MANILA, Philippines — As alcohol-related deaths and social harms continue to rise, health advocates launched the “Sinasaktan ng Alak ang Pamilya” campaign, calling for increased alcohol taxes and enforcement to protect Filipino families. At a media launch on April 24, health advocates and affected Filipinos shared data and personal narratives that highlighted the real-life impacts of alcohol harm on families. “This campaign shows that alcohol harm continues because our polici

We, the petitioners of GR No. 274778, thank the Supreme Court for ruling that Special Provision 1(d), Chapter XLIII of the 2024 General Appropriations Act (GAA), and the Department of Finance (DOF) Circular 003-2024 are void, and ordering the return of the PhP60 billion funds of the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth). The Supreme Court ruling is a victory for all Filipino people and their right to health. It is timely, for it will influence the outcome of th

MANILA, Philippines—Set against an installation of tombstones representing lives lost to alcohol, nearly a hundred young advocates gathered in Quezon City on Tuesday for a creative action titled “So Cheap, So Deadly: Reduce Alcohol’s Reach” a symbolic call to raise alcohol taxes in the Philippines as alcohol-related illnesses and deaths rise among the youth. From community violence and mental health struggles to road crashes and early deaths, the youth-led event highlighted h

On Wednesday, August 20, the Sin Tax Coalition expressed its full support for 1TAHANAN Party-list Representative, Rep. Nathaniel “Nat” Oducado, as he filed House Bill 3887, which raises excise taxes on alcoholic beverages. “We commend Rep. Nat for being the first legislator in the 20th Congress to propose a bill raising excise taxes on alcohol. This is a huge step towards protecting our youth and young adults from the devastating harms of alcohol, one of the leading risk fact

Election candidates urged to ‘take a stand for public health’ and support tax on alcohol, tobacco, and vapes MANILA, Philippines — Leading doctors and health experts rallied 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 youth doubled. At a press conference Wednesday, doct

The Sin Tax Coalition criticizes the authors of House Bill 11279 for calling for a briefing of the Committee on Ways and Means to discuss the said bill, which will lower taxes on tobacco and vape products. HB 11279 was filed by Representative Kristine Singson-Meehan, and co-authored by Rep. Tonypet Albano, Rep. Angelo Marcos Barba, Rep. Ron Salo, Rep. Solomon Chungalao, and Rep. Migs Nograles. The meeting is being tagged as a Committee “briefing,” and called only on the morn

At least 67% of Filipinos support raising excise taxes on alcoholic products to reduce consumption. This finding comes from two national surveys presented by the Sin Tax Coalition in a public forum on July 9. One survey was carried out by Vital Strategies, an international public health organization working across more than 80 countries. Local research firm WR Numero also implemented a nationwide survey among Filipinos aged 18 and above which found that 67% of Filipinos supp