Schools no place for soft drinks, according to bill

NAGA CITY, Philippines—The sale of carbonated and artificial drinks will be prohibited in schools should a bill filed in Congress be passed into law.

The measure was filed by Camarines Sur Rep. Maria Leonor “Leni” G. Robredo  and Dinagat Rep. Arlene “Kaka” Bag-ao on Feb. 26.

House Bill No. 4021 seeks to prohibit the sale of soft drinks, punch and iced tea; fruit-based drinks that contain less than

50 percent real fruit juice or that contain additional sweeteners; and drinks containing caffeine, excluding low-fat or fat-free chocolate milk.

Instead of carbonated and artificial drinks, it defined beverages that may be allowed to be sold in schools as fruit-based drinks containing at least

50 percent fruit juice and without additional sweeteners; water and seltzer; and low-fat or fat-free milk, including, but not limited to, chocolate milk, soy milk, rice milk and other similar dairy and nondairy calcium-fortified milk.

The bill provides a penalty of P100,000 fine for every violation that the Department of Education will implement in consultation with the Department of Health.

Private and public schools all over the country are covered by the bill.

In their explanatory note, Robredo and Bag-ao cited several studies showing the health risks of taking artificial drinks with sugar, artificial sweeteners, caffeine, phosphorous and carbon acids.

Among these were increased fracture risk due to reduced bone mass, obesity, increased risk of heart diseases, aggression, attention problems and withdrawal behavior.

“It is the responsibility of the state to protect our children from exposure to harmful substances,” the bill said.

It added that the sale of beverages posing serious health risks “could be curbed under the state’s police power.”