Alcohol and Undas: Filipinos Turn to Liquor in Times of Grief and Celebration

Filipinos turn to liquor for everything, whether it’s births or weddings, but we never need alcohol more than when deaths and death anniversaries occur. Alcohol is the grieving man’s medicine, so when Undas comes around every year, don’t be surprised to find Emperador and Alfonso out of stock.

According to B2B startup Packworks’ Sari IQ analytics, sales of alcoholic beverages jumped up to 14.29 percent from October 31 to November 2, 2021, from 11.10 percent on October 1 to 30, 2021. Based on the data, the market share of liquor sales jumped during the three days of Undas in the Philippines.

Every year, Filipinos flock to cemeteries and ancestral homes to remember their deceased family members. In true Filipino fashion, they celebrate lives instead of mourning losses. And every celebration requires plenty of alcohol.

“This is expected as Filipinos consider ‘Undas’ as a time to remember loved ones in a social context, meaning a lot of gatherings that revolve the consumption of alcoholic beverages is common,” Packworks Chief Data Officer Andres Montiel said.

In 2021, the market share of Brandy sales increased to 2.70 percent during the holiday, rum went up to 3.2 percent, gin rose to 5.94 percent, and beer increased to 1.61 percent. As the data proves, hard liquor gets us through the holidays.

While alcohol sales went up, other product sales went down. Cigarettes decreased by 1.02 percent in market share, which Montiel attributes to Undas being a “poignant reminder that life is short and people want to enjoy it longer.”

Meanwhile, teal, coffee, and creamers sales also went down by 0.65 percent, which can be explained by late-night celebrations and, well, hangovers.

Daily sales in general decreased in sari-sari stories, according to Sari IQ, which discovered that Undas sales were typically lower than in the whole month of October, where total sales daily decreased by 19.78 percent.

“This might be due to people leaving their houses to visit graves; thus, some local sari-sari stores might be closed during this time to celebrate the long holiday at their home province or in the cemetery,” explained Montiel.

Despite the heavy taxes imposed on “sin” products in the Philippines, Filipinos apparently don’t mind paying a little extra for their alcohol. As the data shows, the hefty taxes won’t discourage Filipinos from getting their liquor for the holidays.

Anything for alak, right?