A doctor extracts blood from a patient for HIV testing at a community center in Iloilo, Oct. 6, 2023. The spread of HIV has drastically slowed down in many parts of the world since the epidemic’s peak in 1995. But in the Philippines, infections have been rising steeply for over a decade – this year, around 50 people are diagnosed with HIV daily, compared to only four a day in 2010. Jam Sta. Rosa, AFP/file

MANILA (UPDATED) — The Department of Health said Wednesday it was identifying various domestic financing sources for HIV and AIDS as well as for tuberculosis and malaria programs to address the overall projected funding gap left by the US aid freeze.

The US government in late January announced that they were pausing the release of fresh funds to partners and allies pending a 90-day review of its foreign aid.

In a release, the DOH said it was "optimizing" public financial management strategies to ensure the sustainability of critical health programs through a public financial management plan.

"This plan aims to increase domestic health financing by mobilizing PhilHealth reimbursements, optimizing DOH budget utilization, and securing alternative funding sources such as grants, loans, and investments from local government units (LGUs) and the private sector," the agency said.

The plan also includes digitalizing financial management systems, leveraging financing mechanisms to improve budget execution, and enhancing localized health program implementation as well as procurement and supply chain reforms.

AID CUT POSES 'SIGNIFICANT CHALLENGES' FOR PH

During the Philippine Country Coordinating Mechanism for the Global Fund (PCCM-GF) meeting on Wednesday, the DOH said it was reported that the decline in foreign fund allocations for the Philippines could "pose significant challenges."

This is because the Philippines uses the support of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (GFATM) for essential commodities such as second-line drugs, antiretroviral therapy, and human resources for health, DOH said.

The DOH and PCCM-GF "readily identified an initial list of alternative sources to the foreign funds," the health agency said.

"Increasing domestic financing is one of the most sustainable solutions. We, as a country, must find ways to source funds that international partners have previously funded," Health Secretary Teodoro Herbosa said in the statement.

DOH chief says effect of US aid freeze to PH 'very minimal'

'NOT AFFECTED MUCH'

Health Assistant Secretary Albert Domingo earlier said that government HIV and AIDS programs were "not affected much" because the DOH has funds for them.

While foreign funding does help DOH projects, the government pays for most of its programs, Domingo said.

Domingo said for health services, the Global Fund and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) had a combined budget of P830 million for the Philippines this 2025.

"'Yan ay out of P7.74 billion. So maliit. Ang pinakamalaking pumo-pondo talaga ay DOH. P6.2 billion," Domingo said.

(That is out of P7.74 billion. So that is small. The biggest funder is still DOH at P6.2 billion.)

The Philippines was recording as many as 58 new HIV cases per day in the second quarter of 2024, according to a report from the Department of Health's epidemiology bureau released in October.

 The DOH report had forecast that by the end of 2024, there would be 215,400 estimated people living with HIV in the Philippines.

US foreign aid freeze threatens efforts to curb HIV epidemic in PH

The DOH also supplies HIV treatment and detection tools through several clinics.

Philippines faces alarming rise in HIV infections