TAGUIG CITY, Philippines — As World Cancer Day approaches, a workplace-based health initiative in Taguig City is offering a practical solution to a persistent challenge facing women in the formal workforce: accessing timely cervical cancer screening without sacrificing work hours or income.
Through the expanded Philippines Centralized Laboratory Model for HPV DNA Screening (CLAMS 2) Project, implemented by Jhpiego, the Taguig City Health Office is extending HPV DNA testing beyond traditional clinics and into offices, factories, and food service workplaces. The initiative reflects a growing recognition that employers can play a direct role in improving preventive health outcomes, particularly for women.
Taguig City, the fifth-most populous city in the Philippines and a major economic hub in eastern Metro Manila, provides a strategic setting for the program. With thousands of women employed across manufacturing, services, and food operations, the city illustrates how urban work patterns can unintentionally limit access to essential health services. Cervical cancer screening, despite its proven role in early detection and treatment, is often delayed because clinic visits compete with work schedules.
By integrating screening into the workplace, CLAMS 2 addresses these barriers head-on. The model brings HPV DNA testing directly to women where they work, reducing time and cost constraints while supporting earlier detection—an important factor in lowering cervical cancer incidence and mortality.
The approach was recently introduced at Eight8Ate Holdings Inc. and Team Pacific Corporation, both based in Taguig City. The rollout is being carried out in partnership with the Women Workers for Health Empowerment Network, underscoring collaboration between local government, civil society, and the private sector.
A defining feature of the initiative is its rethinking of who delivers care. Rather than relying solely on visiting health teams, workplace health providers, human resource staff, and occupational health and safety officers at participating companies are trained to provide HPV DNA testing. These individuals, already embedded in company health and safety systems, serve as workplace-based health champions.
Training focuses not only on technical skills but also on respectful, rights-based service delivery. Trained staff provide clear information about HPV and cervical cancer, explain the importance of regular screening, and support women in making informed decisions. With consent, they guide women through self-collection procedures while ensuring privacy, safety, and dignity.
For women workers, the impact extends beyond convenience. The program affirms access to health care as a right, not a trade-off against employment. As Rochelle Porras of the Women Workers for Health Empowerment Network said, “When women can access screening in a space where they already feel secure and supported, it reinforces their dignity and their power to make informed decisions about their own bodies. Workplace-based services recognize women not just as workers, but as individuals whose health matters.”
Employers, meanwhile, see the initiative as a practical extension of existing workforce care. By using established human resource processes and occupational safety protocols, companies can contribute to public health goals with minimal disruption. Camie Alcoran, Environment, Health, and Safety Officer at Eight8Ate Holdings Inc., noted, “This approach fits naturally into how we already care for our workforce. Supporting cervical cancer screening in the workplace is a practical way to promote well-being, and we’re proud to help protect the health of our women employees.”
Clinical quality and continuity of care are maintained through the partnership with the Taguig City Health Office. Samples collected at workplaces are processed through the centralized laboratory network established under CLAMS 2, ensuring standardized testing while expanding reach within the local health system.
For Jhpiego Philippines, the initiative signals a broader shift toward scalable, system-level solutions. By embedding screening within workplace structures, the model reaches women who may be missed by facility-based services. Dr. Ingrid Magnata, Country Program Manager of Jhpiego Philippines, said, “Transforming HR personnel and safety officers into partners for health is a powerful example of systems change. By working with local governments, civil society, and employers, we are building a scalable model that brings us closer towards accelerating cervical cancer global elimination goals.”
The programs at Eight8Ate Holdings Inc. and Team Pacific Corporation are the first in a planned series of workplace initiatives under CLAMS 2. As participation grows, cervical cancer screening could become a routine component of workplace health and safety practices—allowing women to access timely, high-quality services without losing wages or work time.
By meeting women where they are and leveraging existing workplace systems, the Taguig City initiative highlights how collaboration between business, government, and civil society can strengthen health systems and deliver measurable public health gains.
