Baguio: People seeking confidential, stigma-free HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) services now have a new after-hours facility designed to meet them where they are. The city on Monday opened the NAMNaMa (Nurturing Awareness, Mobilizing Networks and Advocating to Mitigate the Actual Impact of AIDS) Convergence Center and Clinic at Baguio Convention Center, the first government-funded facility of its kind in the Cordillera offering discreet HIV testing, counseling, and access to prevention supplies beyond regular clinic hours. Namnama is also the Ilocano word for hope.
According to Philippines News Agency, Dr. Celia Flor Brillantes, Baguio City Health Services Office (BCHSO) chief, emphasized the center's role in accommodating those who face challenges in accessing services during traditional office hours. "We wanted a center that will cater to the needs of more persons who have difficulty in beating the time to meet the office hours of testing centers or want to have a place to vent emotions about HIV-AIDS. We now have this NAMNaMa Center where they can visit at their convenient time," she stated during the ribbon cutting on Monday afternoon. The launch coincided with World AIDS (acquired immunodeficiency syndrome) Day activities.
The Department of Health-Cordillera Administrative Region (DOH-CAR) has recorded 1,290 HIV cases from 1984 to February 2025, with Baguio City accounting for the highest number at 731 cases, followed by Benguet (179), Abra (150), Ifugao (49), Kalinga (46), Mountain Province (35), and Apayao (34). Majority of cases involve men (1,198).
Darwin Baboon, HIV-AIDS program coordinator of DOH-CAR, noted that the center was established after health workers observed that many individuals were identified through off-site and event-based testing. "The NAMNaMa clinic is one of the first in the country to operate fully through government funding with no donor dependence -- just a sustainable, institutionalized public health service," he said.
The DOH committed to support the center for the next three years, including capacity-building and ensuring uninterrupted access to essential HIV services. It will also evaluate the clinic's impact to determine its potential as a replicable model.
Dr. Anachris Kilakil, DOH-CAR Licensing Officer, remarked on the progress in controlling HIV-AIDS. "We are seeing more people coming for life-saving testing and more communities embracing the conversation that once felt difficult. They are quiet victories for the people and families behind the data and number. We already have the tools and strategies that have long been proven and they are strategies for early detection and timely treatment," she said.
