Iloilo City
3 May 2016

President Benigno S. Aquino III led the National Launching of the Expanded Human Papillomavirus (HPV) Community-Based Vaccination Program held at the Sarabia Manor Hotel and Convention Center in Iloilo City.

Dubbed as “Bakunang Tuloy-Tuloy para sa Malusog na Batang Pinoy”, the HPV vaccination is part of the school-based immunization program of the Department of Health (DOH). During the event, the President witnessed the vaccination of 9-year-old Ruphil May Carillo with the HPV vaccine that can prevent cervical cancer, the second leading cause of death on women.

In his speech, President Aquino reiterated the motto that “prevention is always better than cure”, stressing that it is always better to prevent ailments rather than wait for the sickness to worsen. He also enumerated the DOH’s recent launching of the dengue vaccine that reduces the severity of dengue, as well as other vaccines that were hard to acquire before due to the high cost.

Under the administration of President Aquino, vaccines for Hepatitis B, meningitis, pneumonia, tetanus and diphtheria, and booster doses for measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) are free to the public. He also cited another government program connected to health, particularly the health insurance coverage of PhilHealth beneficiaries.

As a parting message, the Chief Executive said that he is honored to be the president of a nation that stood united in creating a more progressive country, better than the one before his administration.

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