Cervical cancer remains a major public health concern in the Philippines. It is the second most frequent cancer among women between 15 and 44 years of age, where most are diagnosed in the advanced stage. According to the Global Cancer Statistics (2020), around 7,897 women were diagnosed with cervical cancer and about 4,052 died from the disease. Moreover, 2020 data from the Philippine Statistics Authority show that approximately 38 million women aged 15 years and older are at risk of developing cervical cancer in the country. 

Over the years, several efforts from the government and different stakeholders have been made to reduce and eventually eliminate cervical cancer. However, due to the pandemic and several challenges in the health sector, there is still a need for the country to revitalize and further scale up the implementation of evidence-based and cost-effective interventions. 

In line with this, the Asia-Pacific (APAC) Women’s Cancer Coalition, in partnership with the Cancer Coalition Philippines (CCPh) and Jhpiego, organized a hybrid town hall discussion entitled Addressing the Gaps to Cervical Cancer Elimination in the Philippines on 17 May 2024 (Friday) from 2:00 PM to 5:00 PM at Marco Polo Hotel Ortigas which was live-streamed via Zoom. 

This forum gathered key stakeholders to discuss evidence-based and cost-effective interventions, as well as their inputs and commitments that will scale up the elimination of cervical cancer in the Philippines and the timely and successful implementation of the global recommendations.