Patients and communities are stepping up against excessive sodium intake with the founding of the Patient CARE Network (Patients and Communities Advocating for the Reduction of Excess Sodium).

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 77 lawmakers. 

Momentum for health and nutrition reforms in the Philippines continues to grow with new legislators filing and co-authoring measures on Healthy Food Environment (HFE).

The event, titled “Step Up for Healthier Hearts: Sama-samang Hakbang para sa Kalusugan,” united legislators, civil society organizations, and community members in support of three pending measures in Congress: the Healthy Food Environment (HFE) bill, the Front-of-Pack Warning Label (FOPWL) bill, and the Sodium Reformulation bill.

The participating agencies later developed the roadmap, which outlines policy, communications, and evidence-related priorities to guide the country’s sodium reduction pathway.

“Pasig has the opportunity to show the nation that protecting children’s health is non-negotiable,” San Luis added. “The spectres raised by the food industry are speculative, at best, considering that the City has not yet issued guidelines to operationalize the ordinance. But the harms faced by the children of Pasig are real and immediate. To delay lifesaving interventions at the urging of the food industry is to leave children at their mercy.”