Medical experts are calling on candidates in the 2025 midterm elections to put health taxes in their platforms, emphasizing that higher taxes on cigarettes, vapes, and alcohol products could curb consumption and protect public health.

During a press conference in Quezon City on Wednesday, March 5, doctors and health advocates declared a “youth epidemic” linked to tobacco, vaping, and alcohol use. 

They stressed that aggressive marketing, lax regulations, and easy access to these harmful products are putting Filipino youth at serious risk.

“We call on candidates to include health taxes as a cornerstone of their agenda this 2025 midterm election,” Dr. Hector Santos Jr., the president of the Philippine Medical Association (PMA), said.

“We, the doctors of PMA, are demanding candidates take decisive action against the harms caused by these products by prioritizing health taxes,” he added.

Health experts urged Filipinos to support candidates with clear, detailed public health platforms. 

Citing the World Health Organization (WHO), they argued that health taxes—including those on alcohol, tobacco, and sweetened beverages—save lives, generate essential revenue, and promote health equity, making them a “win-win-win” solution.

Per advocates, increasing taxes on harmful substances is the most effective and evidence-based strategy to combat the so-called epidemic.

Youth at risk

The groups emphasized that industries aggressively target young consumers through social media promotions, flavored vapes, and cheap alcohol products.

“These industries are making a profit at the expense of our children’s health,” said Dr. Riz Gonzales of the Philippine Pediatric Society (PPS).

Gonzales warned that companies use enticing flavors, viral online campaigns, and low-cost alcoholic beverages to attract younger users.

“Without urgent government intervention, this crisis will spiral out of control,” she stressed.

Dangers of smoking, vaping

Santos underscored that smoking remains the leading cause of preventable disease and death worldwide.

“Countless studies have proven that smoking reduces an individual’s life expectancy and overall quality of life while increasing the risk of contracting chronic non-communicable diseases,” he said.

Smoking, he noted, significantly raises the risk of cardiovascular diseases, including stroke and heart attacks, which remain among the leading causes of death for both men and women.

Turning to vaping, Santos dismissed the notion that e-cigarettes are a safer alternative to smoking.

“An e-cigarette is an electronic device that lets you breathe in nicotine in a vapor rather than smoke, which is why the activity of using an e-cigarette is called vaping,” he explained.

He pointed to mounting evidence linking vaping to severe health complications, including e-cigarette or vaping-use associated lung injury (EVALI), heart attacks, and strokes.

“There have been cases documented in medical journals revealing possible associations between vape use and lung injuries,” Santos noted. “This means there are no such things as risk-free e-cigarettes. When it comes down to it, there is no safe way to vape.”

Alcohol consumption

Santos also raised concerns about alcohol use, warning that excessive consumption contributes to non-communicable diseases, road crashes, domestic violence, and other serious public health risks.

“Studies clearly show the harms of alcohol consumption,” he said. 

Citing data from the Food and Nutrition Research Institute (FNRI), Santos revealed that adolescent alcohol consumption has doubled in just two years, rising from 1.06 million in 2021 to 2.21 million in 2023. 

Similarly, the number of adolescent smokers surged from 500,176 in 2021 to 1,060,613 in 2023.

“As medical professionals, we witness firsthand the devastating effects of alcohol,” he said. 

“I have personally treated injuries from motor vehicle accidents caused by driving under the influence of alcohol. Those involved in violent crimes and fights due to alcohol often end up with severe injuries.”

The groups urged both voters and policymakers to recognize the urgency of addressing these health threats.

“As doctors, our priority is the well-being of the public. Stronger policies and education are essential to reducing these preventable health risks,” said Santos.

Present during the press conference were representatives from the PPS, PMA, Philippine Academy of Pediatric Pulmonologists, Philippine Society of Public Health Physicians (PSPHP), Philippine College of Chest Physicians, Parents Against Vape, and the Sin Tax Coalition.