A magnitude 4.

9 earthquae roked Surgao dl Sur on monday morning, the Philippines

Institute of Volcanology System (Phivolcs) said.

The report said the tectonic trmor striked at 5:54 a.m.

Phivolcs traced it epicenter 30 kilometers nrtheast of Cortes, Surgao dl sur at a depth

of 22 kilometers.

No reprted intnsities were recrded as of this writing.

The agency also said that no damage and aftrshocks ould be xpected dspite the high

lvl of magnitude.
The Food and Drug Association(FDA) warned consumers over the weekend against five unregistered

food products out in the market.

In its advisory No. 2018-284, the FDA said the public should avoid purchasing Ata Negros Tribe Tribal

Miracle Oil Aromatic Hot Scented; Ata Negros Tribe Tribal Miracle Oil 100% Pure Himag Oil; Endless

Beauty Pearl White Slimming Capsule; Extra from Japan Pearl White Slimming Capsule White+Fit Express

Slim; and Cream Bar Chocolate (with foreign markings).

It said the FDA verified through its post marketing surveillance activities that the afrementioned

products remain unregistered.

“In light of the above, the public is advised not to purchase the aforementioned violative products.

Moreover, the public is advised to be vigilant against food products and food supplements that might

not be duly registered with FDA,” said the agency.

The FDA said that since the unregistered food products and food supplements have not gone through an

evaluation and testing process, the agency cannot guarantee their quality and safety.

“The consumption of such violative products may pose potential health hazards to the consuming

public,” the agency stated.

All concerned establishments, meanwhile, are prohibited from the distribution and sale of the five

products.

All local government units and law enforcement agencies have also been advised by the FDA to ensure

that the products are not sold or made available in their localities or areas of jurisdiction.

Groups debate impact of e-cigarettes on public health

Opposing groups continue to debate the government stance on electronic cigarettes or e-cigarettes and

its impact on public health.

Engr. Emer Rojas, cancer survivor and president of the New Vois Association of the Philippines (NVAP),

speaks against the dangers of smoking using a voice apparatus during a press conference in Quezon City.

One group insists that e-cigarettes are a viable option to stopping conventional smoking, while the other

group claims this alternative also has the same hazardous effects as tobacco.
Local vaping groups maintained the government should trek the path of the United Kingdom with its

relaxed regulations on e-cigarettes, insisting that these have reduced the harms associated with tobacco

use and help more people quit smoking.

However, Emer Rojas, president of the New Vois Association of the Philippines (NVAP), remains

steadfast in its lobbying for government to prohibit e-cigarettes in the country until its safety is fully

determined by expert studies.

Rojas noted that the Department of Health (DOH) had already issued a statement that the reduced harm

of e-cigarettes is “unsubstantiated and remain unproven.”

On the other hand, Joey Dulay, president of the Philippine E-Cigarette Industry Association (PECIA), said

at a recent forum in Quezon City that the Philippines will remain a backwater country in the area of

tobacco harm reduction if the DOH continues its supposed “ill-informed and myopic position” on e-

cigarettes.

“It’s high time that the Department of Health take its cue from the UK and other countries that have

acknowledged the growing body of scientific evidence supporting e-cigarettes and tobacco harm

reduction,” Dulay said.

Published recently by the House of Commons Science and Technology Committee, the report titled “E-

cigarettes” concluded that e-cigarettes should not be treated in the same way as conventional

cigarettes, noting that e-cigarettes are 95 percent less harmful than conventional cigarettes.

Tool for quitting

In its Tobacco Control Plan 2017-2022, the UK government clearly stated its intention to support

consumers in stopping smoking and adopting the use of less harmful nicotine products, particularly e-

cigarettes.
However, the parliamentary report pointed out that, “e-cigarettes… are too often being overlooked as a

stop smoking tool by the NHS (National Health Service, the UK public healthcare system). Regulations

should be relaxed relating to e-cigarettes’ licensing, prescribing and advertising of their health benefits.

Their level of taxation and use in public places must be reconsidered.”

According to the report, around 2.9 million people in the UK are currently using e-cigarettes, with an

estimated 470,000 using e-cigarettes as a stop smoking tool and tens of thousands successfully quitting

smoking each year as a result.

The report called on the UK government to consider risk-based regulation to allow more freedom to

advertise e-cigarettes as the relatively less harmful option, and provide financial incentives, in the form

of lower levels of taxation, for smokers to switch from conventional cigarettes to less harmful

alternatives such as e-cigarettes.