Country Report on National AIDS Spending Assessment (NASA) Year 2000-2004 in the Philippines

The HIV/AIDS situation in the country can be described as hidden and growing. Based on the HIV/AIDS Registry of the National Epidemiology Center (NEC) of the Department of Health (DOH), the cumulative number of HIV/Ab seropositive cases has reached 2,373 since 1984. Epidemiologists and experts, however, estimate that the actual number of HIV cases is around 10,000. Despite the increasing number of cases, the prevalence rate remains consistently below one percent.

An examination of the country's total HIV/AIDS spending over the last five years (2000-20004) showed an erratic trend, peaking in 2001, and declining in the years that followed. Notably, a large share of total annual spending came from external sources (at least 75 percent).

The Philippines is committed to halting and reversing the spread of HIV/AIDS. Hence, mobilization of resources is critical in keeping the prevalence of HIV/AIDS low and the rate of transmission slow.