The Department of Health (DOH) has brought its Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) prevention campaign into workplaces, starting with business process outsourcing (BPO) companies in Alabang, Muntinlupa City, in response to the rise in infections among young workers in the country.

According to the 2025 Q1 HIV & AIDS Surveillance of the Philippines (HASP) Report, one in every two people diagnosed with HIV from January to March 2025 was from the working population aged 25 to 34.

To confront the surge, the DOH launched on-site service delivery as part of the National HIV Prevention Awareness Month 2025.

Over 600 BPO employees received free condoms, lubricants, Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP), HIV testing, and health counseling during a program held on August 3 at the IT Basketball Court in Filinvest Corporate City.

“Paglabas po ng inyong mga anak, the world is their playground to learn about anything. At paglabas po nila ng bahay, hindi na po natin kontrolado kung ano po ang papasok sa tenga po nila at kung ano ang mananatili sa kanilang isipan (When your children go outside, the world becomes their playground to learn from. Once they leave home, we no longer control what they hear and what stays in their minds),” ,” DOH Health Promotion Bureau Director Tina Marasigan said during the event.

She underscored the need for open conversations and accessible education around HIV and safe sex.

“Kasama po naman ninyo ang DOH patungkol po sa tamang edukasyon ng HIV, ng safe sex, paggamit ng kondom, papaanong maging malusog… kasama nyo po ang gobyerno dyan, kasama nyo po ang DOH (You’re not alone in educating about HIV, safe sex, condom use, and staying healthy… the government and the DOH are with you).”

Per Marasigan, the health department is pushing for a whole-of-society approach to prevent a further rise in HIV cases, which have already increased by 500 percent in just 10 years.

“Lahat po ng ating kailangang gawin ay dapat pagsama-samahin para po ‘yung 500% increase sa mga kaso ng HIV sa loob lang po ng 10 taon, ay mapigilan pa po nating tumaas (All our efforts must come together so we can prevent the 500% increase in HIV cases over just 10 years from rising even further),” she said.

The DOH official warned that failing to contain the epidemic will burden both the health system and the economy.

“Kung nagpapatakbo po kayo ng isang kumpanya, at ang kumpanya niyo, ang workforce o ang mga empleyado ay puro may sakit, sa tingin niyo po, mapapagyaman po ng mga empleyado ninyo ‘yung inyong kumpanya? No (If you’re running a company and your workforce is sick, do you think they can help your company thrive? No),” said Marasigan.

As such, the DOH is pushing to end the stigma that prevents open conversations about safe sex, which Marasigan said needs to change.

“Dapat po malaya ‘yung pag-uusap patungkol sa safe sex. Hindi po tayo makakaraos kung ang safe sex ay hindi pinag-uusapan ng walang stigma (Conversations about safe sex must be open. We can’t move forward if safe sex remains taboo),” she said.

Health Secretary Teodoro Herbosa said HIV remains one of the country’s most pressing health issues.

“Ang HIV ay nananatiling isa sa mga pangunahing isyung pangkalusugan sa bansa. Kailangang mas mapalapit ang kampanya at serbisyo para sa HIV sa pampubliko at pribadong sektor—kasama ang workplaces (HIV remains one of the country’s major health concerns. We need to bring HIV campaigns and services closer to both public and private sectors—including workplaces),” he stated.

The DOH said 305 HIV care facilities nationwide are equipped to provide prevention, testing, and treatment services, especially for people living with HIV.

“Dapat po ang goal natin, hindi kayo magkasakit. Prevention is better than cure (Our goal should be to not get sick. Prevention is better than cure),” Marasigan said.

From January to March 2025, the DOH recorded 5,101 newly confirmed HIV-positive individuals through the One HIV/AIDS & STI Information System (OHASIS), reflecting a 50 percent increase compared to the same quarter last year.

Of these, 1,122 cases (22 percent) were already in an advanced stage of HIV infection at the time of diagnosis, which marks a 12 percent rise from the previous year’s first-quarter data.

The daily average of new HIV cases in the first quarter of 2025 rose to 57 per day, a 55 percent jump from the 37 per day recorded during the same period in 2024.

Among the newly reported HIV cases, 4,849 (95 percent) were male and 252 (5 percent) were female, with patients ranging in age from 1 to 81 years old and a median age of 27. By age group, 30 cases (less than 1 percent) involved individuals younger than 15; 1,686 (33 percent) were aged 15 to 24; 2,380 (47 percent) were aged 25 to 34; 886 (17 percent) were aged 35 to 49; and 115 (2 percent) were aged 50 and above.