by Charissa Luci-Atienza Nueva Ecija Rep. Estrellita B. Suansing is seeking to exempt bottled water from the value-added tax (VAT) to lower its price and to promote a healthy lifestyle. She said the proposed VAT exemption make bottled water a cheaper and healthier alternative to sugar sweetened beverages (SSB). “If the prices of sugary drinks are cheaper than bottled water, the public will prefer to buy sugar sweetened beverages than water. Basic as it is, this seldom noticed consumer preference for sugar sweetened beverages instead of water is destructive to health and can be avoided by lowering the price…