MANILA — The Department of Trade and Industry has confiscated 13,784 vape related products from non-compliant stores worth P4,252,523 for violating Republic Act No. 11900 also known as "Vaporized Nicotine and Non-Nicotine Products Regulation Act" as of June.

In a statement, the DTI said it is implementing tighter monitoring of vape shops in the National Capital Region to ensure restrictions on sale are followed.

Some of the rules being monitored are the ban on use of colorful packaging, restrictions on flavoring, restrictions on product advertisements and sponsorships, sale to minors and the prohibition on the use of nicotine and non-nicotine products in public places, among others.

As of June 1, the DTI said it has monitored some 583 physical stores and 28,584 online stores.

Out of the total physical stores monitored, 229 were found to be compliant of the prohibitions while only 175 were compliant under the online stores following a physical validation, the DTI said.

Notices of Violation and Show Cause Orders have already been issued to 72 firms, the agency said.

"The DTI, through our Fair Trade Enforcement Bureau (FTEB) will continue to implement tighter monitoring of these firms. We aim to balance the interest of both businesses/manufacturers and also protect our youth from these harmful substances," Pascual said.

In addition, the DTI said the FTEB's Adjudication Division has received 74 formal charges.

"The DTI conducts monitoring across major social media and e-commerce platforms to ensure that minors will not have access to these substances online," it said.

Consumers can report violators through the Consumer Care Hotline at DTI (1-384) or consumercare@dti.gov.ph.

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