The Department of Education (DepEd) is revamping its anti-smoking campaign to target Filipino youth with a fresh approach that embraces pop culture references and youth slang.

This new strategy acknowledges the rapidly evolving slang and trends popular among teenagers, said DepEd Assistant Secretary Dexter Galban, emphasizing the need to communicate with youth in their rapidly changing language.

DepEd aims to deliver anti-smoking messages that resonate with students’ interests and capture their attention by incorporating these elements into their messaging.

“Six months ago,hindi uso iyong mga main memes na ginagamit ngayon [certain memes weren’t a thing]. Iyong kunwari [like the ones that say], ‘Of course, I’m a DepEd learner, I don’t vape.’ We have to be able to catch up with the times,” he told participants of a health literacy media conference in Subic on June 14.

The new approach comes amid growing public health concerns about the rise of vaping among Filipino youth. 

Galban emphasized the importance of using pop culture references that resonate with students. “We have to be able to integrate pop culture references, whether it be BINI, or BGYO, or any other thing that is in for them to understand that these are things that are relevant to them,” he said, referring to popular Filipino boy and girl groups. 

The campaign will go beyond simply highlighting the dangers of smoking and vaping. 

DepEd also plans to showcase positive alternatives that promote mental health and well-being. These could include counseling, sports activities, or even joining socio-civic movements.

E-cigarettes, which often come in sleek designs resembling highlighters or ballpens, can easily go undetected by adults.

“We have to train our teachers to spot these particular products because they are rapidly evolving and changing,” said Galban.

The new strategy comes on the heels of the Department of Health’s (DOH) announcement of its first record of a vaping-related death in the Philippines. 

The DoHurging Filipinos to quit smoking through its Quitline 1558 program, recognizing that quitting is a personal decision. 

Dr. Jessica Catalan-Legarda of the Lung Center of the Philippines explains that many people hesitate to quit due to withdrawal symptoms and cravings.

They highlight that younger individuals with higher education levels often have better success rates.

To be considered a quitter, one must be vape-free for over six months, and research indicates it typically takes seven to eight attempts for an average smoker or vaper to quit successfully.