‘Sin tax measure working’

MANILA, Philippines–Young Filipinos are drinking and smoking less, thanks to the Sin Tax Law.

According to a study commissioned by health provider PhilCare, Filipinos aged 29 and under were “more behaved” and “practical” when it came to vices compared to their older counterparts, registering lower consumption of cigarettes and alcoholic beverages.

An average adult Filipino lights up 10.13 cigarettes a day and chugs 6.36 bottles or glasses of liquor a week but a younger Filipino consumes only 5.9 sticks a day and 9.57 bottles a week, the study’s Wellness Index showed.

“Perhaps vices like smoking and drinking alcohol have become too expensive for younger Filipino adults,” said Dr. Gerard Supangan, PhilCare resident pulmonologist.

He said the study was proof the smoking and alcohol cessation campaigns by both the government and private sector were working.

“This doesn’t mean that the young generation is safe. In fact, as the study showed, the older they get, the more Filipinos become addicted to smoking and alcohol.”–Jocelyn R. Uy