THE DEPARTMENT of Trade and Industry (DTI) said that it confiscated P31 million worth of vape products from last February 9 to April 23 for violating the Vape Law, or Republic Act (RA) No. 11900.
In a statement, the DTI said that it has monitored 84,523 physical and online vape establishments during the period, which led to the confiscation of 65,865 vape units.
“Of the monitored online and physical firms, 298 were issued with notices of violation (NOVs), while 493 were issued with show cause orders (SCOs). These non-compliant firms are required to submit a written explanation within 48 hours of receipt of SCOs and NOVs,” the DTI said.
On April 23, the DTI had its biggest buy-bust enforcement operation, with the Philippine National Police-Southern Police District seizing a total of 45,000 units of non-compliant vape products.
The buy-bust operation led to the seizure of 452 boxes of vapes, each containing 100 units, for a total worth of P24.86 million.
The inspection revealed that the establishment sold vape products while branding itself as a milk tea beverage outlet near an elementary school. The shop was also found to have been selling banned Flava products.
Section 9 of the Vape Law prohibits the sale of vape products within 100 meters of areas frequented by minors, while the DTI issued a preliminary order against Flava Corp. to halt its operations on March 15.
“These enforcement efforts aim to safeguard the consuming public, particularly minors, from illegal vape sales and ensure compliance with the Vape Law and its implementing rules and regulations,” the DTI said.
In a briefing last week, Trade Assistant Secretary Amanda Marie F. Nograles said that the DTI will issue supplemental guidelines for the certification of vape products next month in preparation for the mandatory registration and certification of vape products in June.
She said that the supplemental guidelines were aimed at aligning how the certification will be done since the existing guidelines for the certification were issued in 2022, or before the Vape Law took effect.
Under RA 11900, the DTI was given regulatory jurisdiction over vapes and other novel tobacco products. Starting January next year, the DTI will begin its market clearing period for vape products without the Philippine Standard mark or Import Commodity Clearance sticker.
Prior to the market clearing period, the DTI will allow the sale of stocks of existing vape products in the market from June to January 2025 as a grace period. — Justine Irish D. Tabile
