Manila, Oct. 5 -- With youth smoking rates in the Philippines doubling in just two years, public health advocates are calling for urgent and targeted enforcement measures to stop the spread of illegal cigarettes and vapes that are fueling a new wave of nicotine addiction among teens.

In a news release on Wednesday, Pinoy Aksyon cited new data from the Food and Nutrition Research Institute (FNRI) of the Department of Science and Technology showing that 4.8 percent of Filipinos aged 10-19 smoked in 2023, up from 2.3 percent in 2021.

Among 18- to 19-year-olds, the rate is almost 14 percent, while vaping among teen smokers soared from 7.5 percent to nearly 40 percent in the same period.

Earlier, Health Secretary Teodoro Herbosa pointed to ...