The Department of Health (DOH) is proposing to impose higher excise tax on junk food and sweetened beverages as it is also among the ways to lower the prevalence of obesity in the country.

DOH Officer-in-Charge Maria Rosario Vergeire said that obesity is considered a public health concern.

“Sin tax is part of our strategies for us to be able to regulate and control these different lifestyle risk factors,” said Vergeire on Friday, Sept. 9.

“Pinag-aaralan pa rin natin sa ngayon magkano ang kailangan natin (We are still studying how much more do we need),” she added.

To note, the government has imposed sin taxes on alcohol, tobacco, e-cigarettes, and sugar-sweetened beverages.

Data shows that there is a “sustained increase” in the number of obese individuals in the country from 31 percent in 2015 to 37 percent in 2018, said Vergeire.

“Alam po natin na ang (We know that) sweetened beverages and junk food can contribute to obesity or overweight, and these contributing factors become lifestyle-related factors,” she said.

“May pag-aaral na kung saan ang mga bata naumpisahan sa ganitong klaseng mga pagkain, paglaki nila obese din sila at pumapasok na yung risk nila sa mga iba't'-ibang non-communicable diseases (There are studies showing that when children start on this type of food, they grow obese and they can be at risk of developing non-communicable diseases),” she added.

As an example of a positive effect of sin tax, Vergeire said there is a decrease in the smoking prevalence in the country–from 31 percent in 2008 to just 20 percent in 2019— after the imposition of sin tax.

The sin tax also helps the DOH to raise more funds for the Universal Health Care program.

“For 2022, we got around 59 percent of our budget or P155 billion from the sin taxes. So, ganito po yung gusto nating makita (this is what we want to see) in the coming years, these sin taxes can fund the different interventions that we do to provide Universal Health Care for everybody,” she added.