LEGAZPI CITY – Nearly 6,000 cancer patients in the Bicol Region received assistance from a PHP150 million government fund in 2025, the Department of Health reported Friday.
Julie Ann Legaspi-Granadino, regional program manager for DOH-Bicol’s Cancer Control Program, said the Cancer Assistance Fund provides up to PHP150,000 per eligible patient annually for screening, diagnosis, treatment and related care.
“The beauty of CAF is that its coverage has been expanded, so it is easier to catch at an early stage. Before, CAF was more about treatment, but now we are using it from screening to early detection and treatment,” Granadino said in an interview.
She noted the region recorded 3,174 cancer deaths in 2023. In addition to CAF, DOH provides free cancer medicines to indigent patients.
Services are available at rural health units, DOH hospitals and accredited health providers. Granadino also encouraged cervical cancer vaccination and healthy lifestyle habits. (PNA)