Philippines Vape Ban: Government Throws The Baby Out With The Bathwater

Thursday, 16 October 2025, 3:49 pm
Press Release: CAPHRA

CAPHRA Condemns Reckless Policy That Strips Filipino Consumers Of Safer Alternatives.

The Coalition of Asia Pacific Tobacco Harm Reduction Advocates condemns the Philippine government's move to ban refillable open pod vapes as a reckless assault on consumer choice and public health. Current restrictions have already shuttered compliant shops and limited options for adult vapers, but this blanket prohibition on refillable pod systems will devastate access to regulated harm reduction tools.

Nancy Loucas, Executive Coordinator of CAPHRA, said: "With these measures, the government is throwing the baby out with the bathwater. Refusing to distinguish between open pod and open tank systems shows a total lack of understanding, and it is the Filipino public who will pay the price."

The Department of Trade and Industry's (DTI) failure to consult consumer voices has produced deeply anti-consumer policy. Instead of collaborating with advocacy groups and experts for balanced regulation, officials have escalated prohibitive actions that undermine genuine public health efforts.

Many observers now view these steps as veering towards an outright vape ban. Clarisse Virgino, CAPHRA Philippines representative, believes such misguided prohibitions "will force adult consumers back to cigarettes or environmentally harmful disposables, which lack any credible waste management or recycling framework. This directly contradicts the Philippines' commitments to the UN Sustainable Development Goals on environmental protection."

The illicit market stands to thrive as legal choices vanish. Consumers will flock to unregulated sellers, eroding safety standards and government revenue – precisely the opposite of the DTI's objectives. The government's refusal to engage stakeholders and its contradictory measures must cease immediately. Filipino vapers deserve evidence-based regulation, not heavy-handed prohibition that reverses harm reduction progress. "To have come so far, and see the beneficial impacts on smoking status in the Philippines and then revert to restrictive policies, is detrimental to the remaining 14.4 million adults in the Philippines who still smoke", said Loucas.

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