Cebuanos urged to test for HIV

Cebu Governor Pamela Baricuatro has urged Cebuanos to get tested for Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), joining the Department of Health (DOH) and other advocates in calling for the declaration of HIV as a Public Health Emergency in the Philippines amid rising cases nationwide.

- 

In a recorded video message released, Baricuatro said the country is facing “a public health emergency” that is hidden not in plain sight, but “in shame, in stigma, and in silence.”

The governor emphasized that HIV testing should be normalized and integrated into routine health services, similar to testing for diabetes, hypertension, or tuberculosis.

“We must bring it into every barangay health station, every outpatient service, every prenatal checkup,” Baricuatro said.

“Testing is the first step to healing. No one deserves to be afraid of knowing their status,” she added.

The country recorded 5,101 new HIV cases in the first quarter of 2025 alone, or around 57 new infections every single day.

Citing DOH data, Baricuatro said Region 7 ranks sixth in the highest number of new cases, with Cebu Province recording 2,280 HIV cases since 1984 --including 22 new cases this year.