MANILA — The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) has confiscated P3.5 million worth of illegally sold vapes, an official said on Tuesday, as the agency cracked down on e-cigarette use among minors.

The DTI seized the products from some 500 stores since the the Vape Law's implementing rules and regulations were released on Dec. 28 last year, Trade Undersecretary Ruth Castelo said.

"Over time, dadagdag at dadagdag pa iyan doon sa intensified operations natin pero ang volume ng na-confiscate natin so far ay nasa P3.5 million na ang value – iyong mga na-confiscate, iyong nakuha ng DTI," said Castelo in a televised briefing.

"Pero marami rin kasi na totally pinapasara na lang iyong tindahan kasi lahat ng tinda nila ay may violation kagaya noong nangyari sa Valenzuela – sarado na lang po iyong tindahan; hindi na natin iku-confiscate kasi isasara na lang iyong store," she added.

(Over time, the figure will increase because we will do intensified operations, but the DTI has confiscated P3.5 million worth of products so far. But many stores were just closed, like what happened in Valenzuela, because all their products had violations. In such cases, we no longer confiscate the products; we just shut down the store.)

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At least 21,708 notices of violations, meanwhile, were sent to vape sellers online, Castelo said.

The representative of these stores need to explain their alleged violations and could P100,000 to P2 million in penalties, depending on the level of the offense, she said.

"So kasama itong vape, mayroon na tayong mga nakasuhan sa kanila na naisyuhan ng notices of violation and they will have to respond to DTI otherwise magtutuluy-tuloy iyong kaso nila hanggang sa mapatawan sila ng penalty," she said.

(Including vape sellers, we have filed complaints against some of them. They will have to respond to the DTI. Otherwise, the case will proceed until they are penalized.)

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Minors caught using cigarettes for the first time will face a penalty of P10,000 and will be handled by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), the official said.

Castelo also warned merchants to not sell vapes or e-cigarettes at least 100 meters from schools. The sale of flavored vapes is prohibited, she added.

"'Yung mga flavor descriptors na nabanggit ko ‘di ba – iyong mga turon flavor, may frozen margarita, may honey butter, may kung anu-anong flavors – bawal po iyan," she said.

"So, kapag kayo ay nakitaan na nagbibenta lalo na sa minor ay doble-doble po ang offenses ninyo at doble-doble rin ang magiging parusa sa kanila."

(The flavor descriptors I mentioned -- turon, frozen margarita, honey butter -- those are banned. If you sell that especially to minors, that's a double offense, and your penalty will also double.)

The Philippine National Police (PNP) this month said it would go after minors using vapes and cigarettes, after some parents appealed for strengthened monitoring.

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Video from PTV