ALBAY 1st District Rep. Cielo Krisel Lagman is pushing for stronger efforts to prevent cervical cancer and make vaccination, screening and reliable health information more accessible to Filipino women and girls.
In an exclusive interview with The Manila Times ahead of the Sept. 29 launch of the HPV Prevention Policy Atlas Asia-Pacific 2026, Lagman said government funding for vaccines, including those against human papillomavirus (HPV) — a common virus that can cause cervical cancer — must be matched by efforts to ensure families actually use available health services.
“But funding alone is not enough. We need people’s initiatives to avail of the package,” Lagman said.
Lagman, who chairs the Philippine Legislators' Committee on Population Development Foundation for the House of Representatives, is also a member of the House Committee on Health.
The Atlas compares government policies on HPV vaccination, cervical cancer screening and access to online information, providing a way to identify where countries have policies in place and where gaps remain.
For the Philippines, the Atlas gives an overall score of 71 percent, or “Good,” according to the event brief.
But the country continues to face low uptake of vaccination and cervical cancer screening, highlighting the difference between having policies in place and getting preventive services to the people who need them.
The HPV Atlas will be presented by officials from the European Parliamentary Forum for Sexual and Reproductive Rights, the group that conducted the research.
Lagman said the Sept. 29 forum should produce evidence-based recommendations from government, health advocates, civil society and cervical cancer survivors, including members of the Cancer Warriors Movement.
“Their lived experiences can help us better understand the gaps that policies and programs need to address,” Lagman said.
She said lawmakers and government agencies could use the recommendations to identify which policies and implementation measures need strengthening.
“Our goal is for the launch to move the conversation from simply recognizing the importance of HPV vaccination and cervical cancer prevention to identifying specific actions that different sectors can take,” she said.
Lagman said the ultimate focus should remain on families having access to the information and services needed to prevent the disease.
“Cervical cancer is preventable, and prevention must start with making the right information and services accessible to every family,” she said.
