President Rodrigo Duterte has signed an Executive Order banning the production, distribution and use of unregistered e-cigarette products, reports the Inquirer.

The ban comes after Duterte had verbally forbidden the public use of and importation of e-cigarettes in November last year saying, “Vaping is also dangerous, I am banning it. If you are smoking now, you will be arrested.”
The new Executive Order 106 requires all components of ENDS or heated tobacco products to be registered with and follow the standards of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), according to the Inquirer. The FDA will provide a set of standards and regulations to any establishment involved in the production, distribution and sale of the above-mentioned products within 30 days of the EO coming into effect.
The Order also bans vaping in enclosed public places as well as prohibiting the sale of cigarettes and e-cigarette devices to minors and persons below the age of 21 respectively. Furthermore, the sale of such products is banned within 100 metres of schools, playgrounds and other areas minors are likely to frequent, reports the Inquirer.