Senator Cynthia Villar has sought the immediate passage of a measure to address the alarming rates of obesity in the country. According to Villar, her Senate Bill No. 2230, or the Anti-Obesity Act of 2023, “aims to establish a comprehensive nationwide anti-obesity campaign to control and prevent obesity among Filipinos.”

Obesity is particularly prevalent in the Philippines, where 36.6 percent of individuals aged 20 years or older meet the World Health Organization (WHO) body mass index or BMI cutoff points for being overweight or obese.

Overweight and obesity are defined as abnormal or excessive fat accumulation that presents a risk to health. A body mass index (BMI) over 25 is considered overweight, and over 30 is obese.

The fundamental cause of obesity and overweight is an energy imbalance between calories consumed and calories expended —too much drinking and eating but not enough physical activity.

Excess weight, especially obesity, diminishes almost every aspect of health, from reproductive and respiratory function to memory and mood. Obesity increases the risk of several debilitating, and deadly diseases, including diabetes, heart disease, and some cancers.

Globally, obesity affects 800 million individuals, placing them more at risk for cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and some cancers. It has also emerged as a major risk factor for severe disease during the COVID-19 pandemic, making people living with obesity twice as likely to be hospitalized if tested positive for COVID-19.

Obesity, which was once considered a problem primarily in high-income and developed countries, is now a rising health problem in low- and middle- income countries including the Philippines.

Around 27 million Filipinos are overweight and obese, based on the latest survey of the Department of Science and Technology’s Food and Nutrition Research Institute. For the past two decades, overweight and obesity among adults has almost doubled from 20.2% in 1998 to 36.6% in 2019. Similarly, the prevalence rates of overweight and obesity among adolescents have more than doubled from 4.9% in 2003 to 11.6% in 2018.

In 2021, about nine percent of assessed adults aged 20 and above in the Philippines were identified as obese or overweight. The highest share of obese or overweight adults was reported among adults in the National Capital Region (NCR) at 36 percent.

2022 Causes of Deaths in the Philippines (Preliminary as of 28 February 2023)

The top three causes of death in the country from January to December of 2022 were ischaemic heart diseases, neoplasms, and cerebrovascular diseases.

As stressed by the Harvard School of Public Health, excess weight, especially obesity, diminishes almost every aspect of health, from reproductive and respiratory function to memory and mood.

“It does this through a variety of pathways, some as straightforward as the mechanical stress of carrying extra pounds and some involving complex changes in hormones and metabolism,” it said.

“Obesity decreases the quality and length of life, and increases individual, national, and global healthcare costs.”

If no action is taken, overall rates of overweight and obesity will continue to rise. It is projected that more than 30% of Filipino adolescents will be overweight and obese by 2030 (Landscape Analysis on Overweight and Obesity in Children, Philippines).

Adults with obesity have higher risks for stroke, many types of cancer, premature death, and mental illness such as clinical depression and anxiety. According to the WHO, the factors contributing to the increasing problem of obesity in the Philippines include poor diets, inadequate nutrition, failing food systems and limited physical activity. These problems need multi-sectoral and multi-disciplinary collaborations and solutions. Everybody needs to act

Scientific studies often reach conflicting conclusions, meaning many theories are out there, but the preponderance of evidence points to the two causes most people already suspect: too much food and too little exercise.

I would like to support the provisions of the bill of Sen. Cynthia Villar on how to achieve this huge goal of curbing obesity

Here are my personal Recommendations :

1. Insert preventive health education into the school curriculum with more physical activity – I wrote an exec order in the past eg EO 595

2. Mandate calorie counter and more veggies and fruits should be included in the menu of fast food chains and other restaurants

3. More parks , walk and bike lanes so people may have access to physical activity

4. Soda tax to be enhanced – In January 2018, the Philippines began imposing a tax of 6 Philippine pesos per litre (around 13%) on sweetened beverages to curb the obesity burden.

5. Reduction of salt in the diet -Rather than consider imposing a tax on salty products, the civil society group Sin Tax Coalition that the government should instead urge food manufacturers to ensure that they produce healthier goods.

I believe reformulating salty products is more ideal to levying a tax on such goods to help consumers avoid noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) like hypertension. The essence of our advocacy is for manufacturing companies to reformulate their contents to be healthier, with less salt.

I pointed out that it may be impractical to introduce a salt tax since this would make products currently available and accessible to the poor like instant noodles costlier.

6. Remove trans fats in the food items

Use of artificial trans fats in pre-packed processed foods will be restricted in the Philippines as the country looks to eliminate its consumption from other sources too. By June 2023, the sale of foods with more than 2 g per 100 g or 100 ml of industrially-produced trans-fatty acids TFA (iTFA) will be banned.

7. Encourage more physical activities in schools , workplace and communities to exercise regularly. A

Mandate to stand up for 10 mins every hour for workplace to eliminate “ sitting disease “ should be part of the bill

To maintain normal body mass index (BMI), according to Philippine National Guidelines on Physical Activity (PNGPA), you need to get at least 30 to 60 minutes of moderate-intensity activities daily. Physical activity has a stronger effect in preventing weight regain after weight loss.

Coalition with the medical community , business sector and relevant government agencies. There must be leader to execute the plan based on the action points and incorporated into the National summit of different stakeholders is needed ,blue sky thinking process needed Implement policies, legislation, and interventions to promote physical activity including active transport and promotion of green, blue, and open spaces in communities and workplaces.

As stressed by the Harvard School of Public Health, excess weight, especially obesity, diminishes almost every aspect of health, from reproductive and respiratory function to memory and mood.

It does this through a variety of pathways, some as straightforward as the mechanical stress of carrying extra pounds and some involving complex changes in hormones and metabolism.

Obesity decreases the quality and length of life, and increases individual, national, and global healthcare costs.

It’s time to act to address this huge medical problem to protect the ginger generation of Filipinos. By. Dr. Tony Leachon

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Anthony C. Leachon, M. D.

Independent Health Reform Advocate

Past President ,
Philippine College of Physicians

Internist – Cardiologist
Manila Doctors Hospital