If you enjoy socializing, chatting and unwinding after work in Vancouver, BC over a pint or two or a couple of glasses of wine that could even be more on a Friday or Saturday night, chances are you will meet new friends.

Actually, a group of Filipino city residents has organized a society making such gatherings as a form of social event to meet new Filipino friends.

“On Dec 8., about 200 Filipinos will gather around  the Social Hall of St. Patrick Church along Main Street to attend a party we have organized,” Filipino event organizer Roger Manalang of the group Tropang Ok said. 

“So to make friends over drinks in Vancouver, be a full member of our group. It’s the most fastest way to meet new Filipino friends, here.”

A recent survey shows that alcohol consumption in the Philippines is on the rise and affluent Filipinos out-drink their Southeast Asian counterparts.

Market research firm Synovate polled wealthy respondents in 11 countries in the Asia-Pacific on their consumption of brandy, cognac, whisky, wine, champagne, and beer. “We discovered that overall consumption levels of alcohol among affluent Filipinos have risen steadily in the country by four per cent since last year,” it said.

“Rising alcohol consumption levels would both indicate that more affluent Filipinos have higher levels of disposable income and more social time on their hands to indulge themselves over drinks,” Synovate’s Carole Sarthou said. In a statement, Sarthou said that ‘Filipijos have more social time on their hands to indulge themselves over drinks.”

The firm said a higher percentage of affluent Filipinos consumed alcohol (37 per cent) than in other countries such as Thailand (34 per cent), Singapore (32 per cent), Malaysia (28 per cent) and Indonesia (eight per cent).

The Synovate PAX Media Study 2007 was conducted in over 11 markets in the Asia-Pacific, including Southeast Asia, and featured six alcoholic beverage categories.

Of the 43.7 per cent who said they were alcohol drinkers, 26.1 percent gravitated to local beer, compared to the 24.1% who preferred wine, 14.5 per cent who went for imported beer, 7.6 per cent who favored champagne, 10.5 per cent who picked whiskey, and the 4.2 per cent whose choices were brandy and cognac. Respondents were described as affluent persons aged 25 to 64. There were 1,700 to 2,000 respondents for each capital city in the Asia-Pacific countries surveyed. In the case of the Philippines, a total of 1,699 Filipinos residing in Metro Manila, each living in households with a monthly income of at least $1,600, were questioned on their drinking habits.

Based on the survey, 30 per cent of the Philippine respondents’ alcohol consumption was devoted to local beer, higher than Bangkok’s 22.8 per cent, Kuala Lumpur’s 17 per cent, Singapore’s 15 per cent, and Jakarta’s 4.8 per cent.

The Manila result was higher than Taipei’s 26.8 per cent, Hong Kong’s 20.7 per cent and India’s 1.9 per cent, although it was significantly lower than Sydney’s 51 per cent, Melbourne’s 48 per cent, and Seoul’s 46.2 per cent.

Locally brewed beer was the first choice of 30 per cent of wealthy Filipinos.

“Local beer is more accessible, diverse, and value for money. It helps to have a strong local brand, and in our case we have different variants to choose from, such as the [San Miguel] Light, Negra, Pale Pilsen — and the Light variety is doing better than the Pilsen in the market,”  Sarthou was quoted as saying by media in Manila.

“It’s really a combination of factors, but you’ll notice that local beer is very acceptable to drinkers even in the upscale market. It has been proven over time that our local brands perform well.”

General alcohol consumption in Manila has also increased — up by four percentage points to 30 per cent in terms local beer, by two percentage points to 17.6 per cent for wine, and by one percentage point to 9.6 per cent for brandy or cognac. Champagne remained at a steady 3.5 per cent as well as whiskey at 4.4 per cent.