Duterte cracks EJK joke in rant vs e-cigarettes inventor
MANILA, Philippines—Days after he declared vaping in public places illegal, President Rodrigo Duterte on Thursday joked he has ordered the search and killing of the “demon” inventor of electronic cigarettes.
“Itong vaping, ewan ko kung sinong demonyo nag-imbento niyan. Pinapahanap ko nga, i-extrajudicial killing ko ‘yang gago na ‘yan.
(I don’t know the demon who invented vape. I ordered the search for him. I will subject that stupid individual to extrajudicial killing.)
Duterte ordered the ban on e-cigarettes on Tuesday, days after the Department of Health announced the first case of a vape-related lung injury.
At the same time, Duterte also ordered the police to arrest individuals caught vaping in public.
The President said he banned vaping to protect the health of Filipinos, particularly the youth.He argued that like cigarettes, vapes contain the highly-addictive chemical nicotine.
Duterte also explained why he allows the manufacture and importation of tobacco while he banned the importation of e-cigarettes.
“Why cannot we ban cigarettes? Why? Because we allow its manufacture and maybe the importation of tobacco. We allow it, pinapayagan natin, and then we tax them,” he said.
According to Duterte, vape products are not regulated by the country’s Food and Drug Administration.
Nicotine can cause an increase in blood pressure, heart rate, flow of blood to the heart and a narrowing of the arteries (vessels that carry blood). It also contributes to the hardening of the arterial walls, which in turn, may lead to heart ailments.
The Philippine National Police’s crackdown against vape users drew flak for alleged lack of legal basis as Duterte has yet to issue an executive order to formalize the ban.
Senate President Vicente Sotto III said a law is needed to ban e-cigarettes.
Duterte has said that he would soon issue an EO on the matter but noted that cops can already arrest those vaping in public on the basis of a law that prohibits the distribution of toxic materials in public.
