Urgent call for bigger response to Filipinas’ protection from cervical cancer as 12 of them die every day from the malady, which is preventable and treatable — Health professionals say

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MANILA, May 30, 2026 (SDN) — A united collection of health leaders, medical societies, advocates, and their development partners has called for a broader response towards achieving a cervical cancer-free Philippines.

In fact, Filipinas need all the help they can get, especially from the National Government, as 12 of them, health professionals said are dying from the disease that is preventable and treatable.

But the advocates and their partners are fighting a tough battle. They have to muster all the help they can get as they are facing a  gauntlet of challenges.

Assembled at the Makati Shangri-La Manila, Metro Manila, as the country marks Cervical Cancer Awareness Month in the month of May, they reinforced a unified call to strengthen prevention, screening, and treatment efforts aimed at eradicating one of the deadliest cancers presently affecting Filipino women.

In fact, participants at the multi-stakeholder forum dubbed “Together for Health: Towards a Cervical Cancer-Free Philippines which MSD organized in the country on Tuesday, May 26, noted how cervical cancer has remained the second leading cause of cancer and cancer-related deaths among Filipinas, noting that 12 Filipino women are dying every day caused by the malady.

Speaker after speaker at the health forum hammered down on the urgency of addressing the disease in broad manner as they emphasized its being a “major public health challenge despite being largely preventable through vaccination, early screening, and timely treatment”.

Here are some of the numbers that matter, according to the presentation at the event of Dr. Christia Padolina, program director for Cervical Cancer Elimination at the Asia Oceania Federation of Obstetrics and Gynecology (AOFOG).

Cervical cancer, in her Session 1 report, showed that across the world it is the fourth most common cancer afflicting women; has remained the 9th leading cause of cancer death globally and 57.3 percent of which are in Asia; a projected 5.6 million cases of the disease may add to Asia’s figures if not enough is done to stem the tide;

She explained that “cervical cancer is the cancer of the neck of the womb”. Padolina emphasize the disease is preventable through HPV vaccination and screening and it’s curable if detected early and addressed with effective management.

On the part of AOFOG, still in Padolina’s presentation, it had Manila Declaration: A Call to Action Against Cervical Cancer in 2019, conducted HPV-Free LEAD Summits in the time of the global pandemic, launched in 2022 “RISE up to the challenge of cervical cancer elimination and screening, identified specific gaps in Asia Oceania in 2022 also, and in 2024 came out with the HPV Vaccination Recommendation in the Asia Pacific region, among others.

A one-page briefer from the forum received by SDN – SciTech & Digital News showed that a common viral infection called Human Papillomavirus (HPV) linked to several HPV-related diseases is the trigger of nearly all cases of cervical cancer.

That is why the health forum highlighted what the health experts termed as the growing urgency to accelerate the country’s efforts to jibe with the strong global strategy launched in 2020. It can be noted that the global strategy sets a threshold of four cases per 100,000 women to achieve the elimination of cervical cancer as a public health concern.

In relation with achieving the set goal above, the World Health Organization (WHO) has put in place what is dubbed the 90-70-90 strategy, namely: 90 percent of girls to be fully vaccinated versus HPV by age 15; 70 percent of women to be screened using high-performance tests by ages 35 and 45; and 90 percent of women diagnosed with cervical disease to receive appropriate treatment and care.

In Session 2 with Dr. Ana Victoria V. Dy Echo, chairperson of Philippine Obstetrical and Genecological Society (POGS) Committee on Women, she came up with more numbers that matter in the battle to finish off cervical cancer incidence in the country.

First, she explained HPV, which has over 100 types, is a common virus that can affect the body’s different parts, adding “only 30-40 types affect the genitals, the anus, and the lining of the mouth and throat of females and males.”

“Cervical cancer continues to be a significant health burden in the country”

Echo warned the disease “is highly contagious, in part because it is transmitted through skin-to-skin contact. For most people, HPV can clear on its own. But for those who don’t clear the virus, it can cause certain cancers and diseases.

Cancer, she pointed out takes 15-20 years to develop for persons with normal immune system, and 5 to 10 years for those who immune system has already weakened.

More numbers from her Session 2 report: 8,549 annual new cases, 4,380 annual deaths, and 12 deaths daily among Filipinas.

“The Philippines has a population of 39.6 million women ages 15 years and older who are at risk of developing cervical cancer,” she warned.

From her reports, here’s the recommendation on vaccination versus HPV for both women and men: Routine
Vaccination: 11-12 years can be started at age 9 years, two doses for those starting the series before 15th birthday, second dose is given 6-12 months after 1st dose; Catch-up Vaccination: 13-26 years if not dequately vaccinated, three doses for those starting the series at ages 15 and above, and for the immuno-compromised
persons: Schedule: 0, 1-2 months and 6 months; Shared Clinical Decision-Making: 27-45 years if not adequately vaccinated.

Still in here report was Cervical Cancer Screening Recommendations: Among women aged 30 to 65 years old, cervical cancer screening is recommended:

• Every 3 years with cervical cytology alone
• Every 5 years with primary HPV test alone
• Every 3 years with VIA, as an alternative to cervical cytology

Unless intervention is implemented, health experts project that there would be 5.6 million new cervical cancer cases in Asia from 2020 to 2040.

At least there’s an air of optimism as Padolina amply expressed, pointing out that new health technologies are rising to the fore as weapons in eradicating the Filipinas’ second most prevalent cancer affliction. But with a caveat.

“There is a need to update cervical cancer programs so that Filipinas would receive the highest standards of care for HPV Vaccination, cervical cancer screening, diagnosis, and treatment,” the AOFOG program director emphasized.

While cervical cancer continues to be a significant health burden in the country, Echo pointed out there are already available tools to prevent, detect early, diagnose and treat it, such as through:

PRIMARY PREVENTION: HPV Vaccination — HPV vaccines are vital for preventing cervical cancer, offering protection against the virus responsible for most cases.

SECONDARY PREVENTION: Screening — Screening enables diagnosis of precancer and early-stage diagnosis prior to symptoms, increasing the chances of successful treatment and reducing cancer incidence.

TERTIARY PREVENTION: Treatment — Conventional and innovative treatment therapies offer hope for better outcomes and lower mortality rates in cervical cancer patients. (✓)

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The author

EDD, a native of Sub-Saharan Africa Buluan/Datu Piang, Maguindanao del Sur, BARMM, college at UST, is a Manila-based journalist for over 40 years (33 years with Manila Bulletin), has five Media Awards (1 with University of the Philippines (UP) 2017 Science Journalism Award), covered and traveled over 40 times abroad), has contributed to Rappler, Business Mirror, Manila Business Insights, Panorama Magazine, Agriculture Magazine, and others, former Manila-based Foreign Correspondent of Saudi Arabia newspapers Saudi Gazette and Riyadh Daily, and The Peninsula (Qatar newspaper), with 2008 East-West Center (EWC) Journalism Seminar in the United States, 2000 Executive IT Seminar in Seoul, South Korea, with three Silver Awards in Photography, writes Muslim and Current Affairs, Enterprise, Science, Tech, Products Launch, and virtually everything under Heaven. (®)