Text by Jennifer Manongdo
Photo by NIH-HPP

Advocates discussed the public health challenges posed by alcohol consumption, especially during pregnancy, in the latest episode of the webinar series “Unbottling the Truth” organized by the National Institutes of Health–Health Promotion Program (NIH-HPP) on May 9, 2025. 

Balbina Borneo, president of Mother and Child Nurses Association of the Philippines, Inc., cited research that showed babies who were exposed to alcohol from the womb had lower IQs or developed at a slower pace than others. She said these kids had trouble learning or controlling their emotions, and they had facial irregularities such as low nasal bridges, minor ear abnormalities, epicanthal folds, short palpebral fissures, flat midface, short nose, thin upper lip, and indistinct philtrum or microfibration. All these, she said, are indications of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) – lifelong, incurable conditions that result from alcohol consumption during pregnancy. 

“Alcohol is metabolized more forcefully in the fetus due to immature systems…alcohol exposure interferes with cellular development,”Borneo warned. 

Another study presented during the webinar tackled the high consumption of the local palm wine, “Tuba,” in Leyte.

“Many women (75% of those surveyed) did not believe that tuba contains alcohol, and some believed it has health benefits, such as increasing red blood cell count. Misinformation about alcohol must also be rectified,” Dr. Jose Salazar, Director of Education, Training, and Research, UERMMMC and past president of the Philippine Society of Newborn Medicine, noted in his presentation. 

The women thought tuba increases lactation and keeps the baby in the womb. They also believe this drink, derived from coconut sap, could improve the labor process and help the mother to sleep, according to a discussion by Dr. Maria Asuncion Silvestre, president of Kalusugan ng Mag-ina, Inc., a non-stock, non-profit NGO dedicated to ensuring the promotion of mother and infant health.

Dr. Eva Maria Cutiongco-De La Paz, executive director of the NIH, and Dr. Michael Caampued, president of the Philippine Society of Public Health Physicians, called for collaborative efforts to strengthen the public’s awareness to fight misinformation about alcohol and safeguard maternal and child health. 

The event concluded with a message of support from the Action for Economic Reforms, represented by their communication and advocacy officer, Pia Rodrigo.# 

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