Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago files Senate Bill No. 3134 (Healthy Beverage Options Act of 2011)

Recently, California has obliged soft drink companies, Coca-cola and Pepsi, to place a cancer warning label on their packaging after their common colorant chemical 4-methylimidazole (4-MEI) was found to be carcinogenic (a substance that causes cancer). It will obviously hurt the sale of these multinational companies.

In the Philippines, another blow may hit these two companies as Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago filed Senate Bill No. 3134 (HEALTHY BEVERAGE OPTIONS ACT OF 2011), an act regulating the availability of beverages to children in schools and for other purposes. It aims to regulate the sales and distribution of soda-based products to mitigate against health risks posed to children and the general public.

The senator explains that “It is the responsibility of the State to protect our children from exposure to harmful substance. The sale of beverages that pose serious health risks can be curbed under the State’s police power. Many academic studies have shown that there is nothing healthy about carbonated soft drinks or soda. Soft drinks contain sugar, artificial sweeteners, caffeine, phosphorus, and carbon acids which have harmful effects on the body.”

She cited international and local studies proving the health risks of sodas in children. Should it become a law, the bill would regulate the distribution of soft drinks in all schools in the Philippines, from pre-school to high school, whether public or private.