Financial barriers—particularly higher cigarette taxes—could play a crucial role in helping more Filipinos quit smoking, according to new research published in the journal Tobacco Induced Diseases. Study participants were shown cigarette pack images and their responses indicated that raising the tax rate on cigarettes to P90 per pack and increasing graphic health warning coverage to 85% could encourage more Filipinos who smoke to consider quitting. | Contributed photo A new s

MANILA – A coalition of health and child rights advocates backed Health Secretary Teodoro Herbosa’s call to raise the age restriction for vape and tobacco products to 25. “We strongly support increasing the legal age restriction for vape and tobacco products from 18 to 25,” the Philippine Tobacco Control Coalition said in a statement. The group cited scientific evidence showing that the brain of a young person “continues to develop until the mid-20s.” “Nicotine exposure duri

A new study suggests that increasing cigarette taxes and expanding graphic health warnings on cigarette packs could encourage millions of Filipinos to quit smoking. Research published in the journal Tobacco Induced Diseases found that raising the excise tax on cigarettes to P90 per pack, a 23% increase from the current rate of P69.46 – could prompt about 5.5 million smokers in the Philippines to consider quitting. The study was conducted by researchers from the Institute for

Today, Feb. 23, the House Ways and Means Committee will hold a hearing to deliberate on House bills on a number of tax measures, including bills which propose to lower taxes on vape products. House Bill (HB) 5207, authored by House Deputy Speaker Kristine Singson-Meehan et al., HB 5364 authored by Representatives Rufus and Maximo Rodriguez, and HB 5212 by Representative Ferdinand Hernandez, all similarly claim to endeavor to alleviate the burden of illicit tobacco trade and “

PAMPANGA. DILG Secretary Jonvic Remulla leads the raid at an illegal cigarette warehouse in Pampanga. THE Action for Economic Reforms (AER) is strongly urging the government to be relentless in its operations against illicit tobacco manufacturing and smuggling. In a statement, the AER said there is a need for a strict strong enforcement to counter illicit trade of tobacco products. "AER reaffirms its stand that good enforcement, as exemplified by the latest DILG action, is

SENATOR Risa Hontiveros underscores the need to protect public health and government revenues through stronger enforcement against tobacco smuggling during the launch of Action for Economic Reforms’ (AER) study on illicit cigarette trade in the Philippines. Hontiveros warned that lowering tobacco taxes amid weak enforcement “may not be a good idea” for the economy. The government stands to lose billions in potential revenue unless it strengthens enforcement against the illici

Advocates believe that raising the excise tax on alcohol would not only curb consumption and save lives but also strengthen public health financing MANILA, Philippines — Tombstones filled the Boy Scout Circle in Quezon City on Tuesday, October 28, as several advocacy groups called for the implementation of higher excise taxes on alcohol. The tombstones, written with anti-alcohol statements, stood for the 47 Filipinos who die every day due to alcohol-related causes. Representa

On Tuesday, October 28, youth and community advocates gathered in Quezon City for a creative action entitled “So Cheap, So Deadly: Reduce Alcohol’s Reach,” calling for higher alcohol taxes. The event was held in response to the increasing cases of alcohol-related illnesses and deaths, especially among the youth. Forty-seven tombstones bearing anti-alcohol statements were laid at the Boy Scout Circle to symbolize the 47 Filipinos who die every day due to alcohol-related causes

With 47 Filipinos dying every day due to alcohol-related causes, young advocates on Tuesday, Oct. 28, staged a symbolic Halloween protest in Quezon City, calling on lawmakers to raise alcohol taxes and curb what they described as an epidemic of cheap, deadly drinking. The action, dubbed “So Cheap, So Deadly: Reduce Alcohol’s Reach,” featured rows of tombstones representing lives lost to alcohol, which is a stark reminder, participants said, that the country’s lax alcohol poli

THE Marcos Jr. administration is pressed to raise health taxes aimed at financing healthcare and human capital development amid mounting debt and a widening fiscal deficit. Lobby group Action for Economic Reforms (AER) is calling on the administration to adopt sound revenue-generating measures that are “bold yet urgent,” considering the country’s “serious fiscal problem.” Taxing alcohol and sweetened beverages could help fund development goals, generate significant governmen

INQUIRER.net stock images MANILA, Philippines — A policy think tank has urged the government to slap higher taxes on sugary drinks, warning that the health and fiscal punch of the existing levy has lost its fizz. Action for Economic Reforms (AER) said the one-time increase in sweetened beverage taxes under the Duterte administration initially helped curb consumption. But with prices rising steadily, the measure’s impact has weakened, the group said. To restore its bite, the

In Philippines (HSP) together with Philippine Collecge of Physicians (PCP) and Philippine Medical Association (PMA)has joined the Sin Tax Coalition to urge the government to increase taxes on tobacco, alcohol, and vape products.

Doctors, medical professionals and health advocates fill the auditorium of the Lung Center of the Philippines in Quezon City on Tuesday, April 8, 2025, as they call on candidates in the May midterm elections to support higher excise taxes on alcohol, cigarettes, and vape products. The Sin Tax Coalition emphasized the alarming rise of tobacco and alcohol use among the youth, linking it to a surge in early-onset diseases and premature deaths THE Sin Tax Coalition is urging Fili

The Sin Tax Coalition plans to approach candidates to discuss vape, tobacco, and alcohol use in the country as doctors describe the situation as a 'full-blown epidemic' MANILA, Philippines – Health professionals and advocates want candidates in the May 2025 elections to prioritize pro-health platforms in their legislative agendas, citing the “devastating” effects of vaping, tobacco, and alcohol on Filipino youth. “Let us be clear: this is a full-blown epidemic that demands i

A vaper exhales smoke at a designated smoking area in Quezon City on Wednesday, November 20, 2019. —GRIG C. MONTEGRANDE Advocacy groups are opposing a bill seeking to suspend levying of excise on tobacco, vapes and other related products next year, arguing that making these products accessible to the public, the moratorium on the so-called sin taxes would also reduce funding for essential health programs of the government. “It is alarming that the proponents filed the bill wi

HARMFUL. Alcoholic beverages displayed in one of the supermarkets in Tacloban City in this undated photo. The Sin Tax Coalition on Thursday (Sept. 26, 2024) has called on President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. to designate September as alcohol harms awareness month. (PNA Photo by Daniel Panis) MANILA – A group of health advocates has called on President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. to designate September as Alcohol Harms Awareness Month. In a media forum on Thursday, the Sin Tax Coali

AnaKalusugan party-list Rep. Ray Reyes (with mic) has filed House Bill No. 10881 seeking to declare September as 'National Alcohol Harms Awareness Month,' with September 30 being the 'National Alcohol Harms Awareness Day.' Photo courtesy of Sin Tax Coalition Several health advocates and government officials on Thursday called for the designation of September of every year as “Alcohol Harms Awareness Month” to help educate people about the importance of responsible alcohol con

The Sin Tax Coalition launched a signature campaign urging the government to declare September as Alcohol Awareness Month. The advocates, composed of various medical societies, youth and civil society groups, collectively denounced the harms brought about by alcohol including heart diseases, mental health issues, cancers, and accidents. AnaKalusugan Party list Rep. Ray Florence Reyes has filed HB 10881 that seeks to declare September of every year as "National Alcohol Harms A

This December 12, 2023 we mark 12 years since the game-changing Sin Tax Reform Law (RA 10351) expanded fiscal space for public health. Since then, 4 rounds of four rounds of sin tax reforms passed in 2012, 2017, 2019, and 2020, which increased taxes on tobacco, alcohol, e-cigarette, vape, and heated tobacco products. Kudos to the diverse coalition of medical professionals, health policy experts, local & national government officials and civil society advocates that made it ha

Health reform advocates, civil society organizations, and government representatives gathered to assess the performance of Sin Tax Reform laws passed from 2012-2020 on health outcomes, revenues, expenditures for health and tobacco-producing local government units, and illicit trade, and how the country should move forward from these learnings. Co-organized by iLEAD, Vital Strategies for Tobacco Control Division, the Sin Tax Coalition and Action for Economic Reforms, the event