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MANILA, Philippines — Health professionals urged candidates in the 2025 midterm elections to prioritize addressing the rising use of tobacco, alcohol and vapes among Filipino youth.
At a press briefing on Wednesday, March 5, medical societies and the Sin Tax Coalition criticized the swift passage of House Bill 11360, which seeks to lower excise taxes on tobacco, cigarettes and vapor products, including e-cigarettes and vapes, to boost tax revenues.
“If passed, this bill will make cigarettes and all tobacco products more affordable, undoing years of progress in reducing smoking,” said AJ Montesa, fiscal policy lead at Action for Economic Reforms. “This bill will weaken our defenses against this public health crisis.”
According to legislative records, the measure was filed on January 28 and immediately read at the plenary session. By February 3, the House had passed it on third and final reading with a 190-4 vote and transmitted it to the Senate the following day.
The bill advanced just two days of plenary after its filing and was swiftly approved on second reading. It is a substitute for House Bills 11279 and 11288, both filed in January this year.
Critics have slammed the rapid progression as “railroading,” even though the latest data show from the National Nutrition Survey that vaping and alcohol use has doubled among Filipino youth, according to the Philippine Medical Association.
Citing the 2024 Global Youth Tobacco Survey, pediatric pulmonologist Corry Avancena said one in seven Filipino children aged 13 to 15 use e-cigarettes or vapes daily — despite existing laws prohibiting sales to their age group.
“That’s why it’s an epidemic and it’s an emergency,” she added.
Increase excise tax, not lower
Avancena also said that excise taxes on vice products like vapes should be increased instead of lowered, as children are “price sensitive.” Higher costs, she said, could discourage them or make them think twice before buying.
“We must raise taxes on tobacco, vape and alcohol. Higher taxes are a proven tool to reduce consumption, especially among young people,” Montesa added.
Philippine Medical Association President Hector Santos emphasized that e-cigarettes and vapes have been linked to serious health risks, including lung injuries and heart conditions.
In 2023, the Philippines recorded its first suspected vape-related death — a vaper with no prior health issues who suffered a heart attack and severe lung injury, but also did not smoke cigarettes.
Philippine Pediatric Society’s Riz Gonzales emphasized the need to curb e-cigarette use and raise awareness, especially among the youth.
She pointed out that while e-cigarette use is prevalent among young people, cases of e-cigarette or vaping product use-associated lung injury (EVALI) remain underreported and poorly studied.
Economic cost
Meanwhile, Montesa estimated that lowering excise taxes could lead to 1.86 million more smokers over the next decade, including youth.
He argued that reducing these taxes would be a step backward, as higher levies from 2009 to 2021 successfully curbed cigarette and tobacco consumption in the country.
The Action for Economic Reforms also found that alcohol and tobacco consumption had cost the Philippines P1.1 trillion per year, highlighting the need for higher health taxes.
“What is the economic cost of allowing this crisis to continue unchecked? P1.05 trillion, or 5% of our GDP. That is the estimated burden of tobacco, vape, and alcohol consumption on our economy. This number will only grow if we fail to act now,” he said.
Not only a 'personal responsibility'
Gonzalez added that more pro-health laws prioritizing children’s health and welfare are needed in the country, ones that impose stronger regulations on sales and promotion of unhealthy products.
“And this should be kept in our minds, that the people we will choose to elect, that we need effective laws on these hazardous products, the cigarette, vape and alcohol,” she said.
Philippine Society of Public Health Physicians’ RJ Naguit argued that relying on “personal responsibility” and “discipline” to regulate or reduce consumption is a “myth,” as industries have deliberately created a false sense of need among young people.
“The efforts of the healthcare sector, the educational sector, and our communities to protect youth are being undermined by how the tobacco and vape industry targets our young people by increasing access and appeal of these devices,” he added.
