Sin Tax Coalition Campaign launch in UP Manila

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 Awareness Month" with September 30 as "National Harms Awareness Day."

An average of 10 people die in the Philippines daily due to road crashes, three of these are alcohol-related, the Global Burden of Disease Study published by the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation said.

"We need stronger and sustained enforcement of the Anti-Drunk and Drugged Driving Act of 2013, including random breath testing, to reduce road deaths and injuries resulting from drunk driving," Dinna Louise C. Dayao from the Move as One coalition emphasized.

Dr. Maria Asuncion Silvestre, maternal and newborn health expert from the UP-PGH revealed the catastrophic effects of alcohol on the brain development of children and babies including fetal alcohol spectrum disorders.

Dr. Rafael Henry Legaspi from the Philippine Addiction Specialists Society discussed the dangers of alcohol consumption among those with a genetic predisposition to certain heart diseases. Meanwhile, Diana Rose de Silva from the Philippine Alliance of

Patient Organizations shared a poignant story about a relative who fell off a barge while intoxicated, underscoring the real-life consequences of alcohol abuse.

Rodley Carza, Director III of the Department of Health (DOH) - Health Promotion Bureau expressed the full support of the DOH on the proposed bill.

- University of the Philippines Manila (Facebook Page)