‘Tapuson ta ini’: Western Visayas’ plan to wipe out cervical cancer

In a bid to accelerate efforts against cervical cancer, the first Western Visayas Cervical Cancer Elimination Summit was held June 17 in Iloilo City, bringing renewed focus to prevention, early detection, and treatment initiatives across the region.

The summit, dubbed “Tapuson Ta Ini! Towards a Cervical Cancer-Free Western Visayas,” brought together stakeholders from the Department of Health (DOH), local governments, academe, and healthcare organizations to discuss strategies for expanding cervical cancer prevention and treatment services.

Hosted by the Iloilo Provincial Government through the Provincial Health Office in partnership with the pharmaceutical company MSD, the event highlighted the World Health Organization (WHO) 90-70-90 targets for cervical cancer elimination.

These goals seek to ensure that 90 percent of girls are vaccinated against human papillomavirus (HPV) before age 15, 70 percent of women undergo screening by ages 35 and 45, and 90 percent of women diagnosed with cervical disease receive appropriate treatment.

The targets anchor the WHO global strategy, launched in 2020, to eliminate cervical cancer as a public health problem by cutting new cases to fewer than four per 100,000 women each year.

The stakes are steep in the Philippines, where cervical cancer is the second most common cancer among women. About 7,897 Filipino women are diagnosed and 4,052 die from the disease annually, according to the HPV Information Centre, while the DOH has said roughly 12 women die from it each day.

The DOH-Western Visayas Center for Health Development presented its roadmap toward achieving these targets, while health experts shared best practices and interventions to improve access to life-saving services.

During the summit, the municipalities of Carles, Estancia, and Lemery were also recognized as demonstration sites under the Scale-Up Cervical Cancer Elimination through Secondary Prevention Strategy with Focus in the Asia Pacific (SUCCESS-FAP) project.

The three municipalities surpassed the target screening coverage among women ages 30 to 49, with several barangays attaining full screening coverage.

Among them, Estancia posted an 86 percent screening rate, the highest in Iloilo province.

Estancia Mayor Bianca Requinto said the municipality’s success was driven by the continued capacity-building of barangay health workers, who spearheaded HPV cervical self-screening efforts in their communities.

“It is a great honor for Estancia to serve as a model municipality in Western Visayas’ campaign against cervical cancer,” Requinto said in a statement.

She added that the municipality is preparing to roll out HPV vaccination for children ages 9 to 14 as the next phase of its campaign against cervical cancer.

Health advocates emphasized that cervical cancer remains one of the most preventable forms of cancer through vaccination, regular screening, and early treatment. They underscored the need for sustained collaboration among communities, healthcare workers, and local governments to eliminate the disease.