The Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) of Barangay Pinagbuhatan spearheaded the first youth-led city-wide immunization program against human papillomavirus (HPV) in Pasig City at Pinagbuhatan Elementary School.
The initiative, titled “Kabataan Para Sa HPV-Free Pasig City,” marks a significant milestone in public health, by vaccinating around 300 girls aged 9 to 14 in the city during the launch while up to 3,000 students will benefit from the program until the end of the year.
The groundbreaking event is the first youth-led School-Based Immunization (SBI) and community vaccination program in the National Capital Region (NCR), demonstrating the critical role of young leaders in advancing public health initiatives.
The SK of Pinagbuhatan, in collaboration with the Pasig local government unit (LGU), the Department of Health (DOH) and the Department of Education (DepEd), brought together a coalition of partners dedicated to safeguarding the health of the city’s youth.
Pasig City Mayor Vico Sotto emphasized the importance of collaboration in the program’s success.
“We are with DOH, private partners such as MSD in the Philippines, and DepEd in information dissemination. Many diseases can be avoided such as cervical cancer, polio, and measles. So the city health department is very active in awareness raising and vaccination. Our coverage is now wider. The partnership of different stakeholders is very important. The more stakeholders involved, the more complete our program is. Know the services available, know their importance and benefits. Knowledge is power so let’s get vaccinated,” Sotto said.
The program procured 9,780 doses of the HPV vaccines for LGU workers, further broadening the reach and impact of this initiative.
A total of four health centers across Pasig are participating in the simultaneous vaccination drive, which aims to immunize schoolchildren and provide reproductive health services to women throughout the city.
The youth initiative aligns with the national healthcare program “Sa Aking Paglaki, Walang HPV,” led by the DOH and DepEd, and seeks to democratize access to life-saving HPV vaccines.
