ImagineLaw, WHO, DOH, LGUs, and partners convene to strengthen alcohol harms prevention in the Philippines

ImagineLaw, in collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO), Department of Health, local government units (LGUs), and key public health partners convened for a validation workshop held last July 31, 2025 in Quezon City, to review and finalize a model ordinance on alcohol harms prevention.

Anchored on the WHO’s SAFER technical package, the model ordinance was developed by ImagineLaw to guide LGUs in implementing stronger local policies on the regulation of alcohol products. This initiative responds to the rising prevalence of alcohol consumption among Filipinos. According to the 2023 National Nutrition Survey, over half of the adult population reported current alcohol use. Alarmingly, it was also reported that current alcohol use among the youth has increased from 13.2% in 2021 to 22.6% in 2023.

Once enacted by the LGUs, the ordinance aims to improve health outcomes, reduce healthcare expenditures, and prevent road traffic deaths and injuries linked to drink-driving and alcohol-induced violence.

The workshop was participated by representatives from the Quezon City, Pasig City, and Muntinlupa City Health Offices, as well as from the Council for the Welfare of Children, UP National Institutes of Health, Action for Economic Reforms, The Policy Center, Youth for Mental Health, PLCPD, the Philippine Addiction Specialists Society, and the Hepatology Society of the Philippines. 

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