Youth Advocates Urge Marcos to Prioritize Health Bills Ahead of SONA

MANILA, Philippines – The Youth for Health Coalition, along with civil society group Sin Tax Coalition, recently delivered letters to Malacañang calling on President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to prioritize bills that would increase taxes on alcohol, e-cigarettes, and sweetened beverages. These measures are aimed at discouraging young people from getting into vices.

According to a 2025 survey results by the Department of Science and Technology’s Food and Nutrition Research Institute, children as young as 10 years old are exposed to vices. Among children aged 10 to 19, 4.5% are smoking while 22.3% have already been drinking alcohol.

The Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion (TRAIN) Law already includes an excise tax on sweetened beverages, but gaps in implementation remain. There are earlier calls for higher taxes on alcoholic beverages, including pre-mixed ones like alcopops.

"The lack of immediate and effective action is killing our home and costing our future," said Youth for Health Coalition core member Arianna dela Cruz.

Albay 1st District Representative Krisel Lagman has co-authored a bill to increase taxes on sweetened beverages, arguing that current regulations no longer work given the changes in the economic landscape. "Kasama na siya (sweetened beverages) sa TRAIN Law, pero annually, hindi naman nag-i-increase [ang tax], wala nang impact…. Dapat umaray [ang mamimili] — maramdaman para hindi na bibilhin," Lagman said.

University of the Philippines professor Cielo Magno believes that through a tax increase, the youth could be discouraged from getting into vices, and more revenues can be funneled into services of the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth).

"Ang PhilHealth po dapat kasama ang preventive and primary care. So hindi lang dapat edukado ang ating workforce, kailangan malusog din sila," she said.

The Youth for Health Coalition, along with civil society group Sin Tax Coalition, collected the letters and delivered them to Malacañang on Thursday afternoon.

"Mr. President, sa inyo pong nalalapit na SONA…pakinggan ‘nyo po ang boses naming mga kabataan (In your upcoming SONA, please listen to the voices of the youth)," said Youth for Health Coalition core member Dale Papa.