World Health Organization
Department of Health 
Cagayan de Oro City Hall through their City Health Department and Reproductive Health & Wellness Center held an early celebration of this year’s World AIDS Day on Thursday, November 29 at the 2nd floor of Limketkai Center, this city.
The event done in collaboration with the Cagayan de Oro City AIDS Council offered free Voluntary HIV Counseling and Testing services to attendees, emphasizing the importance of early detection and access to healthcare.
World AIDS Day, celebrated every December 1, was institutionalized in the Philippines through Republic Act No. 11166 or the "Philippine HIV and AIDS Policy Act."
The annual event aims to raise awareness, reduce stigma, and promote programs preventing and treating HIV/AIDS.
This year’s theme, “TAKE THE RIGHTS PATH,” is part of the UNAIDS campaign, highlighting the critical role of human rights in combating HIV. The initiative supports the global goal of ending the HIV epidemic by 2030. (NLB/CIO/ photos by Kim Zaldivar/CIO)
