Cancer Screening and Prevention, Community Engagement, Health Awareness Campaign, Prevention and Screening, Public

Reaching Women Everywhere: HPV-DNA Rollouts Across Islands, Mountains, and Primary Care Facilities in Iloilo

Reaching Women Everywhere: HPV-DNA Rollouts Across Islands, Mountains, and Primary Care Facilities in Iloilo 1
14
Dec

MANIPULON, ESTANCIA – The fight against cervical cancer reached new shores as Team Estancia successfully conducted its first island-based HPV-DNA testing rollout in Barangay Manipulon, Estancia, Iloilo—a landmark moment not only for the municipality but for island communities often left at the margins of preventive health services.

This rollout marked the team’s first real-world test of weeks of meticulous planning, coordination, and capacity-building—where expectations finally met reality.

Reaching Women Everywhere: HPV-DNA Rollouts Across Islands, Mountains, and Primary Care Facilities in Iloilo 2

Leading the journey to the island was Municipal Health Officer Dr. Greg Rolan Sumile, together with members of the Cancer Warriors Foundation, Inc., Carmen Auste and Dr. Bogs Rivera, demonstrating strong LGU leadership and civil society partnership in action.

Reaching Women Everywhere: HPV-DNA Rollouts Across Islands, Mountains, and Primary Care Facilities in Iloilo 3

Reaching Women Everywhere: HPV-DNA Rollouts Across Islands, Mountains, and Primary Care Facilities in Iloilo 4

From Awareness to Action: The Estancia Workflow

True to the Estancia model, the day began with education, awareness, and counseling, led by Dr. Sumile. He clearly explained cervical cancer prevention and patiently demonstrated the HPV-DNA self-collection process, empowering women to take part in their own care with confidence and dignity.

Reaching Women Everywhere: HPV-DNA Rollouts Across Islands, Mountains, and Primary Care Facilities in Iloilo 5

The screening flow followed a structured yet compassionate process:

  • Registration and data capture, with assistance provided to ensure forms were properly completed

  • Reiteration of the self-collection steps, reinforcing understanding and easing anxiety

  • Distribution of HPV-DNA test kits

  • Assisted self-collection inside designated restrooms

  • Specimen receiving and validation, where a receiving officer double-checked data entries before final acceptance

Each step emphasized accuracy, patient comfort, and respect—critical elements when introducing a new screening modality in island settings.

Expanding Reach: Brgy. Loguingot

After completing activities in Brgy. Manipulon, Team Estancia proceeded to Barangay Loguingot, continuing their commitment to reach more women across island communities. While logistical challenges were more pronounced—transport, time constraints, and terrain—the team persevered, gaining invaluable insights for future deployments.

Parallel Efforts: Carles’ Primary Care Rollout

Reaching Women Everywhere: HPV-DNA Rollouts Across Islands, Mountains, and Primary Care Facilities in Iloilo 6

At the same time, Team Carles conducted their HPV-DNA rollout at their Primary Care Facility, led by their Municipal Health Officer Dr. Roland Betita and doctors from the Iloilo Provincial Health Office.

Reaching Women Everywhere: HPV-DNA Rollouts Across Islands, Mountains, and Primary Care Facilities in Iloilo 7

They were joined and supervised by Cancer Wariors Foundation Technical Adviser – Dr. Cecilia Llave and the Western Visayas Medical Center team:

  • Dr. Ninylyn Calicaran-Miedes

  • Ms. Jeny Ann Hisanan Aguero

  • Ms. Mercy Rose Catedral

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The Carles rollout exceeded expectations, screening more women than initially projected and demonstrating a highly efficient facility-based workflow—where over 100% of those listed were successfully screened, exactly as designed. They eventually were able to screen 97 women out of the expected 78 individuals.

Reaching Women Everywhere: HPV-DNA Rollouts Across Islands, Mountains, and Primary Care Facilities in Iloilo 10

Different Contexts, Shared Success

Each team faced different realities:

  • Team Lemery recorded the highest number of women screened to date

  • Team Estancia undertook the most challenging task—their first island barangay rollout

  • Team Carles showed the most efficient execution within a primary care setting

Despite varying contexts and constraints, one truth stood out: every deployment was a success for women.

There remains room to refine workflows, adapt strategies for island-specific realities, and establish best practices tailored to each community. But taken together, these efforts represent a strong and promising start.

A Win for Women

At the heart of these rollouts are the women who showed up, listened, learned, and took a step toward protecting their health. Whether on the mainland or across the sea, HPV-DNA testing is proving that equitable, accessible cervical cancer prevention is possible—even in far-flung islands.

This first island rollout in Estancia is not the end—it is the beginning.

Para sa kababaihan, para sa kalusugan, para sa isang Pilipinas na walang cervical cancer.

Jesus Randy RIvera

A graduate of the esteemed Far Eastern University - Nicanor Reyes Medical Foundation, Dr. Rivera is a radiation oncologist by profession, equipped with specialized training in IMRT and prostate brachytherapy. His expertise has been honed through experiences at renowned institutions such as the MD Anderson Cancer Center in Texas and the Chicago Prostate Center in Chicago, among others. However, his contributions extend far beyond the clinical realm. Dr Bogs Rivera is the visionary founder of CerviQ, an advocacy group passionately committed to eradicating cervical cancer in the Philippines. Through innovative screening programs, leveraging artificial intelligence and remote diagnostic technologies, CerviQ strives to increase access to cervical cancer screenings in communities, facilitating early detection and potentially life-saving interventions. His leadership not only empowers healthcare professionals but also empowers communities, enabling barangay health workers to conduct screenings efficiently and accurately, with rapid turnaround times for results. Dr. Bogs Rivera embodies the intersection of medical expertise and humanitarianism, dedicated to improving healthcare outcomes and championing the cause of public health in the Philippines.