FILIPINO travelers to Oman availing of the visa-free entry privilege for 14 days’ stay are no longer required to present a negative HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) medical certificate, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said on Tuesday.
The DFA said Oman’s move “is a testament to the excellent relations between the Republic of the Philippines and the Sultanate of Oman.”
The Joint United Nations Program on HIV/AIDS (UNAids) and the World Health Organization (WHO) support the Philippine government, its partners and communities in their urgent efforts to reverse the rising trend of HIV cases.
Both agencies also support the Department of Health’s request for President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to sign an executive order that would declare HIV a high-priority public health concern, requiring urgent action from all levels of government and society.
The Philippines has the fastest-growing number of HIV cases in the Asia-Pacific region, the WHO said.
Around 252,800 Filipinos are estimated to be living with HIV in 2025, it added.
“Every day this year, at least 57 Filipinos have found out they have HIV. The number of new HIV cases went up by 550 percent from 4,400 in 2010 to 29,600 in 2024,” the WHO said.
