Health officials in Bicol are scaling up preventive care efforts as the region rolls out an extensive free cancer screening campaign aimed at protecting women and reducing deaths linked to late-stage diagnosis. The initiative centers on early detection as a critical strategy to curb the growing burden of cancer across communities.
The Department of Health (DOH) in Bicol is targeting 1.4 million Bicolanos, particularly women aged 30 and above, to undergo free breast and cervical cancer screening. The campaign was outlined during a National Cancer Awareness Month briefing at the Lotus Blu Hotel in Legazpi City, where officials underscored the urgent need to expand access to screening services.
Regional Data Highlight Urgency
Julie Ann Legaspi-Granadino, regional program manager of the DOH cancer control program, explained that cancer remains among the leading causes of death globally and in the Philippines. She cited data showing that the youngest casualty of cancer is a 16-year-old foreign girl, based on Global Cancer Philippines 2022 records. Meanwhile, figures from the 2023 Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) report show 3,174 cancer-related deaths in the Bicol region alone.
At the national level, PSA data indicated that from January to April 2025 (provisional data as of Sept. 30, 2025), cancer accounted for 22,837 deaths, or 11.3 percent of total deaths. Breast cancer recorded the highest number of cases at 33,079 (17.5 percent), followed by lung cancer with 23,728 (12.6 percent), colorectal cancer with 20,736 (11 percent), liver cancer with 12,544 (6.6 percent), and prostate cancer with 9,764 (5.2 percent).
The DOH official stressed the importance of early detection in improving survival outcomes.
“Breast and cervical cancer are treatable if detected early. That’s why we are calling Bicolana women ages 30 and above to undergo the free screening, as only 4 percent availed the screening program of the Department of Health,” Granadino said. “Majority of the cancer-related cases are affecting women aged 40 years old or within the working force.”
Free Services and Expanded Support
She also urged the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) to direct local government units to allocate funds that would help women in their communities access screening services.
Two DOH-run hospitals, the Bicol Regional Hospital Medical Center and the Bicol Medical Center, are currently offering free breast and cervical cancer screening. Services include mammography, ultrasound, and clinical breast examination for breast cancer, and visual inspection with acetic acid (VIA), Papanicolaou (Pap) smear, and HPV DNA testing for cervical cancer. Screening for prostate cancer includes digital rectal exam and Prostate-Specific Antigen testing, while colorectal cancer screening covers colonoscopy and Fecal Immunochemical Test.
Additional support is available through the Cancer Assistance Fund, which backs diagnostic tests, laboratory services, therapeutic procedures, and prevention and screening. The fund originally covered treatment in 2023 and has since expanded to include screening. Another safety net is the Cancer and Supportive–Palliative Medicines Access Program, with at least 34 CAF access sites nationwide, including facilities in Legazpi City, Albay, and Naga City, Camarines Sur.
For Bicolanos, the expanded screening drive means fewer financial barriers to lifesaving tests, better chances of catching cancer early, and a stronger public health system that prioritizes prevention, steps that can translate to longer, healthier lives and more secure communities.
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