Philippine lawmakers are finally investigating the FDA and the role that Bloomberg’s billions have played. Let’s hope they will examine all policies NGOs like HealthJustice and Vital Strategies have pushed upon the FDA and other agencies, and whether they are hindering thousands of Filipino adults’ access to tobacco alternatives.

Coming on the heels of a House probe on foreign money influencing the Department of Health and the Food and Drugs administration without transparency and proper audit, CAPHRA outlined the money trail that go to lobbying for vested-interest policies devoid of any public disclosure and accountability.

“These foundations dismiss compelling international scientific evidence and apply bullying tactics to unduly influence the public health policies of sovereign nations. While many independent Asia-Pacific countries are delivering progressive and successful tobacco harm reduction policies and programs, big money and influence – mostly American – are conspiring to demonize their work,” said CAPHRA Philippine representative Clarisse Virgino who conducted the research.

Virgino revealed that US financial billionaire Michael Bloomberg, through his various philanthropic organizations, has provided grants to a number of local organizations, influence-peddling non-government organizations and lobby groups to push Bloomberg’s anti-vaping advocacy. The research paper noted that Bloomberg’s lobby money includes:

• At least eight grants since 2010 to HealthJustice Philippines;
• At least six grants since 2011 to Action for Economic Reforms;
• At least 10 grants since 2009 to Framework Convention on Tobacco Control Alliance Philippines;
• At least two grants since 2017 to Action on Smoking & Health (ASH) Philippines;
• At least two grants since 2018 to Philippine Legislators’ Committee on Population and Development (PLCPD);
• At least three grants since 2018 to Social Watch Philippines; and
• At least five grants since 2014 to New Vois Association of the Philippines.

Virgino, a former smoker who was able to quit by switching to vaping, said several billionaire-backed charitable organizations and pharmaceutical companies are spending hundreds of millions of US dollars to force an anti-vaping agenda onto unsuspecting countries.

“The billionaires are tied to the charities with links to the pharmaceutical companies, which in turn are tied to the billionaires. Most alarmingly, they don’t reveal these ties as money changes hands and their talking points are unwittingly parroted by government officials. Those who express opposing viewpoints are often publicly bullied into submission,” she said.

Citing a Public Health England (PHE) independent report, Virgino pointed out that vaping is more effective than nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) in helping people stop smoking. PHE advises smokers to switch to vaping to help them quit smoking, but cautions non-smokers not to take up vaping. While not without some risks, vaping products contain significantly less harmful chemicals than cigarettes, according to the autonomous executive agency of the UK Department of Health and Social Care.

According to the PHE report, evidence over the years suggests that as the use of vaping products in quit attempts increases, the number of successful quits in England also increases. The report estimated that in 2017, more than 50,000 smokers in England stopped smoking with the aid of a vaping product who would otherwise have continued smoking.

A group of Filipino legislators recently called for the adoption of national policies prohibiting government agencies from receiving foreign grants without transparency and accountability.

Citing the need for strict policies to ensure “foreign donors” do not interfere in internal policymaking, the House Committee on Good Government and Public Accountability asked the Commission on Audit (COA) to conduct a full audit on the money received by the Philippine Food and Drug Administration (FDA) from the Bloomberg Initiative to draft policies regulating vaping in the country.

The committee also recommended the review of the FDA Act on the receipt of grants and donations from local and international sources, as well as the law’s implementing rules and regulations to reflect the realities that a grant may influence the grantee.

Virgino’s research also found that Bloomberg Philanthropies funded the Data for Health Initiative at the University of Melbourne. Until recently, Prof. Alan Lopez was the head of the initiative which aims to gather statistics on tobacco-related deaths worldwide. Among the initiative’s partners are the Bloomberg School of Public Health at Johns Hopkins University and Vital Strategies, an anti-tobacco nonprofit with longstanding ties to Bloomberg.

Prof. Lopez is a faculty member of the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) at the University of Washington in Seattle. Currently headed by Prof. Lopez’s longtime colleague and friend Dr. Christopher J.L. Murray, IHME was launched in June 2007 based on a core grant of US$105 million primarily funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

The Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health is one of five partner organizations funded by the Bloomberg Initiative to Reduce Tobacco Use, according to Virgino. Through its Institute for Global Tobacco Control, the Bloomberg School of Public Health serves as the academic arm of the initiative, conducting research, evaluation and capacity building to support the passage, implementation and enforcement of tobacco control policies and interventions.

The institute, which explicitly opposes vaping, is a partner of the World Health Organization (WHO).

“Mohamad Haniki Bin Nik Mohamed is Associate Professor of Pharmacy at the International Islamic University in Selangor, Malaysia. He obtained a Certificate in Global Tobacco Control from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health,” Virgino said.

The Tobacco Control Cell (TCC) is an attached agency of Pakistan’s Ministry of National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination. Virgino revealed that the TCC received a grant from Bloomberg Philanthropies to fund the development and implementation of the National Action Plan on Tobacco Interference, as well as grants to fund projects aimed at strengthening the country’s existing tobacco control interventions.

Virgino lambasted the “small, corrupt network of elites” that “pervert the democratically elected political systems of vulnerable developing countries” by “funneling cash through a web of anti-tobacco organizations and charities”, with a particular focus on influencing legislation.

“The corruption and conflicts of interest are blatant. For example, big pharma is using its charitable organizations to attack vaping while marketing their own smoking cessation products. Citizens’ rights are being bulldozed and national freedoms are being harmed – all in the paternalistic pursuit of forcing dubious policies onto others which end up negatively impacting people’s health and lives,” said Virgino.

Download the full text of the research here

Known as House Bill 9007, the proposed ‘Non-Combustible Nicotine Delivery Systems Regulation Act’ is a massive legislative achievement for tobacco harm reduction advocates in the Philippines, says Nancy Loucas, Executive Coordinator of the Coalition of Asia Pacific Tobacco Harm Reduction Advocates (CAPHRA).

“Nearly 90,000 Filipinos die from smoking-related diseases every year. This legislation will not only save thousands of lives, but the Philippines is now leading the way in the Asia-Pacific region with reasonable, risk proportionate regulation which will be very effective in curbing smoking rates,” says Ms Loucas.

With international evidence putting vaping at 95% less harmful than smoking, non-combustible electronic nicotine and non-nicotine delivery systems (ENDS/ENNDS) have been available in the Philippines for more than a decade. However, in 2019 the Government tried to ban the use of e-cigarettes, HTPs, and other smoke-free alternatives.

CAPHRA says once this proposed bill becomes law, it will also remove any remaining vestiges of influence from foreigners. This includes raising the age to purchase to 25, and a ban on flavours other than menthol and tobacco that was due to come into effect in May 2022.

A proposed Government ban sparked efforts by the likes of Vapers PH and Philippine E-Cigarette Industry Association (PECIA), with support from CAPHRA, to meet with House and Senate representatives on the benefits of smoke-free alternatives. They reinforced to legislators that vaping has proved be the most effective smoking cessation tool around the world, with the Philippines in desperate need of best practice policies to reduce the numbers smoking.

Consumer advocates in the Philippines promoted the regulation of e-cigarettes as a consumer product. They argued that the age of majority in the Philippines is 18 – one can purchase tobacco, alcohol and get married at 18 – so the current age to purchase of 21 was nonsensical. Supporting the minimum age for the purchase, sale and use of such products to R18 would bring vape in line with other ‘adult’ activities and privileges.

At the same time, they argued adult smokers keen to quit tobacco need reasonable access to safer alternatives and restricted advertising should be permitted. Product safety standards were also critically important to the consumer advocates.

Clarisse Virgino, the Philippine representative of CAPHRA, is delighted that the country’s legislators have listened, saying the prospect of more Filipinos successfully quitting smoking is of historic significance given the country’s stubbornly high smoking rates for decades.

“The proposed Act will legitimize the market of vaporized nicotine products which means that consumers will have better protection. We hope that the Senate will also support this bill to provide millions of Filipino smokers with less harmful alternatives to combustible cigarettes,” says Ms Virgino.

Peter Paul Dator, President of consumer group Vapers PH and CAPHRA member, is equally pleased the country’s legislators are acting. He says for too long the World Health Organization’s ‘cold turkey’ approach to smoking cessation has cost thousands of lives in low-income countries with high smoking rates.

He notes that past official statistics revealed nearly a quarter of all Filipino adults smoked. This is matched by the Philippines very low 4% smoking cessation rate – even though over three-quarters of smokers wanted or planned to quit smoking tobacco. Very few, however, were able to do so successfully.

“It’s exciting that the country is now legitimising the most effective method we have to quit smoking. For years we’ve tried strategies such as going ‘cold turkey’ counseling, and nicotine replacement therapy and our dismal national smoking rate speaks for itself,” he says.

The Vapers PH president says the Senate can be confident with the quality of work and level of consumer and industry consultation that has informed the legislation which he describes as enabling a realistic and workable regulatory framework.

“This will undoubtedly reduce serious sickness and premature death among the 16 million cigarette smokers in the Philippines by helping them to switch to a safer, smoke-free alternative. The House of Representatives has done very well, and I know the Senate is equally keen to pass evidence-based legislation that helps reduce our appallingly high smoking rates,” says Mr Dator.

[social_share][/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

The Coalition of Asia Pacific Tobacco Harm Reduction Advocates (CAPHRA) issued the statement in support of a report released by the International Network of Nicotine Consumer Organisations (INNCO) that tobacco harm reduction (THR) alternatives like e-cigarettes and HTPs would help, and not hinder, the aims of global tobacco control.

“The recommendation by the International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease (The Union) for blanket ban on electronic nicotine delivery systems and HTPs in LMICs is ill-conceived, prejudicial to LMIC consumers and detrimental to public health,” said Nancy Loucas, Executive Coordinator of CAPHRA.

The Union, a Bloomberg partner for ‘The Initiative to reduce tobacco use’, published its fourth position statement on e-cigarettes last year which called for a blanket ban on all electronic nicotine delivery systems and HTPs in LMICs.

INNCO, a global member association that advocates for tobacco harm reduction and proportionate regulation of low-risk alternative nicotine products, criticized The Union report, saying the move to ban harm reduction products should be evaluated carefully.

It cited 10 reasons why blanket bans of e-cigarettes and HTPs in LMICs would do more harm than good. “Such bans will mean that more people will keep using cigarettes, or obtain alternative products through illicit markets with no safeguards,” it said.

Such bans are an overly simplistic solution to a complex issue and will not work, according to INNCO.  It said the smoking problem is a complex issue that is the leading cause of preventable death worldwide, causing more than 8 million deaths per year.

It said the MPOWER strategies crafted by the World Health Organization proved unworkable in many LMICs due to lack of access to smoking cessation services and other resources. “In this context, it is clear that pragmatic approaches are needed, including the availability of a wide selection of products proven to reduce harm,” INNCO said.

Samrat Chowdhery, president of INNCO, said The Union’s assertion that LMICs do not have the regulatory capacity to manage and oversee a market of ENDS and HTPs was simply wrong and condescending.

“LMICs are composed of complex and highly-diverse societies, and a ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach such as a blanket ban would be ill-advised.  I believe that a blanket ban on alternative products will not improve the situation.  In fact, I believe it will actually worsen it,” said Chowdhery, who is from India, an LMIC with diverse cultures.

Samsul Arrifin, president of Malaysian Organisation of Vape Entities (MOVE), agreed, saying that “any move to deprive smokers and consumers of better alternatives to cigarettes such as vapes would only contribute the problem that is seeks to address.’

INNCO said prioritizing the banning of reduced harm alternatives over cigarettes is also illogical.  It said that by denying smokers access to a much safer alternative while leaving cigarettes on the market, policymakers would leave only two options on the table – quit or die.

It also said that reduction and substitution are valid goals for smokers in LMICs as replacing combustible tobacco with alternative nicotine products can significantly reduce risk of harm by at least 95 percent.

INNCO said smokers should be given the right to choose their own path to better health. “By removing reduced harm alternatives from the market—while leaving the significantly more dangerous cigarettes available—countries would remove this right from the individual,” it said.

It said reduced harm alternatives can significantly contribute to the aims of global tobacco control, with the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) itself recognizing ‘harm reduction’ as a key strategy in tobacco control.

The INNCO report said lack of research in LMICs should not be a valid reason to ban reduced harm alternatives. It said that while more research needs to be conducted in LMICs on tobacco control and specifically harm reduction measures, governments should not deny people living in poor and developing countries access to potentially life-saving products in the meantime.

It also said that the prohibitionist approach in LMICs is outdated, unrealistic and condescending.  INNCO said such discriminatory policies serve to further increase health inequalities between high-income countries and LMICs.

Jagannath Sarangapani, director of Association of Vapers India (AVI), agreed with the INNCO’s observation that bans in LMICs would only lead to illicit markets.  “In India and Thailand, the bans on e-cigarettes created an underground industry of these products, with no product regulation and taxation.”

INNCO also said banning reduced harm alternatives would only lead people back to smoking and greater harm. It said blanket bans in LMICs are a form of ‘philanthropic colonialism’.

Peter Paul Dator of Vapers Philippines said this is the same issue hounding the Philippines, after the local Food and Drug Administration confirmed in a congressional investigation it received thousands of dollars from anti-tobacco group The Union to craft guidelines on vaping. “The Philippine Congress passed laws to regulate, instead of ban these products.  Unfortunately, the FDA passed guidelines that restrict the availability of e-cigarettes and HTPs,” Dator said.

INNCO said global organizations such as the WHO, Bloomberg Philanthropies and The Union wield great influence in LMICs through sponsorship of healthcare programs and public initiatives.

“We believe that awareness of and access to reduced-harm products is a fundamental human right, and that denial of this right will prevent significant health benefits in LMICs,” INNCO said.

[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

Dr. Joel Nitzkin, a US physician who was cross-trained in public administration, cited the need to shed light on the filing of a resolution by two Filipino congressmen last month calling for a congressional probe on the Philippines FDA’s acceptance of foreign funding from Bloomberg in possible breach of the 1987 Constitution and several laws.

Prof. David John Nutt of Imperial College of London, who chairs Drug Science, said it would be interesting to review the Philippine FDA case to determine whether it violated any US charity regulations, particularly if it illicitly interfered in the governance of another state. “We need to know how much money has been donated, both in dollars and as a percentage of the FDA budget.

In addition, we need articulation from both donor and recipient ends as to the intended purpose of this donation. If this is as illicit as it appears to be, the next step would be to challenge this in the Philippine courts, and possibly in American courts,” said Nitzkin.

Ilocos Sur First District Rep. Deogracias Victor Savellano and Nueva Ecija First District Rep. Estrellita Suansing filed a resolution in December 2020 directing the House Committee on Good Government and Public Accountability to conduct an inquiry, in aid of legislation, on the alleged “questionable” receipt of private funding by the FDA and other government agencies and institutions “in exchange for the issuance of specific and predefined policies against a legitimate industry under Philippine laws and in complete disregard of the rights and welfare of consumers.”

The call for an inquiry stemmed from the alleged admission by FDA officials, during a public hearing on Oct. 28, 2020 for the drafting of the general guidelines on the regulation of electronic nicotine delivery systems (e-cigarettes) and heated tobacco products, that they received funding from The Union and Bloomberg Initiative which are international private groups that advocate against all forms of tobacco products, including e-cigarettes and HTPs.

Health policy consultant Scott Ballin, who previously worked on U.S. FDA regulation of tobacco, described the issue as “troubling” as it involves the direct contribution of funding or money to a regulatory agency.

“This is obviously a real concern. The overriding issue is indeed transparency and the requirements that a regulatory body follow guidelines in ensuring that policy-related decisions are made based on sound science and as part of a transparent regulatory process. If the (tobacco) industry had done this, there would have been outrage coming from public health entities as we well know,” Ballin said.

“Accepting money without disclosure and which might be an ethical if not a legal violation is something else. I don’t have or see enough information in the Philippine situation to see if the money was contributed for a specific purpose, etc. That said, the fact that this was done leaves a foul taste in the mouth,” he said.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]