QUEZON CITY, Philippines – By 2030, one in three Filipino children is projected to be overweight or obese, warned lawmakers and public health experts in a joint hearing of the house committees on health and welfare of children.
The deliberation focused on the Healthy Food Environment (HFE) Bill, which seeks to curb the rise of obesity and noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) and protect children and family health by mandating front-of-pack warning labels (FOPWL) on products high in fats, sugar, or sodium, and impose marketing restrictions on unhealthy food and drinks that target children through cartoons, mascots, games, prizes, and other manipulative tactics.
Evidence from other countries shows that these policies work. In Chile and Peru, purchases of unhealthy food and beverages declined after the implementation of front-of-pack warning labels, as families shifted toward healthier options. Marketing of unhealthy food to children was also heavily regulated, reducing children’s exposure to manipulative advertising and preventing lifelong diet-related diseases.
Legislators and public health experts believe that the Philippines can achieve similar results and prevent the projected rise of childhood obesity and NCDs if decisive action is taken now.
That urgency is reflected in Congress itself: as of March 11, the HFE Bill has been filed 20 times, while the standalone FOPWL Bill has been filed 4 times, all supported by a total of 77 lawmakers.
Representative Reynolds Michael Tan, principal author of House Bill (HB) no. 819, noted that the broad legislative support reflects a clear recognition of the need to protect families from NCDs.
“Nearly a hundred legislators are now standing behind these measures because we see the same reality: Filipino families are being overwhelmed by preventable diseases. Every billboard, every cartoon character selling unhealthy food chips away at their future. We need to stop normalizing unhealthy choices and start protecting families with preventive measures,” he said.
Representative Giselle Mary Maceda, vice chairperson of both health and welfare of children committees, and a principal author of HB 6166, stressed the bill’s importance for the health of Filipino children: “Children deserve protection from manipulative marketing and food environments that set them up for a lifetime of disease. These bills are about giving them a fair chance at health, and it is our responsibility in Congress to deliver that protection without delay.”
Representative Carlos Andes Loria, also a vice chairperson of the health committee and principal author of HB 6333, added, “We cannot afford to wait while obesity, diabetes, and chronic kidney disease continue to rise. Preventive measures like warning labels and marketing restrictions are urgent and necessary.”
Civil society groups echoed these calls. The Healthy Food Environment Coalition, composed of medical associations and public health advocates, issued a statement of support addressed to Health Committee Chairperson Rep. Ciriaco Gato:
“This is not just a fight against unhealthy food; it’s a movement toward a future where children can live to their full potential, free from chronic diseases. Every day of delay puts more Filipino children and families at risk, and thus we call on the Committee to act decisively, seize this momentum, and pass these measures now to bring us closer to a healthier food environment for all Filipinos.”
The Philippine Society of Public Health Physicians, also a member of the HFE Coalition, reinforced the importance of disease prevention. Their position statement read:
“The physicians and public health professionals represented by this Society work daily with the consequences of the food environment this bill seeks to reform. They see the 30-year-old patients presenting with diabetic complications. They see the children whose metabolic trajectories are being shaped, right now, by a food system that prioritizes corporate profit over public health.
“The evidence says this law works. The evidence says industry adapts. The evidence says the economy is not harmed. The evidence says children are protected. The children of the Philippines deserve a food environment that helps them thrive. The Healthy Food Environment Act can deliver it.”
With momentum building both inside and outside Congress, the HFE Coalition highlighted that the swift approval by both committees would mark a decisive step toward reshaping food environments and curbing the rise of preventable diet-related diseases.
Watch the replay of the hearing on this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xv5a8QPFEFE
Photo by Joshua Hoehne on Unsplash
