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 policies are claiming more lives than many realize.

“Nakakakilabot na araw-araw, may namamatay na 47 na mga Pinoy dahil sa alcohol . Ang ating mga ate, kuya, at kahit mga bunsong kapatid ang nagiging casualty sa sobrang cheap at accessible ng alcohol (It’s horrifying that every day, 47 Filipinos die because of alcohol. Our older siblings, and even our youngest, are becoming casualties because alcohol is too cheap and accessible),” Gwyneth Barra, a youth leader from UP Economics Towards Consciousness and the Sin Tax Coalition, said in a statement.

Health advocates and doctors joined the youth in demanding higher alcohol excise taxes, warning that alcohol misuse has quietly become a public health emergency, particularly among minors.

According to Dr. Allandale Nacino of the Philippine Addiction Specialists Society (PASS), alcohol claims the lives of more than 17,000 Filipinos annually.

“Kada taon, mahigit 17,000 Filipinos ang namamatay dahil sa alak (Every year, over 17,000 Filipinos die because of alcohol). Think about this: Pagdating mo ng sementeryo ngayong undas, may nadadagdag na dalawang puntod kada oras, at mga kabataan ang ilan sa mga ito (By the time you visit the cemetery this All Saints’ Day, two new graves are added every hour—and some of them are young people),” he said.

“The medical community is urging action. We must protect the youth and the future generation.”

Per Bataan 1st District Rep. Tony Roman, the growing problem of alcohol misuse poses a serious threat to public health, particularly among the youth.

“Raising alcohol taxes is a practical and proven approach — it helps reduce harmful consumption, discourages early drinking, and provides much-needed funds to strengthen our health system,” he said.

“These reforms are about prevention, not punishment, and ensuring that our youth grow up in a healthier environment.”

Data from Action for Economic Reforms (AER) showed that higher alcohol taxes could yield tens of billions of pesos in additional health revenues that may be used to expand hospitals, preventive programs, and rehabilitation services instead of covering alcohol-related costs.

The Halloween protest, supported by AER and the Sin Tax Coalition, concluded with a candle-lighting ceremony honoring victims of alcohol-related deaths.