PBMM urged to declare September as alcohol harms awareness month

Manila: A group of health advocates has called on President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. to designate September as Alcohol Harms Awareness Month. In a media forum on Thursday, the Sin Tax Coalition said the government could mitigate the health, societal, and psychological harms of alcohol through additional awareness efforts and pieces of legislation. Sin Tax Coalition is composed of medical societies, youth groups, and civil society groups which aims to ensure the passage of high taxes on sin products such as tobacco for effective discouragement of the consumption of products that pose significant health risks. 'We need stronger and sustained enforcement of the Anti-Drunk and Drugged Driving Act of 2013, including random breath testing, to reduce road deaths and injuries resulting from drunk driving,' Move as One Coalition communication consultant Dinna Louise Dayao said. According to the Global Burden of Disease Study published by the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, an average of over 10 individ uals die daily in the Philippines due to road crashes. Three of these deaths are attributable to alcohol as a risk factor. Meantime, AnaKalusugan Party-list Rep. Ray Reyes has filed a bill designating September as Alcohol Awareness Month. He said he is proposing a bill raising alcohol taxes across the board and a bill providing funds for the purchase of breathalyzers for the Anti-Drunk Driving Act enforcement. The coalition also called on the Department of Health to release its administrative order detailing its comprehensive alcohol control strategy. Source: Philippines News agency