It’s mid-afternoon in Quezon City, Philippines, and Bonn Martin Pagatpat is weaving his motorcycle through the narrow streets, past tricycles and jeepneys, with a bright yellow biohazard bag strapped securely inside a thermal carrier. The contents are precious: self-collected cervical cancer screening samples from women in the community, bound for the city health laboratory.
Time matters. If samples don’t arrive before the 3 PM lab cut-off, results will be delayed, and women will wait longer for answers that could save their lives. Proper handling with minimal contact and sharing results within one week are essential, even if samples remain viable for up to three months.
This is no ordinary delivery job. Bonn is part of the Cervical Cancer Riding Service for Transport of Specimen (CeCaRTS) initiative. This pilot project, which is led by Jhpiego, is part of larger efforts aimed at preventing cervical cancer among women in the archipelago by facilitating timely screening and treatment of precancerous lesions.
For the last four years, in partnership with the Department of Health, local governments, civil society and community-based organizations, and communities, the Scale Up Cervical Cancer Elimination with Secondary Prevention Strategy (SUCCESS) project (funded by Unitaid's cervical cancer investment) and the Centralized Laboratory Model for HPV Screening (CLAMS) project have reached more than 45,000 Filipino women with free human papillomavirus (HPV) screening, treatment, and education.
The CeCaRTS drivers are the often-unseen link that keeps the system moving, ensuring that samples from screening sites, pharmacies, and outreach events arrive safely and on time to laboratories, and that results find their way back to clinics.
Cervical cancer is the second most common cancer among women in the Philippines, claiming the lives of 12 Filipino women every day. Globally, more than 300,000 women die from the disease each year, mostly in low- and middle-income countries. These lives are lost despite the disease being highly preventable through HPV vaccination, regular screening, and timely treatment of precancerous lesions.
HPV causes the vast majority of cervical cancers, and HPV molecular testing is the gold standard for detecting high-risk types. Yet in many communities, access to screening is hampered by distance, cost, stigma, and logistical barriers. This is where CeCaRTS steps in, addressing one of the least glamorous but most critical gaps: safe, timely, and efficient specimen transportation.
Bonn Martin, 38, from Pasig City, has always found himself in service-oriented roles. He volunteered after Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan), distributing seedlings, helping patients at medical missions, and even ferrying blood samples to Tacloban.
Bonn now collects HPV screening specimens and returns laboratory results for the Southstar Drug Store branches—one of the largest and oldest pharmacy chains in the Philippines—as well as for the Women Workers for Health and Empowerment Network (WHEN) community outreach events—all part of the SUCCESS project’s community-based efforts. Typically, facilities in the health system do not require additional specimen transportation support, but CeCaRTS has become a necessity due to high volumes.
Bonn’s work demands precision. Every specimen is packaged in compliance with biosafety standards, disinfected, double-bagged, and kept stable in a thermal waterproof carrier. Drivers receive personal protective equipment and training on safe handling, including the use of alcohol, gloves, and disinfectants.
For Bonn, the impact is clear. “Screening is a big help because it’s within reach for women. I encourage my wife to get screened regularly,” he says.
An hour away from Bonn, Levi Lucky Ybera, 42, balances running a small eatery with his work as a CeCaRTS driver in Parañaque City. His background in pharmaceutical deliveries and familiarity with the area make him an efficient link between screening sites and labs.
Before CeCaRTS, Levi knew little about cervical cancer. Now, he can explain its prevention to friends and customers.
Levi works closely with Jhpiego’s partner women’s organizations, like WHEN and the Association of Positive Women Advocates, Inc. With one day’s notice, these organizations text Levi a schedule, venue, and drop-off point.
For Levi, the job is about more than just income. “I was able to buy my child’s school uniform and earn extra money,” he says. “But I also get educated. Of course, I encourage my wife to get screened.”
About two hours away from Bonn and Levi, Ferdinand Glinoga, 49, from Navotas City, used to earn his living as a motorcycle taxi driver, ferrying commuters on two wheels, and as a Lalamove driver, delivering goods and packages across Metro Manila.
Now, his routes take him from Southstar Drug Store in Yuseco, Manila, to the Likhaan Center for Women’s Health Inc. in Malabon, and then to the Navotas City Health Clinical and Molecular Lab, delivering screening results back to clinics as needed.
Like Bonn and Levi, this work has made an impact on him. “I learned how to be aware of HPV and how to prevent it. I even apply what I learned at home by practicing proper hygiene and encouraging my female family members to get screened,” he says.
What unites Bonn, Levi, and Ferdinand is not just their commitment to safe sample deliveries; it is their role as male advocates for women’s health. In a culture where reproductive health is often seen as “women’s business,” their presence sends a quiet but powerful message: men, too, have a stake in prevention.
They encourage their wives to get screened and daughters to get vaccinated, talk openly about HPV, and share what they’ve learned in their communities.
“The role of husbands and men is important in this,” Bonn says. “This is not just a woman’s responsibility.”
Globally, the World Health Organization aims to eliminate cervical cancer as the first cancer, with countries striving to achieve the global "90-70-90" targets: 90% of girls fully vaccinated by age 15, 70% of women screened between the ages of 35 and 45, and 90% of those diagnosed with precancer or cancer receiving treatment. This community-based self-sampling model within SUCCESS provides local health systems with new possibilities as they move into HPV screening.
In the Philippines, eliminating cervical cancer will require more than medical infrastructure. It will take community partnerships, trained health workers, and, yes, dedicated drivers like Bonn, Levi, and Ferdinand.
This article is based on interviews with CeCaRTS drivers conducted on August 6, 2025.
Geri Matthew Carretero is a Communications and KM Officer in Jhpiego's Philippines office.
Tracey Shissler is the SUCCESS/Jhpiego Program Director and Parag Bhamare is Associate Director and Technical Lead for Women's Cancers.
