Higher excise tax on sweetened beverages urged as DOH sounds alarm on obesity rates

More and more Filipinos are considered obese and overweight, including children, the Department of Health and the National Nutrition Council reported on Monday.

Health Undersecretary Albert Domingo, who is also the Executive Director of the National Nutrition Council told the House Committee on Ways and Means and the House Committee on Health that based on the 2025 Updating Survey of the DOST-FNRI, 3.8% of Filipinos aged zero to 59 months are obese and overweight.

He added that one in 10 Filipinos aged five to 10 years old, and one in 10 Filipinos aged 10 to 19 years old are also obese and overweight.

"Ang mas nakakabahala dito is yung pagtaas doon sa ating mga five to 10 years old. Sa datos po natin, simula 2003 na sa range ng mga nasa 5%, tumaas po siya to around 16% noong 2025," Domingo stated.

(What's more concerning is the increase [of obesity and overweight] among our children five to 10 years old. According to our data, from 2003 when they were around 5%, in 2025 it was 16%.)

"Ang ating dietary habits ay nagsisimula sa bahay. Dahil yung sinasabi nating sweet tooth, nanggagaling po ‘yan kung ano ‘yung nakasanayan. Kasi pag nasanay ang isang bata behaviorally na laging matamis yung kanyang natitikman, pagtanda po niya, papasok na siya dun sa datos ng ating mga overweight and obese," Domingo explained.

(Our dietary habits begin at home. The sweet tooth developd when it's what you became used to. If a child behaviorally gets used to always having sweet things, when they get older, they will join the ranks of the overweight and obese.)

He also cited government data showing that four in 10 Filipinos aged 20 to 59 years old years old are obese and overweight.

"Tumataba po tayo simula 1993 hanggang 2025. Noong 1993, 16.6 ang porsyento ng mga Pilipino na adults na overweight at obese. At noon pong pinaka-2023, 38.6 na po siya. Mas mataas yung 2025 pa sa 43.1," Domingo stated.

(We've been getting fat from 1993 to 2025. In 1993, 16.6% of Filipino adults were overweight or obese. In 2023, it was 38.6%. And in 2025 it's higher still at 43.1%.)

Health Assistant Secretary Lester Tan also said thousands of deaths can be attributed to sweetened beverages.

"Looking specifically at sweetened beverages, the 2023 global burden of disease estimates attribute approximately 3,537 deaths and 143,653 disability-adjusted life years to high consumption in the Philippines," Tan also told the committees.

Because of the ill effects on health, several legislators are proposing that the current P6 per liter tax on beverages using purely caloric and non caloric sweeteners be increased to P9 to P20 per liter.

They are also proposing that the current P12 per liter tax on beverages using high fructose corn syrup be increased to P18 to P40 per liter.

Legislators also proposed to include in the taxable products 3-in-1 coffee, and flavored and fermented milk, which are currently exempt.

"Excise taxation can effectively discourage excessive consumption of sweetened beverages," said Albay 1st district Representative Cielo Krisel Lagman, one of the authors of one of the proposed measures.

"I’d like to propose that we also expand aside from the annual indexation, we expand, we lift the exemptions on previously exempt sweetened products, particularly 3-in-1 coffee and flavored, fermented milk," Lagman added.

The Department of Health and the Department of Finance support the increase in taxes. The DOF is also supporting excise taxes on ice cream, frozen yogurt, and other edible ices

The DOF, however, said it will defer to the DOH as to the products that will be taxed.

"'Yung for flavored milk, napag-alaman po namin na ginagamit po ito ng gobyerno mismo sa ating mga nutrition program. Kaya inalis muna namin ang flavored milk. Ang 3-in-1 po, ginagamit po ng mahihirap. But then again, ito nga po, we are open to removing the exemption and we will defer to the Department of Health for the coverage," Finance Undersecretary Karlo Fermin Adriano told the committees.

(For flavored milk, we learned that the government uses it for its nutrition programs. So we removed flavored milk. The 3-in-1 is consumed by poorer Filipinos.) — BM, GMA News