(FACEBOOK / FILE PHOTO / MANILA BULLETIN) “Countries around the world need to protect their regulatory agencies from such interference,” Prof. David Sweanor, advisory committee chair of the University of Ottawa Centre for Health Law and Policy in Canada said. Sweanor made the comment after two congressmen called for a congressional probe on the Philippines FDA’s acceptance of foreign funding from Bloomberg, which promotes an anti-vaping agenda, in a possible breach of the 1987 Constitution and several laws. It can be recalled that during a public hearing on October 8, 2020 for the drafting of the general guidelines on the regulation of electronic nicotine delivery systems (e-cigarettes) and heated tobacco products, FDA officials admitted receiving funds from The Union and Bloomberg Initiative, international private groups that advocate against all forms of tobacco products, including non-combustible alternatives like e-cigarettes and HTPs.