of all cases. This is followed by the 15 to 24 years
old at 30 percent.
Interventions. DOH focused on increasing
access to HIV/AIDS related services such as
the establishment of additional HIV Primary
Care Facilities and Treatment Hubs across key
geographic locations. By the end of 2019, there
was an increase of 53 percent in care facilities, and
an increase of 59 percent in treatment hubs across
the country compared to 2018. As of December
2019, a total of 42,731 people living with HIV were
initiated on ART. This is an increase of 27 percent
from the 2018 figures. Additionally, although the
supply of HIV/AIDS commodities hit critical
levels, there were no stock-outs of HIV/AIDS
commodities during the reporting period.
Challenges and Recommendations. HIV testing
continue to be stigmatized which presents a
barrier to people living with HIV (PLHIV) getting
appropriate treatment. There is a need for stronger
advocacy and evidence-based interventions to
elicit sought-after behavioral changes especially
among people at risk of the infection such as
increased condom use among men who have sex
with men (MSM) and transgender women (TGW),
increased uptake of Pre-exposure Prophylaxis,
testing, early treatment and treatment adherence.
Moreover, funding from the public sector as well
as international organizations for the HIV/AIDS
national response is declining and this will pose
challenges in the implementation of programs.
Domestic resource mobilization must be increased.
KRA 5: Elimination of Violence Against
Women and Children (VAWC)
Status and Trends. According to the Philippine
National Police (PNP) there were 19,743 recorded
cases of violence against women (VAW) in the
country in 2019. Of this figure, 77 percent,
or 15,160 was committed in violation of the
Anti-VAWC Law or under the intimate partner
relationship category. Administrative data show
that more VAWC cases were reported to the
barangay VAW desks in 2019 compared with the
PNP data. The Women and Children Protection
Program of DOH registered 14,823 VAWC cases
in 2019. Of this figure 10,398 were registered from
DOH hospitals and 4,425 VAWC cases were from
public and private facilities at the provincial, city
and municipal levels. Reported VAWC cases from
various service providers also vary which indicates
the need to fully harmonize the data on VAW.
Interventions. Over time, there has been an
increase in the number of local mechanisms that
respond to VAWC cases. As of 2019, 87 percent of
all cities and 83 percent of all municipalities have
established Local Committees on Anti-Trafficking
and Violence Against Women and Children
(LCAT-VAWCs). At the provincial level, 70
percent of all provinces of the country have already
established their Provincial Committee Against
Trafficking and Violence Against Women and their
Children (PCAT-VAWC). The DOH’s Women and
Children Protection Program reported that as of
2019 there were a total of 120 women and children
protection units operating in 57 provinces and 10
chartered cities in the country.
Challenges and Recommendations. The unified
registry of cases remains to be one of the primary
concerns of the Inter-Agency Council on Violence
Against Women and Children (IACVAWC). The
challenges in coming up with consolidated data
from member agencies have resulted in individual
statistical reports, double-counting of reported
cases, and difficulty in monitoring and sharing
of data. The IACVAWC will continue to conduct
coordination meetings and field test enhanced
forms towards setting-up a unified registry of cases
in the country.
Moreover, access to services is still limited,
thus there is a need for the coordinated referral
mechanisms to address various needs of GBV
survivors. Interventions such as education and
information on how to prevent violence must be
prioritized.
17 2019 Annual Report Responsible Parenthood and Reproductive Health Act of 2012