The long wait is finally over for thousands of Filipinos living with HIV. Advocacy group LoveYourself Inc. recently announced the arrival of fresh antiretroviral (ARV) medicine stocks, bringing massive relief to a community that has been dealing with supply anxieties over the past months.

To keep clients from defaulting on their life-saving treatments, the organization shared that they had to stretch their own previously procured buffers just to plug the gaps. “Para sa ating mga PLHIV: huwag na kayong mag-alala. Dumating na ang mga gamot. Bukod dito, patuloy din naming ginamit ang mga nauna naming na-procure na suplay upang masigurong walang mapuputulan ng treatment habang hinihintay natin ang pagdating ng mga bagong stocks,” LoveYourself posted on social media.

But beyond celebrating this immediate win, the group emphasized that the country’s actual procurement and distribution pipeline needs a permanent fix to prevent these scary shortages from happening again. “Umaasa kami na ito na ang simula ng mas matatag na procurement at distribution system para sa HIV commodities sa buong bansa,” they stated, pointing out that priority must be given to treatment hubs handling the heaviest client loads. To put things into perspective, LoveYourself alone currently supports nearly 15,000 clients on active treatment.

The group also reminded the public and policymakers that treating the virus is only half the battle. They urged the government to put more serious funding into prevention, specifically by expanding access to pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), standard HIV screening, and self-testing kits.

Recognizing the quick turnaround, LoveYourself gave a nod to Malacañang and the health department’s fresh leadership for taking the issue seriously. The group thanked President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. for acting on their letters and appeals, alongside newly appointed Department of Health (DOH) Secretary Dr. Jose S. “Brix” Pujalte Jr., who prioritized the crisis right out of the gate.

“Maraming salamat din kay DOH Secretary Dr. Brix Pujalte sa mabilis na pag-aksyon sa usaping ito. Nakakaengganyo makita na sa mga unang araw pa lamang ng kanyang panunungkulan ay may agarang pagtugon sa pangangailangan ng ating HIV community,” the group shared.

Looking ahead, LoveYourself is hopeful about collaborating with the DOH’s new management, acknowledging that while systemic hurdles remain, the community can make real headway if the government and civil society actually move in sync.