Leading doctors and health experts urged 2025 senatorial, party-list, and district representative candidates to take a stand against what they called a “growing epidemic of alcohol, tobacco, and vape use among Filipino youth” after new findings showed that alcohol and tobacco consumption among the youth doubled.
At a press conference Wednesday, doctors from medical societies and the Sin Tax Coalition united to convince candidates to commit to passing health tax laws that will keep these harmful products away from children and youth.
New projections from public policy think-tank Action for Economic Reforms (AER) based on the National Nutrition Survey also found that consumption rates have increased from 2021 to 2023. According to AER, these dramatic increases represent significant rises in the absolute number of young people consuming harmful products.
“Every day that we don’t act, another Filipino family loses a loved one while the tobacco, vape, and alcohol industries profit,” said Philippine Medical Association (PMA) President Dr. Hector Santos.
“We are tired of watching the devastating health effects of alcohol, tobacco, and vape on our youth with no action taken by our policymakers. Let us be clear: this is a full-blown epidemic that demands immediate action from our leaders,” he added.
“We are calling on candidates to stand with our parents and youth now so our children don’t have to inherit a future of early, preventable deaths and illnesses,” the PMA president said.
The doctors and health advocates presented their 2025 Health Agenda which also urged stronger restrictions on industry sales and advertising, explaining that Filipino youth are increasingly at risk due to aggressive marketing and weak regulations on alcohol, cigarettes, and vapes.
“These industries are making a profit at the expense of our children’s health,” said Dr. Riz Gonzales of the Philippine Pediatric Society (PPS).
“Flavored vapes, social media promotions, and cheap alcohol products are specifically designed to hook the next generation. Without urgent government intervention, this crisis will spiral out of control,” he added.
The press conference was attended by the PPS, the PMA, the Philippine Academy of Pediatric Pulmonologists, the Philippine Society of Public Health Physicians (PSPHP), the Philippine College of Chest Physicians, Parents Against Vape, and the Sin Tax Coalition.
“We must put people over profit to stop a preventable crisis. If our leaders fail to act, they are leaving our youth to fend for themselves against an industry that is actively targeting them like lamb to the slaughter. Our candidates must take a stand and act decisively to increase taxes on these products,” said Dr. RJ Naguit of the PSPHP.
Livestream link: https://web.facebook.com/BawasBisyo/videos/1561107644599655
