President Rodrigo Duterte said he will stop the used of e-cigarette or vape in the country, after the first confirmed case of lung illness tied to vaping. The Philippines' Department of Health announced on Friday that the 16-year-old girl that was hospitalized in late October was diagnosed with e-cigarette-associated lung injury or EVALI.
In response, the president has directed the law enforcement to arrest individuals smoking the e-cigarettes and order to ban the importation.
The Philippine National Police (PNP) has intensified the crackdown on vape use as executive order would follow soon, since the President has the urgent power to have it banned.
"I’m ordering it. The EO will follow," President Duterte pronounced.
"I'm now ordering all law enforcement agencies to arrest everybody vaping in public, that like smoking...you contaminate people," the President added.
An executive order made in 2017 prohibited smoking in public places, punishable by fines. Duterte said he was concerned by the growing number of Filipinos afflicted with tobacco-related diseases.
No comments:
Post a Comment