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Marc Jayson Cayabyab - The Philippine Star
May 10, 2026 | 12:00am
MANILA, Philippines — In Bustos, Bulacan, a group of people living with HIV (PLHIV) gathered in a retreat house surrounded by rice fields and the chirping of birds to hear a message of hope, healing and acceptance.
Among last year’s participants was a 27-year-old mother carrying her weeks-old baby, the only mother in a group composed mostly of men and transgender women.
The retreat participants were supported by GABAY (Guide and Advocacy Built with the Aspirations of Yahweh), a Caloocan City-based community center, during their three-day stay at Bahay ni Lucas, a retreat house under the Parish of Sto. Niño in the Diocese of Malolos.
Carrying her baby to stop her from crying, Nina (not her real name) listened as priests, nuns and lecturers guided participants through sessions focused on spiritual growth and mental wellness.
While other attendees bonded over their shared experiences living with HIV, Nina mostly kept to herself, speaking quietly with her husband while caring for her child. Beneath her silence was a fear she could not shake – that she may have passed the virus to her baby.
In an interview with The STAR during her visit last year, Nina said she had been recruited as a minor by a sex trafficking syndicate and believed she contracted HIV through sex work.
Life at home had also been difficult for her. She and her husband struggled with illegal drug use, and she sometimes suffered physical abuse from him.
Diagnosed while pregnant, Nina clung to the hope that antiretroviral treatment (ART) and her prayers would spare her child from infection.
“She’s still a baby. Let me suffer instead. Just not the child,” Nina said in tears, expressing fears over one of the less visible aspects of the country’s HIV crisis – mother-to-child transmission.
While official HIV monitoring data are often dominated by cases involving men having sex with men, Department of Health records show an increasing number of mother-to-child transmission cases in recent years.
The DOH’s latest quarterly report covering October to December 2025 showed that of the 431 recorded mother-to-child transmission cases since monitoring began in 1984, more than half, or 232 cases, were reported from 2020 to 2025.
Of the cumulative total, 207 are women and 224 are men who contracted the virus from their mothers.
The same report showed that 55 pregnant HIV-positive mothers were monitored during the latest quarter, a 53 percent increase compared to the same period the previous year.
All 203 pregnant women monitored over the past year are alive, largely due to prompt treatment during pregnancy that helped suppress their viral load.
Philippine National AIDS Council executive director Joselito Feliciano said monitoring has improved following the requirement for HIV testing among pregnant women in public hospitals.
He explained that HIV-positive mothers who undergo ART can prevent transmission to their babies during pregnancy, while newborns are also given treatment to stop possible infections from progressing.
If left untreated, an HIV-positive infant could die within months after birth.
The World Health Organization estimates that without treatment, there is a 15 to 45 percent chance that pregnant mothers could transmit HIV to their babies during delivery or through breastfeeding. Feliciano said proper treatment can eliminate this risk.
UNICEF estimates that the risk of mother-to-child transmission drops to two to five percent with ART and safe infant feeding practices.
Free HIV treatment for pregnant women is part of the government’s commitment to eliminate mother-to-child transmission of HIV by 2030.
Beyond medical intervention, however, organizations like Bahay ni Lucas seek to address the emotional and spiritual struggles of PLHIVs.
Tina Jacinto, a board director of Bahay ni Lucas, said mothers are welcome to join the retreat, where participants are encouraged to reflect on their lives and rediscover meaning through spiritual guidance and peer support.
Religious institutions like Bahay ni Lucas, she said, help PLHIVs navigate self-acceptance by sharing Jesus’ message of compassion, acceptance and hope.
“I felt good when I talked to Father during confession. I was able to release my ill feelings. I really want to change for the better. For my baby’s sake,” Nina said.
Jacinto noted that only a few mothers have attended the retreat so far. She recalled helping another mother and her 13-year-old daughter as they struggled against stigma and discrimination.
She also emphasized the importance of addressing the mental health needs of PLHIVs.
Earlier this year, Nina’s husband – who was also living with HIV – died by suicide. Since then, Nina and her baby have remained under constant monitoring by the community center to help them cope with the trauma.
A mother herself, Jacinto appealed to mothers living with HIV to keep going, remain open-minded and learn to accept themselves so they can continue leading healthy and productive lives.
