ILOILO CITY — Cervical cancer remains the second leading cause of cancer deaths among Filipino women, yet health authorities in Iloilo are determined to strip it of that lethal ranking. Through the Iloilo Provincial Health Office, the provincial government has intensified its free screening campaign this May, urging women aged 25 to 65 to undergo testing at Rural Health Units and district hospitals. The campaign deploys HPV DNA testing, a gold-standard screening tool that detects high-risk strains of the virus before cancerous cells form.
Dr. Jhoanne Talion, Medical Officer III of the Iloilo Provincial Health Office, described the silent threat the campaign targets. “Cervical cancer is one of those cancers that can be prevented if detected early or treated immediately,” she said. The disease develops slowly over 10 to 15 years, offering a wide detection window. Health authorities are racing to reach women before symptoms—abnormal bleeding, pelvic pain, and urinary difficulty—appear, as these typically signal advanced disease.
HPV DNA Testing Reaches the Barangays
The campaign marks a significant technological upgrade from older screening methods. HPV DNA testing, now available at government health facilities across Iloilo, directly detects the high-risk virus strains responsible for nearly all cervical cancers. The Department of Health Region 6 is simultaneously urging girls aged nine to 14 to receive free HPV vaccines, building a two-generation defense against the disease.
Iloilo’s screening infrastructure has already produced a nationally recognized model. Provincial Health Officer Dr. Maria Socorro Quiñon presented the SUCCESS-FAP project at the 2026 Philippine National Cancer Summit, detailing how the program brought screening to geographically isolated and disadvantaged areas in Carles, Estancia, and Lemery. The initiative, funded by Unitaid and Expertise France in collaboration with DOH and the Cancer Warriors Foundation, has since been replicated by other municipalities and provinces.
A Provincial Blueprint That Other Regions Now Follow
The intensified campaign arrives as health authorities observe Cancer Awareness Month, but the province’s commitment extends beyond a single calendar observance. Screening services remain free year-round at government facilities, and the provincial government has embedded cervical cancer prevention into its broader MoRProGRes health agenda. Dr. Quiñon’s presentation at the national summit positioned Iloilo as a blueprint for secondary prevention in the Philippines.
For the thousands of Ilongga women who work in farms, markets, and households—often the last to access preventive care—the free HPV DNA tests available at their local Rural Health Unit represent a quiet revolution in healthcare access. The science is unambiguous: cervical cancer is preventable, treatable, and curable when caught early. Iloilo is now ensuring that early detection is not a privilege of the few but a right of the many.
