Youth groups urge Marcos to tackle health taxes in SONA 2026

A coalition of young Filipinos urged President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. to tackle health taxes for his upcoming State of the Nation Address (SONA).

Members of the Youth for Health Coalition called on Marcos to prioritize higher taxes on cigarettes, vape products, alcohol, and sweetened beverages in this year's SONA.

“Mr. President, bawa’t bata ay mahalaga at sa inyong SONA, ang kalusugan ay dapat gawing bida,” said Youth for Health Coalition member John Andrei Padua.

(Mr. President, every child matters, and in your SONA, health should take center stage.)

The coalition said increasing taxes on e-cigarettes, alcoholic beverages, and sugar-sweetened drinks would help reduce consumption of products harmful to young people while generating additional government revenue.

The group cited recent incidents of youth violence and fatal alcohol-related road crashes, including the death of 27-year-old public school teacher Alexander Cruz in Marikina after he was hit by a drunk driver last month.

“Ang pinsalang dulot ng alak ay hindi natutuldukan ng isang numero: ito ay may tunay na mukha, tunay na pangalan, at tunay na pamilyang habambuhay magdadalamhati,” Padua said.

(The harm caused by alcohol cannot be reduced to a statistic. It has real faces, real names, and real families who will grieve for a lifetime.)

The youth advocates also called for stronger measures to limit young people’s access to tobacco and vape products.

“Hiling namin na ang hawak naming mga kabataan ay lapis at panulat, hindi sigarilyo o vape,” said coalition member Dale Papa.

(We hope that what young people hold in their hands are pencils and pens, not cigarettes or vapes.)

They likewise urged the government to increase taxes on sugar-sweetened beverages to help fund nutrition programs aimed at addressing the country’s triple burden of malnutrition—undernutrition, micronutrient deficiencies, and obesity.

“Those who experience stunting are often left behind in school, have underdeveloped brains, poor decision-making skills, and may be at higher risk for unhealthy coping mechanisms like smoking, drinking alcohol, and vaping,” said youth advocate Arriane dela Cruz.

Former Finance Undersecretary Cielo Magno joined the youth groups in backing the proposals, saying health taxes would provide the government with an efficient source of additional revenue as Congress prepares to deliberate on the proposed national budget.

Magno said such measures are among the most efficient ways to raise funds while improving public health. —VAL, GMA News