03/03/2026
Health Secretary Ted Herbosa is pushing for a complete ban on v**e products, citing their toxic and addictive substances that pose serious risks to public health and safety.
“My personal stand is to ban v**e, because it is poison. I am the secretary of health, so why will I give poison to the Filipinos and the youth?” Herbosa said in a radio program.
“It (v**e) is not less harmful. I see it to be more harmful, though this hasn’t come out before—these dangerous illnesses such as EVALI, or E-cigarette or Va**ng Use-Associated Lung Injury,” he added.
Herbosa noted that EVALI is a recently identified illness that surfaced and became apparent as the use of e-cigarettes and v**e products increased.
“So the effects are different. There are those that developed ‘popcorn lungs.’ Some have their lungs turned black from being a chronic smoker for many years, and then the damage becomes permanent,” he said.
The Department of Health pointed out that in Southeast Asia, only three countries — Philippines, Indonesia, and Malaysia—have not yet imposed a ban on v**e products.
“For our children, it should be total ban,” Herbosa said.
