Batangas LGU Reinforces the DOH’s HPV Vaccination Program

Wazzup Pilipinas!?

LGU action reinforces the push for a stronger, nationwide DOH program to meet WHO cervical cancer elimination goals by 2030

Sto. Tomas City Mayor Arth Jhun A. Marasigan leads the city’s localized Cervical Cancer Elimination (CCE) Plan under the program SHEmpre Ligtas–Student Health Education, implemented by the Health Education and Promotion Unit (HEPU) of Sto. Tomas.

Santo Tomas City in Batangas has taken bold steps in its cervical cancer prevention program by investing in immunization of adolescent girls both in private and public schools with the Human Papillomavirus (HPV) 4-valent vaccine. This is in support of the Department of Health’s (DOH) National Immunization Program for cervical cancer prevention. The initiative under the leadership of Sto. Tomas City Mayor Arth Jhun A. Marasigan, underscores the vital role of local governments in achieving the World Health Organization’s (WHO) target to eliminate cervical cancer by 2030.

Despite the long delay in the delivery of HPV vaccines supply from the DOH, to sustain vaccination efforts, leading LGUs like Sto. Tomas City are stepping up by allocating local funds to procure 4-Valent HPV Vaccines to ensure the continuity of the DOH’s national HPV immunization program.

 
Cervical cancer is the second most common cancer among Filipino women, yet it is largely preventable through HPV vaccination and screening; and highly manageable with timely treatment.

Sto. Tomas: A Model for Local Action
In 2024, Sto. Tomas completed the catch-up vaccination of around 1,800 14-year-old school girls from public and private who missed their dose of the 4-valent HPV Vaccine initiated by the DOH, as part of its localized Cervical Cancer Elimination (CCE) Plan under the program SHEmpre Ligtas–Student Health Education, implemented by the Health Education and Promotion Unit (HEPU) of Sto. Tomas.

With this milestone achieved, the city has now moved into the next phase, targeting to vaccinate another batch of around 1800 school girls with the 4-Valent HPV Vaccine. This plan runs until 2030, ensuring protection for every adolescent girl in Sto. Tomas.

Mayor Marasigan emphasized that the initiative complements the DOH’s current program in place, which covers public school girls aged 9 to 14 years old.
“Cervical cancer elimination is a shared responsibility. While the Department of Health leads through the National Immunization Program, LGUs like Sto. Tomas must do our part to ensure no girl is left behind. By investing in HPV vaccination, we are securing the future of our daughters and our community,” he said.

“Our commitment is long-term. We will continue vaccinating adolescent girls until 2030. This is not just a health program; it is a legacy we want to leave for future generations: a city free from cervical cancer.”

National Momentum for HPV Immunization

The health program of Sto. Tomas is very aligned with the State of the Nation Address of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. highlighted HPV vaccination as a government priority, noting dedicated funds to protect Filipinos from HPV-related cancers. The DOH’s 2025 budget includes increased funding allocation for HPV vaccines, signaling progress in addressing preventable cancers
Still, the country’s coverage remains below WHO’s 90% target, with many girls over 15 left outside the DOH’s designated group. This reality underscores the importance of LGU complementation.

“We welcome the renewed prioritization of HPV vaccination at the national level. But even with these investments, local governments must continue bridging critical gaps. I call on my fellow mayors and governors: let us step up together. With national and local governments working hand in hand, we can meet the WHO 90-70-90 goals for the Philippines. We also hope that our initiative the, DOH central office would increase its assistance to us as an LGU especially with this health priority of ours.” Mayor Marasigan added.

The WHO strategy calls for 90% of girls fully vaccinated with HPV vaccine by age 15, 70% of women screened at least twice in their lifetime, and 90% of women with pre-cancer or cancer receiving treatment.
Sto. Tomas’ experience shows how LGU-led investments can sustain momentum toward cervical cancer elimination despite challenges. With DOH leadership, increased national funding, and stronger LGU initiatives, the Philippines can protect the next generation and move closer to eliminating cervical cancer by 2030.




Other Photos:

Through the SHEmpre Ligtas – Student Health Education (SHE) program, Sto. Tomas, Batangas empowers young girls with knowledge as part of its localized Cervical Cancer Elimination Plan.

As part of the SHEmpre Ligtas – Student Health Education (SHE) program, Sto. Tomas, Batangas brings HPV vaccination closer to students— a vital step in the city’s Cervical Cancer Elimination Plan.

The Invisible Betrayal: How Air We Breathe Is Quietly Stealing Health in India

Wazzup Pilipinas!? 

She never saw it coming.

But for millions of Indian women and children, a silent predator is eroding health from within. It doesn’t announce itself. It doesn’t leave fingerprints. It drifts in on the wind. It is PM₂.₅, fine particulate pollution — and over long periods, it is being linked to a cascade of illnesses: hypertension, diabetes, chronic lung disease, anemia, low birth weight, respiratory infections in kids.

Now, armed with a powerful interactive dashboard, researchers are connecting the dots — mapping how decades of exposure to dirty air are manifesting in bodies, across 641 districts. The implications are as urgent as they are sobering.

From Particles to People: The Pathways of Harm

At face value, “air quality” may sound abstract. But what the Health Benefit Assessment Dashboard (launched by Climate Trends and IIT Delhi) makes clear is that air quality is health writ small, human by human.

Here’s how the invisible becomes visceral:

PM₂.₅ refers to particulate matter smaller than 2.5 micrometers. Because of its minuscule size, it penetrates deep into the lungs, crosses into the bloodstream, triggers inflammation, oxidative stress, and disturbs multiple organ systems.

Over years of exposure, this process isn’t just local (lungs) — it can alter vascular function (raising blood pressure), impair insulin signaling (raising diabetes risk), disrupt red blood cell production (contributing to anemia), and affect fetal development (leading to low birth weight).

In children under 5, prolonged exposure damages respiratory defenses, heightens susceptibility to infections, and undermines iron status through inflammatory pathways.

Moreover, the effects are cumulative and compounding: early-life damage can predispose people to more severe disease trajectories later.

In short: long-term exposure to polluted air isn’t just a respiratory risk. It’s a multi-front assault on health.

What the Dashboard Tells Us: Numbers with Names

The real power of the dashboard lies in converting probabilities into human-scale impact. Drawing on district-level exposure and health survey data (NFHS-5), the tool simulates what might happen if PM₂.₅ were slashed by 30% across India — a target aligned with National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) ambitions.

Here are some headline projections:

For Women (ages 15–49)

Diabetes prevalence could decline from ~1.7% down to ~1.4% — a reduction in the burden of metabolic disease.

Hypertension risk could fall by 2% to 8%, depending on the state.

Cases of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) may fall by 3% to 12%, especially in high-pollution states like Delhi, UP, Haryana.

Anaemia — often overlooked as an air-pollution outcome — could also see reductions.

These numbers may seem modest in percentage terms, but when multiplied across tens of millions of women, they represent enormous health dividends.

For Children (Under 5 Years)

Lower respiratory infections (LRIs): Cleaner air could reduce incidence significantly in high-risk districts (especially in the Indo-Gangetic plain).

Low birth weight (LBW): The chances of babies being born underweight could drop, particularly in states like Bihar, UP, Assam, Punjab, West Bengal.

Anemia in children: Less systemic inflammation and better iron metabolism could lead to improvements in anemia prevalence.

Importantly, the dashboard doesn’t treat India as a monolith. The geography matters: the highest gains are projected in the worst-polluted, most densely populated regions — exactly where vulnerability is greatest.

In some states, disease prevalence reductions approach one third. The dashboard authors even analogize it as “making the invisible visible” — turning air pollution into a public health narrative rather than an environmental abstraction.

The Human Toll: Voices Behind the Data

Numbers can quantify, but stories resonate.

Consider a pregnant mother in Patna inhaling auto emissions and coal dust for nine months — the stress, the oxidative damage, the silent restriction of oxygen and nutrient flow to her unborn child. The dashboard’s LBW projections become a personal tragedy avoided, a life trajectory altered.

Think of a toddler in Delhi, living in an inner-city slum, chasing after dust-laden winds. Each cough, each wheeze, is a micro-battle. The dashboard’s LRI statistics are not abstractions — they map to hospitalizations, days lost, fragile immune systems.

And women across states like Haryana, Punjab, Bihar may never synch their hypertension, diabetes, or anemia to “bad air.” But the dashboard says: look closer. The ambient air you breathe interacts with your body’s metabolism, oxidants, and inflammatory circuits.

Behind the dashboards are mothers, children, elders whose health is robbed slowly—sometimes invisibly—by particles in the air. The question is: will we allow that to continue?

Strengths, Innovations, and Caveats

Your project rests on several pillars of methodological innovation — and some inherent challenges:

What Makes It Strong

Granularity and scale: The district-level approach (641 districts) allows spatial resolution and helps policymakers zoom into hotspots.

Linking exposure to multiple outcomes: The dashboard integrates noncommunicable (e.g. diabetes, hypertension) and communicable / developmental (e.g. LBW, LRI, anemia) outcomes, painting a fuller picture.

Counterfactual scenario modeling: The “30% reduction scenario” anchors ambitions to realistic (though bold) air quality goals.

Public-facing dashboard: Turning modeling into a visual, interactive tool helps translate research into policy dialogue.

Points of Uncertainty / Limitations

Causality vs association: While epidemiological evidence supports strong links, modeling can’t fully remove residual confounding or reverse causation.

Uniform reduction assumption: The scenario assumes a uniform 30% cut in PM₂.₅ across diverse geographies — in reality, some districts might find it easier than others.

Exposure assignment error: Satellite-derived PM₂.₅ interpolations, assumptions about indoor / outdoor mix, and mobility of individuals can introduce exposure misclassification.

Nonlinear and threshold effects: Health impacts may not scale linearly with concentration changes; some benefits may accrue disproportionately at lower ranges.

Interaction with socioeconomic and behavioral variables: Nutrition, healthcare access, indoor pollution, smoking, and other co-factors may mediate or moderate the associations.

Despite these caveats, the dashboard is a powerful heuristic — a tool to shift thinking and spark action.

Policy Implications: Moving From Data to Justice

If air quality is health, then air policy is health policy. Here are vectors of urgency:

Align air quality targets with public health metrics. NCAP and state-level clean air plans should explicitly adopt health outcomes (e.g. reductions in hypertension, LRI) as metrics — not just “µg/m³”.

Target the worst offenders. States and districts projected to yield largest health gains should be prioritized (e.g. parts of UP, Bihar, Delhi, Haryana).

Sectoral interventions with health lens. Because different sources (transport, industry, domestic, biomass burning) contribute differently, targeting the most toxic species and sectors (as some component-level research suggests) can maximize gains.

Complement with health and nutrition programs. Cleaner air amplifies benefits of maternal-child health, iron supplementation, vaccinations, neonatal care.

Community awareness and empowerment. If women, mothers, local health workers understand that “bad air = more anemia or LBW risk,” they can demand cleaner neighborhoods, stricter enforcement, behavioral mitigation (e.g. air filtration).

Monitoring, evaluation, iteration. The dashboard itself can evolve — integrate newer survey rounds, refine exposure models, and track progress over time.

The goal: shift air quality from being treated as an environmental afterthought to a core pillar of public health strategy.

Into the Future: Breathing Hope

Imagine ten years from now: districts once choked by dust and smog record measurable drops in hypertension among women. Neonatal wards see fewer underweight infants. Rural communities, once burdened by childhood pneumonia, begin to register fewer cases. Lives extend, health improves — thanks not only to hospitals and medicine, but to cleaner skies.

This is not a utopian dream. The dashboard shows that with a “mere” 30% cut in PM₂.₅ — a feasible ambition — much of this is within reach for India.

But it requires a shift: from treating air pollution as a nuisance or a climate adjunct, to seeing it as a core determinant of health inequality. From fragmented policy to integrated health-environment strategy. From invisible harms to visible accountability.

Your work — making the invisible visible — is precisely the kind of bridge needed to jolt policy, public will, and scientific discourse. Let the data breathe life into change.

SSS launches EMV-equipped, dual-function MySSS Card

Wazzup Pilipinas!? 

QUEZON CITY – In response to the 8 September 2025 directive issued by Department of Finance Secretary and Social Security Commission ex-officio Chair Ralph G. Recto to roll out faster services to pensioners and members, the Social Security System (SSS) has officially launched the MySSS Card – designed to transform the way Filipino workers, pensioners, and their beneficiaries access their social security benefits and financial services. 

SSS President and Chief Executive Officer Robert Joseph Montes De Claro stated that the MySSS Card fulfills two purposes. It acts as an official ID, replacing the long-standing Unified Multi-Purpose Identification (UMID) card. It also operates as a fully functional debit card linked to a savings account. 

De Claro noted that the card is equipped with an EMV chip. It is integrated with the Philippine Identification System (PhilSys) eVerify and biometric authentication. This provides a safe and convenient way for members to access SSS benefits and loans, as well as manage their daily financial transactions.

It merges social security benefits with digital banking, offering members a comprehensive way to access benefits, loans, and pensions quickly and conveniently. The card can also be used for shopping, public transport fares, and online purchases, De Claro explained.

The card will be issued exclusively through SSS partner banks. Issuance will start with Rizal Commercial Banking Corporation (RCBC) and will later include other banks such as Asia United Bank (AUB), China Bank, and Union Bank of the Philippines. 

De Claro said the MySSS Card will automatically serve as the main disbursement account for SSS members. "Once members apply for the MySSS Card, we will link their partner bank savings accounts to SSS for benefits, loans, and other proceeds. They no longer need to enroll the MySSS Card in the Disbursement Account Enrollment Module (DAEM)." 

He stated that starting today, 1 October 2025, SSS will accept applications for the MySSS Card. RCBC, through its digital arm DiskarTech, will be the card’s first implementer. 

"The SSS and RCBC partnership marks a significant milestone in the digital transformation of government services," he continued. "The MySSS Card’s rollout will expand as more partner banks join the program. This will provide more options for card issuance and banking features." 

How to Apply for the MySSS Card 

The MySSS Card is available to all SSS members, pensioners, individual claimants, beneficiaries, and representative payees who meet the following requirements:

Possess a permanent SS number;

Have an active account on the My.SSS Portal with updated personal details, including local address, mobile number, and email; and

Be registered with the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) under the National ID system, previously known as the Philippine Identification System (PhilSys). 

Members with old SSS, UMID, or previous ID cards may apply for the MySSS Card to replace lost or existing cards.

De Claro said the MySSS Card application is simple and can be completed via My.SSS. "Members choose their partner bank—initially RCBC—and consent to data sharing between SSS, the National ID system, and the bank."

After online verification and identity confirmation, members open a bank account either using their online app or by visiting a branch. For RCBC, members use the DiskarTech app to open the account.

The partner bank will produce and distribute the cards. Metro Manila residents will receive their cards within 15 working days, while those outside Metro Manila will receive theirs within 20 working days. 

He concluded that launching the MySSS Card is part of a larger government push. This initiative is led by Finance Secretary and Social Security Commission ex-officio Chair Recto, who has championed reforms within the SSS to enhance its service delivery.