AIA Philippines is urging Filipinos to rethink how they prepare for their health, as risks evolve over time and can occur more than once across different stages of life.
In today’s landscape, nearly 1 in 5 Filipinos is at risk of being diagnosed with cancer before the age of 75, according to World Health Organization (WHO) estimates. About 1 in 5 new cancers occur in people who’ve had cancer before. Heart disease and cancer share risk factors – having one makes you more prone to the other.*
At a recent immersive media event titled “All In for the Long Game of Health,” AIA Philippines brought the realities of health risk into sharp focus, showing how serious illness doesn’t always announce itself, and rarely happens just once. Drawing from its Rethink Healthy study, AIA highlighted a critical gap: while Filipinos are more healthconscious than ever, many still take action only after a crisis. Participants were challenged to confront common blind spots—such as equating “feeling healthy” with being protected—and how this false sense of security delays preparation for risks that can evolve and compound over time.
“While many Filipinos value good health, a common misconception persists: that feeling well now means critical illness is unlikely, leading many to delay preparation until a health crisis hits,” said Melissa Henson, Chief Marketing Officer of AIA Philippines. “Because we feel healthy today, it is easy to assume serious illness won’t happen to us, or won’t happen again. But the reality is risks evolve, and preparation needs to happen before a crisis—not after.”
“That misconception has real consequences,” added Gary Ogilvie, Chief Financial Officer, AIA Philippines. “When critical illness strikes, it doesn’t just affect your health—it disrupts income, drains savings, and puts families under severe financial pressure. Treatment and recovery can cost a lot. For instance, according to our research, serious illnesses like heart disease, stroke, cancer, pneumonia, and diabetes cost hundreds of thousands to over PHP 2 million to treat. Government subsidy and HMOs cover only a portion. In most cases, the biggest expense is out of pocket, often PHP 700,000 to over PHP 1 million. This is why preparation matters: having financial protection in place early gives people the ability to focus on recovery, not on how to pay the bills.”
The event also underscored a growing reality: as people live longer and survive serious illnesses, the likelihood of facing multiple health challenges increases. For instance, up to 17% of cancer survivors may develop a new, different cancer later, highlighting how health risks can reappear in different forms over time.
These risks also come with significant financial impact, with treatment costs for major conditions such as heart attack or cancer reaching up to ₱1 million or more.
This evolving risk landscape is what AIA Critical Protect Plus was built for. As health risks evolve over time, the plan offers multi‑claim coverage, allowing customers to claim up to three times across different major illness groups, including early‑stage conditions, with protection up to age 100.
Rather than preparing for a single diagnosis, AIA Critical Protect Plus supports individuals through multiple health events across different life stages, helping maintain financial resilience even as risks evolve.
The immersive experience reinforced a broader message from AIA Philippines: health preparation isn’t a one‑time choice made after a scare, but a long‑term commitment that needs to keep pace with life, longevity, and changing health risks.
“Being prepared today means recognizing that risks evolve over the long game of health,” Henson added. “It’s not just about support at the moment of diagnosis, but having protection that stays with you through different stages of illness, recovery, and what may come next.”
*Sources: International Agency for Research on Cancer, Global Cancer Observatory, World Health Organization and Philippine Institute For Development Studies
###
About AIA Philippines
AIA Philippines (AIA Philippines Life and General Insurance Company Inc.) formerly AIA Philam Life (The Philippine American Life and General Insurance Company), is the country’s premier life insurance company. Originally established on 21 June 1947 and became popularly known as Philam Life, AIA Philippines has earned the trust of customers for its financial strength, strong brand name, and ability to deliver on its promises.
AIA Philippines has PHP 257.76 billion in total assets and PHP 57.35 billion in net worth as of 31 December 2024 while serving nearly 1.2 million individual policyholders and nearly 800,000 insured group members. AIA Philippines understands the needs of its customers and provides holistic solutions that include life protection, health insurance, savings, education, retirement, investment, group, and credit life insurance. It also offers bancassurance through its subsidiary, BPI AIA Life Assurance Corporation (formerly BPI-Philam Life Assurance Corporation).
Based on the unaudited reports submitted to the Insurance Commission as of 31 December 2024, the combined total premium income of AIA Philippines and BPI AIA was at PHP 29.77 billion. AIA Philippines is a member of AIA Group Limited, the largest independent publicly listed pan-Asian life insurance group.
AIA PH and BPI AIA are regulated by the Insurance Commission.
About AIA
AIA Group Limited and its subsidiaries (collectively “AIA” or the “Group”) comprise the largest independent publicly listed pan-Asian life insurance group. It has a presence in 18 markets – wholly-owned branches and subsidiaries in Mainland China, Hong Kong SAR(1), Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, Australia, Cambodia, Indonesia, Myanmar, New Zealand, the Philippines, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Taiwan (China), Vietnam, Brunei and Macau SAR(2), and a 49 per cent joint venture in India. In addition, AIA has a 24.99 per cent shareholding in China Post Life Insurance Co., Ltd.
The business that is now AIA was first established in Shanghai more than a century ago in 1919. It is a market leader in Asia (ex-Japan) based on life insurance premiums and holds leading positions across the majority of its markets. It had total assets of US$345 billion as of 31 December 2025.
AIA meets the long-term savings and protection needs of individuals by offering a range of products and services including life insurance, accident and health insurance and savings plans. The Group also provides employee benefits, credit life and pension services to corporate clients. Through an extensive network of agents, partners and employees across Asia, AIA serves the holders of more than 44 million individual policies and over 16 million participating members of group insurance schemes.
AIA Group Limited is listed on the Main Board of The Stock Exchange of Hong Kong Limited under the stock codes “1299” for HKD counter and “81299” for RMB counter with American Depositary Receipts (Level 1) traded on the over-the-counter market under the ticker symbol “AAGIY”.
Notes:
(1) Hong Kong SAR refers to the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.
(2) Macau SAR refers to the Macau Special Administrative Region.












