BAGUIO CITY – The Department of Education in the Cordillera Administrative Region (DepEd-CAR) reminded school heads on Thursday that vape and cigarettes are considered contraband, thus, must not be allowed inside campuses.
“Bawal iyan. Kaya pwedeng mag-initiate ng preventive measures and schools natin para masiguro na wala sa learners ang nagdadala at gumagamit ng vape at sigarilyo sa school premises (That is prohibited so our schools can initiate measures to ensure that cigarettes and vape are not brought and used in school premises),” Dr. Estela Cariño, DepEd-CAR director said in a message to the Philippine News Agency.
She said the DepEd regional office could issue an order to the division offices as a reminder of the order pertaining to the prohibition.
She also asked parents not to tolerate their children’s vices and prevent them from bringing cigarettes and vapes to school.
DepEd Memorandum No. 111-2019 prohibits the use of e-cigarettes and other electronic nicotine and non-nicotine delivery systems and reiterates the absolute tobacco smoking ban in schools and DepEd offices. It emphasizes the importance of a smoke-free environment within educational institutions and offices.
The Baguio smoke-free task force earlier said while smoking in the city was reduced by more than 70 percent from 2014 to 2022, there was however an increase in vape users, with 13-year-old youths having been found to be the youngest.
Dr. Celia Flor Brillantes, City health officer, said in an earlier interview that the smoke-free Baguio task force had destroyed numerous vape and juice products which were confiscated in the different school in the city.
“We laud the schools who were vigilant in ensuring the protection of the students against the damaging effect of the use of vape to the health, especially to young people,” she said.
Brillantes called on school administrators to join the campaign against the use of vape and cigarettes by making sure that learners do not have them in their possession as they attend classes.
The regional Department of Health also reminded students not to fall victims to vapes and cigarettes, citing the risk of heart and lung diseases obtained from the use of these substances.
These include EVALI (e-cigarette or vaping-use associated lung injury) and popcorn lungs or broncholiti obliterans, which results in obstruction of the smallest airways of the lungs due to inflammation. **Liza Agoot
