Cabinet to tackle emergency declaration over rising HIV cases

MANILA, Philippines —  The Cabinet will tackle the Department of Health (DOH)’s proposal to declare a national public health emergency over the rising number of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) cases in the country.

Speaking at a Palace press briefing yesterday, Health Secretary Teodoro Herbosa said he has forwarded a memorandum to President Marcos and Executive Secretary Lucas BerTsamin on the proposal, which was recommended by the Philippine National AIDS Council.

“Our meetings in the Cabinet on that (matter) have been scheduled. They were just postponed. They were postponed many times because we have several other issues,” the health chief said. “But the work of the DOH continues.”

Herbosa said the council had cited the need for a national strategy for HIV, a plan that requires a directive from the President. He added that the DOH has been threshing out for six months programs aimed at strengthening anti-HIV measures.

HIV attacks cells that help the body combat infection and makes a person more vulnerable to diseases. The virus may lead to acquired immunodeficiency syndrome or AIDS if left untreated.
HIV is spread through engaging in unprotected sex; sharing needles, syringes and other drug injection equipment and receiving blood or organs that are infected with HIV. The virus can also be passed from mother to child during pregnancy, birth, or breastfeeding.

In a video message issued on Tuesday, Herbosa reported that the number of HIV cases rose by 500 percent among Filipinos aged 15 to 25 between 2010 and 2023.

There are 148,831 HIV cases in the Philippines from January 1984 to March 2025, according to the DOH.

If the rise in the number of HIV cases is not prevented, it could soar to more than 400,000, the agency warned as it noted an average of 57 new HIV cases detected daily in the first quarter of 2025.
Herbosa said the battle against HIV requires legislation, funding and an information campaign.

According to the Philippine National AIDS Council (PNAC), easy access to technology has contributed to the rise in HIV cases among the youth.
Dr. Joselito Feliciano, PNAC executive director, expressed alarm over the increasing HIV cases among the youth as he noted that an application, where the youth can get partners to engage in sexual activity, is available online.

“It is unfortunate that the new HIV cases recorded in the country are getting younger. Because of the advent of technology, they can easily search for sexual partners online or through the internet,” Feliciano said in an interview at the Bagong Pilipinas Ngayon program Thursday.

Apart from this, PNAC said a study they conducted showed that there are very few information disseminated about HIV.        
“Based on this study, we can see there is not much information reaching the public regarding HIV,” Feliciano said.

The monitoring made by PNAC showed that a majority of the HIV cases are concentrated in highly urbanized areas. These include the National Capital Region, Calabarzon, Central Luzon, Western Visayas, Central Visayas and Davao region.

“These six regions already comprise 80 percent of the cases,” Feliciano noted.
He stressed the importance of education in giving the public the right information about HIV, saying that “if the youth is armed with the right information on HIV, they would know how to protect themselves as well as their families and loved ones.”

Meanwhile, the Commission on Population and Development (CPD) joined the DOH in sounding alarm on the rising cases of HIV in the country, especially among young people.
The CPD also noted that the country continues to experience a high number of adolescent pregnancy cases, with an alarming increase among 10 to 14 year olds, from 2,411 births in 2019 to 3,343 livebirths in 2023.

“The incidence of HIV infections and adolescent pregnancy are two overlapping issues that show systemic gaps in accessing reproductive health education. Young Filipinos still lack accurate information about safe sex, HIV prevention and contraceptive use,” the CPD said.
CPD executive director Lisa Grace Bersales noted that “the well-being of our young people on which our future depends is at stake if these sexual and reproductive health are not addressed.”

In Zamboanga City, authorities have reported 93 cases, with six deaths during the first two quarters this year.

“It’s quite alarming that we have already a total of 93 newly diagnosed cases,” said Dr. Shadrina Sarapuddin, head of the Zamboanga City Medical Center public affairs and customer care unit. –  Rhodina Villanueva, Roel Pareño