A Philippine lawmaker on Monday sounded the alarm over the country’s rising obesity problem, following a recent study that found about 41% of the 72 million Filipino adults — translating to 29.5 million people — are classified as obese or obese.
“Forty-one percent could be very alarming. I used to be surprised because I never expected it to be that top,” Janette L. Garin, Deputy Speaker and representative of Iloilo’s 1st district, said in response to the findings of the Epidemiological Burden and Cost of Obesity within the Philippines (EpiCOb-PH) study, which was also released on the identical day during a multi-sectoral forum.
The study was led by Dr. Madeleine de Rosas-Valera and funded by Novo Nordisk Pharmaceutical (Philippines) Inc. It also found that greater than 4 in 10 Filipino adults are already at increased risk of obesity-related health problems.
Ms. Garin said the findings of the study “are a sound of alarm and a red flag for our country,” noting that Filipinos currently face high out-of-pocket healthcare expenses, while public healthcare spending is basically directed toward curative care relatively than preventive care.
The Iloilo representative said it’s timely for the federal government to work together and address the issue of obesity by providing the correct information all the way down to schools and communities.
Ms. Garin committed to pushing for programs and budget allocations for health to curb the variety of obese Filipinos to about 10% from 41%, noting that such a persistently high figure could be “a nasty legacy for the country.”
Meanwhile, she told BusinessWorld that she is looking into including lessons about misleading marketing of food that contributes to obesity in the varsity curriculum. Ms. Garin said she’s going to pursue this through laws or through the lower house’s oversight powers.
“Pwede siyang ipasok sa curriculum. Now we have to begin orienting the parents and teachers kasi doon magsisimula. Now we have to allow them to know what they’re feeding or what they’re eating [It can be included in the curriculum. We have to start orienting parents and teachers because that is where it begins. We have to let them know what they are feeding their children or what they themselves are eating],” Ms. Garin said on the sidelines of the presentation of the EpiCOb-PH study.
On the recent push to amend the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion (TRAIN) Law to lift taxes on sweetened beverages and include previously exempted sweetened and flavored milk, Ms. Garin said discussions on taxation are difficult to pursue amid ongoing global economic challenges.
“Napaka-mahirap na tumbukin natin ang taxes especially when it pertains to food [It is very difficult to directly raise taxes, especially when it relates to food],” Ms. Garin said.
“Possibly we are able to discuss about taxation in the long run kasi para ngayon, if we discuss that baka mamaya, mas malaking impact sa ekonomiya [Maybe we can discuss taxation the future, because for now, if we talk about that, it might have a bigger impact on the economy later],” she added.
The representative also said the lower house could explore other ways to curb obesity, corresponding to imposing penalties on unhealthy foods and making measures to extend public awareness of foods that contribute to obesity.
The EpiCOb-PH study was conducted to handle the gap in research on obesity’s demographic distribution and economic burden within the country. It used a modeling approach that combined multiple national data sources.
Researchers used data from the National Nutrition Survey and the Expanded National Nutrition Survey from 1993 to 2023 to estimate obesity’s current and future trends, in addition to its health impacts.
TRILLION-PESO COST OF OBESITY
The EpiCOb-PH study also found that obesity is estimated to have cost the Philippines around P1.9 trillion in 2025, reminiscent of 7.3% of the country’s gross domestic product (GDP) that 12 months. The associated fee could rise to as much as P2.7 trillion if overweight-related expenses are also included.
Of the overall cost, P551 billion was attributed to healthcare expenses, which could reach P790 billion when obese cases are included.
These cover direct medical costs corresponding to hospital confinement, based on normative estimates assuming patients are diagnosed and treated in keeping with medical guidelines.
Non-medical costs were also taken into consideration, reaching P165.39 billion, including expenses corresponding to transportation.
Productivity losses, including workdays missed resulting from obesity-related conditions, were estimated at P1.17 trillion.
The associated fee of obesity was computed through a specialized cost-of-illness model that integrated findings from a previous epidemiological burden study, Dr. John Paul Caesar delos Trinos, chief scientific officer and principal at metaHealth Insights and Innovations Inc., a consulting agency that organized the forum, said.
The evaluation was also supported by secondary data, including published literature, online resources, and consultations with experts.
To curb the economic cost of obesity, Mr. delos Trinos said that food warning labels may very well be improved to point high levels of obesity-inducing ingredients corresponding to fat, sugar, and salt.
Meanwhile, he urged the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) to incorporate obesity in its primary care package, YAKAP.
For presidency offices and workplaces, he also suggested incorporating wellness initiatives for workers.
“This can’t be addressed by one institution or one sector alone. It cannot just be researchers conducting studies, publishing them, after which calling it a day. This can really require collaboration between different sectors,” Mr. delos Trinos said during his presentation in mixed English and Filipino. — Edg Adrian A. Eva