WESTERN Visayas is emerging as one of the country's most promising regions in the fight against cervical cancer, with health leaders pointing to school-based Human Papillomavirus (HPV) immunization as one of the most powerful tools for protecting the next generation of Filipinas and accelerating progress toward disease elimination.
Following the resumption of face-to-face classes after the pandemic, Western Visayas came out as one of the country's strongest performers in the 2025 school-based immunization campaign.According to DOH CHD-6, the region achieved 37.13 percent first-dose HPV vaccination coverage, surpassing the national accomplishment of 33.05 percent.
Several localities posted even stronger results. Guimaras reached 67.11 percent coverage, while Iloilo City and Aklan achieved 54.57 percent and 51.91 percent, respectively.
Although these figures remain below the goal of 90 percent vaccination rate, health leaders view the region's performance as evidence that school-based vaccination can help expand protection against cervical cancer.
This optimism was evident during the recent Western Visayas Cervical Cancer Elimination Summit in Iloilo City, where hundreds of health workers, educators, local government officials, advocates and development partners gathered to discuss how the region can strengthen efforts to achieve the 90-70-90 strategy for cervical cancer elimination.
For many experts, one message stood out throughout the discussions — the path to eliminating cervical cancer begins not in hospitals, but in schools and communities.
More importantly, health leaders noted that Western Visayas demonstrated the strong partnerships among health authorities, schools, local governments, and communities needed to sustain vaccination efforts and improve coverage in the years ahead.
According to the HPV Information Centre, more than 8,000 women are diagnosed with cervical cancer in the Philippines every year, while over 4,000 die from the disease annually. The Department of Health estimates that 12 Filipinas lose their lives to cervical cancer each day.
Cervical cancer is caused primarily by persistent infection with, making it one of the few cancers that can be prevented through vaccination and detected early through screening.
Health experts believe cervical cancer may be eliminated as a public health problem through -90-70-90 strategy — Vaccinating 90 percent of girls against HPV before age 15; screening 70 percent of women using high-performance tests; and ensuring that 90 percent of women diagnosed with cervical disease receive appropriate treatment and care.
For health leaders, cervical cancer elimination begins with primary prevention.
The vaccine is offered free through the DOH’s National Immunization Program to girls enrolled in public schools, ages 9 to 14. Arnold Liwag, chairman of the Capacity Building Committee of the Success-Fap project, explained that children in this age group receive the greatest benefit from vaccination because they have not yet been exposed to HPV.
Because schools provide access to large numbers of eligible adolescents, experts said they have become one of the most effective platforms for delivering the vaccine and building awareness among students and parents.
While vaccination serves as the first line of defense, experts emphasized that screening remains equally important for adult women.
Through self-collection HPV DNA testing, house-to-house campaigns, radio information drives, church announcements, and the active participation of community health workers, more than 11,000 women out of 14,320 eligible women have already undergone screening.
Several barangays in Estancia, Lemery, Carles, and Balasan have even achieved 100 percent screening coverage among eligible women.
Participants at the summit emphasized that sustaining school-based HPV immunization will require continued collaboration among the health sector, schools, local governments, parents, and communities.
While every sector has a vital role to play, speakers agreed that parents remain at the heart of successful vaccination efforts. Their understanding, trust, and support are essential to ensuring that children receive timely protection against HPV.
The Schools Division Office of Iloilo likewise pledged its continued support for vaccination campaigns and health education initiatives, while the Philippine Commission on Women underscored the importance of enabling women and girls to live healthy and productive lives through preventive health care.