Group calls for stronger alcohol tax measures

MANILA, Philippines — Following the killing of three teenagers by a drunken man in Quezon City on Monday, the health advocate Sin Tax Coalition (STC) is calling for the imposition of stronger tax measures on alcohol.

The group said stronger alcohol policies are essential to reducing consumption and preventing violent incidents.

“The loss of three young, promising lives is reprehensible and unacceptable. This senseless act of violence demands justice and accountability, and it must compel us to confront the preventable harms of alcohol,” STC said in a statement.

Brig. Gen. Christopher Olazo, Quezon City Police District director, said suspect Alvince Tolentino tested positive for gunpowder burns, an indication that he fired his handgun during the incident in Barangay Batasan Hills.

Olazo said three counts of murder and other criminal complaints were filed against Tolentino, a former member of the recently abolished Quezon City Task Force Disiplina.

“The incident highlights the broader need to address alcohol-related harm through evidence-based policies. Stronger alcohol taxes are one such measure, helping reduce alcohol affordability and consumption and, in turn, prevent alcohol-related harms,” it added.

According to STC, alcohol is the leading risk factor for Filipinos aged 15 to 29 years, causing 20.3 percent of deaths from violence, road crashes, cancer, liver and cardiovascular diseases in the age group.