‘Global champion na tayo…sa inuman’ – Pia Cayetano

MANILA, Philippines — Amid calls to raise taxes on alcohol products, Senator Pia Cayetano said Thursday: “Global champion na po tayo, sa inuman.” (We are already a global champion in drinking alcohol.)

Cayetano, who chairs the Senate committee on ways and means, made the pronouncement as she sought the support of her colleagues in the Upper Chamber to support Senate Bill No. 1074, which seeks to increase excise taxes on alcohol, e-cigarettes, and heated tobacco products.

The senator lamented the health issues attached to alcoholism, citing 2016 data from the World Health Organization which showed that 4,431 per 100,000 population of Filipinos died from liver cirrhosis; 16,418 from hypertensive diseases; and 8,526 from tuberculosis.

The diseases, Cayetano said, “were due to the excessive use of alcohol.”

“Alcoholism is the silent killer that keeps getting away. Because we don’t talk about it. To many Filipinos, drinking alcohol is but an ordinary past time and an ultimate stress reliever,” the senator said.

“Hindi natin siya pinag-uusapan maski na sa halos bawat barangay kilala natin kung sino ang gabi-gabing umuuwi na lasing sa kanilang mga tahanan,” she added.

(We don’t talk about it. Even in every village, we know who goes home drunk.)

Further, the senator took note of the number of lives lost due to drunk driving, adding that the problem of alcoholism does not only affect the drinker.

“The lives of those around them – their families, bystanders, and innocent people – are also greatly affected. In fact, some of these victims have to suffer the consequences for the rest of their lives because not everyone who gets hit by a drunk driver dies,” Cayetano said.

Alcohol, the poor, and the young

Cayetano said that Filipinos, on average, consume 11 litres of hard alcoholic beverages per year, which is higher than the global and ASEAN average of below 10 liters per year.

“As alcohol becomes cheaper with the rise in household incomes, and as alcohol becomes more affordable and accessible for vulnerable groups like the poor and the young, the risk is real that we will see these numbers grow,” Cayetano said.

“Global champion na po tayo, sa inuman.  But that is not something we should be proud of.  Maging champion sana tayo sa sports katulad ni Senador Manny Pacquiao o sa darating na South East Asian Games.  Pero wag naman sa inuman,” she added.

(We are already a global champion in drinking alcohol. But that is not something we should be proud of. I hope we become sports champion like Senator Manny Pacquiao, or become a champion this Southeast Asian Games, but not in drinking alcohol.)

The senator then highlighted that Filipinos are the largest gin consumers per liter in the world.

But problems with alcoholism are not only attached to the poor as these also affect the young, Cayetano said as she delved on the issue of abuse.

“Studies found alcohol misuse to be a significant contributor to family violence… ilan na po ba ang mga bata na nakasaksi ng pambubogbog ng nanay dahil lasing ang kanilang ama?” Cayetano said, pointing out that many kids develop mental and emotional problems.

(How many more kids have to witness their mother being beaten by their intoxicated fathers?)

Moreover, Cayetano said that manufactures now also see the young as consumers, targeting them through their packaging, among others.

“It should not be so cheap as to allow minors to afford and have access to these drinks. It should not be so cheap to make it easier for drunk fathers to be wife-beaters, and for traumatized children to lead miserable lives,” the senator said.

“The rates we proposed and the resulting retail prices will barely affect demand… And although the principles of economics show this, I choose to believe that by raising the excise tax once again, the State is delivering this message: if you must drink, then drink responsibly,” she added./ac

READ: Bill raising tobacco, alcohol taxes reaches Senate floor