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MANILA - Health Secretary Francisco Duque III on Saturday said he would support measures that would regulate the use of e-cigarettes instead of policies banning the product.

Duque's statement is a departure from the Department of Health's recent call to ban electronic cigarettes in the country.

"If I had my way, I want to ban it but we have to be more evidence-based. We have to have more scientific basis for banning it," Duque told ANC's Dateline Philippines Weekend.

The official said it would be wiser to have a law on the regulation of e-cigarettes instead, noting that the DOH administrative order against vaping could not be enforced after a court released a temporary restraining order against the policy.

"If these were a legislation, it will be difficult to question this in the court of law," he said.

"We support measures to enforce regulation of vapes," he said.

A British study showed that the cardiovascular health of chronic smokers improved after they switched to vaping.

• Smokers who switch to e-cigarette vapes rapidly boost heart health: study

The United States, however, said that as of November 14, around
42 people have died from the use of e-cigarettes, while 2,172 fell ill from vaping.

Recently, a case of vaping-related injury was reported in Central Visayas involving a teenage patient, but Duque said further tests have to be conducted to confirm this.

The executive department has been pushing to impose higher taxes on e-cigarette and alcohol products to raise some P47.9 billion to fund a P59.1-billion funding gap for universal health care.

• Duterte asks lawmakers: Pass alcohol, vape tax