Struggling against silence: The HIV crisis among Filipino youth

Originally published in Manila Bulletin

Every year, another alarming statistic forces Filipinos to confront a troubling truth: HIV infections in the country are skyrocketing. The Philippines is now grappling with one of the fastest-growing HIV epidemics in the world, and in the Western Pacific region, it stands alone at the top of a list no country wants to lead.

From 2010 to 2023, new HIV infections increased by an estimated 543 percent. The daily average of new diagnoses, which hovered around 21 in the pre-pandemic years, has now surged to 56 or 57 cases each day, according to recent data from the Department of Health. As of March 2025, over 139,000 Filipinos are living with HIV. But projections are far grimmer: that number could balloon to 252,000 by the end of the year and reach up to half a million by 2030 if the country fails to act decisively.

What makes this crisis particularly devastating is the profile of those being affected. Young Filipinos, some barely out of high school, are bearing the brunt. Around one in three new cases are among those aged 15 to 24, while nearly half are among those between 25 and 34. In the early years of the epidemic, HIV was often associated with older adults, but today it is clearly a youth-driven epidemic in the Philippines. The numbers speak for themselves. From 2010 to 2022, HIV infections among youth rose by more than 400 percent, while AIDS-related deaths more than quintupled.

The majority of these new infections are among men who have sex with men and transgender individuals, who together make up about 70 to 75 percent of all new cases. Over 95 percent of newly reported HIV infections in early 2025 were among males, with the vast majority in their teens, twenties, or early thirties. This demographic reality shatters the myth that HIV is someone else’s problem, that it only afflicts a small, invisible minority. It is a crisis squarely hitting a generation of young men, many of whom are marginalized, misinformed, or simply too afraid to ask for help.

Despite the passage of the Philippine HIV and AIDS Policy Act in 2018, which allowed minors to get tested without parental consent, legal and cultural barriers continue to stand in the way of effective prevention. Minors still cannot legally buy condoms in many areas, and comprehensive sex education remains controversial, poorly implemented, or completely absent from many schools. As a result, many young people turn to social media for information, where myths and misinformation abound. In some surveys, only a fraction of young men reported using condoms during high-risk encounters, a deeply troubling sign of how prevention messages are failing to take hold.

Stigma, too, remains a powerful enemy. Two out of three Filipinos living with HIV do not know their status. Even among those diagnosed, many face delays in beginning life-saving treatment due to fear, shame, or confusion. About 66 percent of those diagnosed are on antiretroviral therapy, but only 40 percent have achieved viral suppression, a key goal for managing the disease and preventing further spread. Many delay seeking help for weeks or even months after diagnosis, often until their health has already deteriorated.

Youth, in particular, are falling through the cracks. Nearly half of those aged 15 to 17 say they are too afraid to get tested, fearing what they might learn. A third of those in their early twenties cite lack of time or access. Meanwhile, HIV testing remains far too centralized in cities, leaving young people in rural areas with limited or no access to reliable services.

And all of this is happening against a backdrop of insufficient funding. In 2023, only six percent of the ₱3.6 billion national HIV budget was allocated to prevention. International aid has also declined, making it harder for community-led organizations to reach those most at risk. Groups like LoveYourself Inc. have stepped in to fill the gap, opening clinics and spreading awareness, but the scale of the crisis demands much more than the efforts of a few dedicated NGOs.

In June 2025, the Department of Health, backed by international agencies like WHO and UNAIDS, formally urged President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to declare HIV a national public health emergency. Such a declaration would not only signal urgency but also unlock a coordinated, whole-of-government response that extends beyond the health sector.

Schools, local governments, social workers, and media must all be engaged in a united campaign to fight this epidemic, just as they would during a natural disaster or a viral outbreak.

Ultimately, the numbers can only tell part of the story. Behind each statistic is a young Filipino—like the 24-year-old in Palawan who first engaged in risky behavior at 13 and was diagnosed only after falling critically ill. He spoke of friends who refused to get tested because of shame, and of a community where silence and fear do more damage than the virus itself.

This is the cost of denial. A disease that is now both preventable and treatable continues to ravage young lives because the systems meant to protect them are broken, hesitant, or incomplete. We know what needs to be done: Improve access to testing, distribute PrEP, bring sex education into classrooms, fight stigma, and invest in the communities most at risk. But knowing is not enough. The question is whether the Philippines has the political will to act—urgently, boldly, and without delay.

The time for hesitancy is over. Each day we wait, nearly 60 more lives are forever changed. If this isn’t a national emergency, what is?

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