sexandsensibilities.com

Manila, Philippines — With the unprecedented rise in the number of HIV infections this year, health officials are hoping that the Pope’s recent statement about condom use will help promote it as an effective way of preventing the spread of the virus. In this year alone, the Department of Health HIV/AIDS Registry recorded 1,305 new infections for the period January to October.

It is the highest number of HIV infections recorded in a single year since the epidemic was first discovered in the Philippines in 1984. Most of the infections are from the MSM segment.

A 2008 assessment of the AIDS Medium Term Plan (AMTP) of the Philippine National AIDS Council (PNAC) stated that “MSMs present the biggest threat of an accelerated growth in the spread of HIV in the country.”

Condom use a struggle

The Philippines has the lowest condom use in Asia and according to the National Demographic Health Study of 2008, condom use stands at a dismal 2.8%. Other methods like withdrawal which involves unprotected sex is much higher at 9.8%.

Health experts have been struggling to promote condom usage among the youth as a means of protection against STI and HIV and have met a strong adversary in the Catholic Church and other pro-life groups. The Catholic Church adamantly opposes any form of modern contraception saying that they are abortifacients that promote promiscuity.

With over 90% of the population being Catholic, the Church’s teachings have a strong bearing over the public’s perception and the social stigma that surrounds condoms.

Raynald [not his real name], 20, said that he is embarrassed to purchase condoms because of the looks that he gets from cashiers. “May be it’s because I appear too young to them, but the way they look at me — you just know they are judging.”

This is part of the reason why health experts are hoping the Pope’s statement on condom use will help sway public perception. “It is definitely a welcome statement” said Ferchito Avelino, Director of the Philippine National AIDS Council (PNAC). “I am positive that it will have an impact, especially in STI prevention, though maybe not to prevent pregnancy.”, Avelino said.

Grasping at straws

But for other members of the Catholic hierarchy, nothing has changed.

Melvin Castro, executive secretary of the Family and Life Commission of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP), the official organization of the Catholic hierarchy clarified, “A group of Filipino priests just got back from the Vatican and clarified [the statement] with the Holy Father himself. The Pope clarified that in light of their profession, male prostitutes can condom use as a sign of moral responsibility and possibly the start of his conversion.”

“So, you see, nothing has changed. We were in fact commended for upholding the fight to protect the sanctity of life from its start.”, concluded Castro.

Elizabeth Angsioco, chairperson of the Democratic Socialist Women of the Philippines (DSWP) refuted this, “There is a CBCP Manual that specifically encourages the use of condoms between sero-discordant couples to prevent HIV transmission to the uninfected partner.”

Castro claimed that this clause was incorrect and was struck out in the latter versions of the manual.

Not a moral battle

Jonas Bagas, chairperson of the Library Foundation (TLF Share), an NGO that promotes sexual health in the context of human rights said, “Rather than focus on what the Pope says, we need concrete interventions as the HIV problem is an urgent one.”

The Philippines has long been seen as a low prevalence country, but the 2010 Global AIDS report showed that globally, infection rates have gone down by 19%, whereas in the Philippines, it on an unprecedented upswing.

“The global trend is that countries are driving down the rate of infection or at least controlling it. In the Philippines, it is the opposite.”, said Bagas. “We need to take the discussion to a public health framework; not where it is dictated upon by some sort of dogma. “, said Bagas.

Bagas and other RH groups are pushing for the passage of a Reproductive Health Bill as a way to address the HIV and AIDS problem. If passed, the RH Bill will legislate the procurement of condoms and other contraceptives and make them a part of the list of essential medicines in hospitals.

Age appropriate sex education, which is absent is most schools curricula, would also be mandated starting grade 5.

The RH Bill is currently undergoing plenary debates and RH advocates are hopeful that it will be passed by the first quarter of next year.

The Philippines is the only country in the South East Asia region where there is no national law on reproductive health.

        

“I’ve got the costume and the condoms, sweetie. See you later. ”

If it were any other person I was sending that message to, one could easily conclude that that person and I share a particular kinky fetish of sorts.

But since I was texting Carlos Celdran, I think that statement is somehow put into context.

Oh yes, long before September 3o, which will now go down in the annals of history as a day of infamy, when  Carlos Celdran dressed as Jose Rizal, complete with the drawn on mustache and hat, marched into the Manila Cathedral with a placard that yelled out, “DAMASO”, he already had – shall we say a predilection for costumes and condoms?

Actually, it’s also because of condoms that I met Carlos Celdran and have over the years, developed a friendship bound together by RH advocacy work and yes, fondness for costumes and satirical play.

I first read about him giving out condoms during his tours. Carlos would spend his own money (about P15,000 each year) giving out condoms to the slum communities of Manila.

I introduced myself to him and did a story about his efforts for Xinhua News, the largest news/wire agency in China.  During that first meeting, I found out that the City of Manila promotes only natural family planning methods, so in government hospitals and clinics (except those that still fall within the jurisdiction of the DOH), pills, condoms, tubal ligations and vasectomies are not available to residents.

When Mayor Lim came back into power, he still refused to allocate local government budgets for family planning, but he did allow women’s groups and other NGOs to hold family planning clinics using their own funds. Carlos would take advantage of these little pockets of opportunity and sponsor the Php75 cost of a tubal ligation for mothers. These were the mothers who had as many as 10 children and didn’t know how to stop getting pregnant.

When I met people from Trust Family Planning, the makers of Trust Condoms and I told them about Carlos’ condom giving advocacy, they were more than happy to give him boxes and boxes of condoms to give away.

Over the last two or so years since we met, condoms kept our friendship going. That sounds like a condom ad tagline, but it’s the absolute truth.

Of course, there were the rallies and email/Twitter blasts in between, but we were always looking for ways to hand out condoms, de-stigmatize their use and make more people aware about the need to practice safer sex and create a better understanding of the RH Bill.

Actually, that’s what the text message about condoms and costumes was about.

Carlos was planning Transitio 1945, an annual event held in Fort Santiago to commemorate the estimated 120,000 people who died when the City of Manila was completely destroyed in a battle between the Japanese Imperial Army and US Armed Forces during World War II.

We decided that we would again distribute condoms during Transitio 1945 and we were racking our brains thinking about how best  to do so considering that the event was a historical one.

We finally decided on Maria Clara, the paragon of virtue and decorum.

I dressed up as Maria Clara and handed out condoms and he was in a barong. People were more than slightly amused by the idea and started having their pictures taken with us.

We laughed to ourselves when we saw that our little stunt was featured in several newspapers with a headline: Maria Clara gives out condoms and talks about the ABCs of Reproductive Health.

Beyond that, we were hopeful that this was the start of more and more people were coming out to show their support for the RH Bill, seeing how it could only benefit people.

I was in a taxi when I got the text that he was arrested last September 30.

At the Ermita Police Station with Ryan Tani of Filipino Freethinkers. Photo courtesy of Giney Villar.

With our RH friends Beth Angsioco, Giney Villar, the Filipino Freethinkers and other supporters, we trooped to the Ermita Police Station and found him there still in his Jose Rizal outfit, and true to form, making friends with the inmates and sharing cigarettes.

Carlos interviewed after being arrested for "offending religious feelings". Background: Democratic Socialist Women of the Philippines (DSWP) Chairperson Beth Angsioco. Photo courtesy of Giney Villar.

But we also knew that he was tired, angry and frustrated. Weeks earlier, the city of Manila denied our request to host a family planning party for its residents. Hours before his arrest, Carlos tweeted about a report on the sexual abuses of Filipino Catholic priests.

When the DAMASO story broke out, Carlos made headlines — literally. There was an overflowing wave of support for Carlos. Yes, some did not agree with this methods (which he apologized for), but majority could relate to his message. After 300++ years of colonial rule and centuries after our supposed liberation, our faith was still being used to bully and subjugate us and control the way we view having and raising children.

In history, events like this were tipping points – catalysts that paved the way for change.

DAMASO put RH on the front pages of newspapers; people were discussing it, asking questions about it and craving for a better understanding of the RH Bill.

Let it not stop here – no one needs to get out a costume and shower others with condoms, but let us all make this the start.  The start of asserting our right to informed choice.

What was true centuries ago, is still true today: informed choice is everyone’s right; not a privilege.

In line with the times, we created a new look for the Sex and Sensibilities.com avatar, whose name is  appropriately enough, “Angel”, by the way. Our own sexy, SASsy version of a DAMASO protest.

Sexy, SASsy Angel designed by Michelle Marchadesch-Roxas.

Carlos, this one’s for you. : )

        

Re-posted from GMA News Website

Olongapo City - Maybe it was the long-time presence of an American community here, or the fact that for decades it hosted one of the largest sex industries in the country. Or the people running the city figured out it was just common sense.

Whatever the reasons, and it’s probably a combination of all of the above, when it comes to sex education, Olongapo is ahead of its time.

In all public schools here, lessons about puberty and sexually transmitted infections are just part of the required reading for students and teachers. That’s because Olongapo City is one of a handful of divisions of the Department of Education in the country where adolescent reproductive health or ARH, more popularly known as “sex education,” has been integrated into the public school curriculum since 2008. The city is also the only school division that has decided to implement sex ed in all its public schools.

The Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) has said that DepEd’s plan to implement sex education in public schools will cause “developmental harm” to children. Meanwhile, the new education secretary, Bro. Armin Luistro, has yet to disclose his stance on the issue.

But Olongapo education officials are of their own mind on the matter.

“We will continue with the implementation of the program, for as long as our city government will support it,” said Ligaya Monato, superintendent of Olongapo City schools.

GMANews.TV sat in on a high school biology class to see just how the deed is done– the teaching, that is. - GMANews.TV

        

This is the second time that the Department of Health (DOH) under the stewardship of the SASsy Esperanza Cabral has made modern day history. (or is herstory more appropriate?)

First, the DOH gave out condoms to the general public last Valentine’s Day now known as a day of infamy which made the headlines and made the Catholic bishops raise their eyebrows to the high heavens.

And now also for the very first time, the DOH and the Philippine National AIDS Council (PNAC) brought together the various sectors of society involved in HIV/AID awareness to up the ante on awareness and prevention efforts.

Entitled, “The Call to Action for Broad-based Responses to AIDS by Leaders”, this first ever HIV Summit comes on the heels of the increasing number of HIV cases consistently observed in the last three years.

The SASsy DOH Head opened the summit posing the question, “Why not the condom?”, as a solution to curbing HIV infection along with abstinence and monogamy.

Changing tide of prevalence

The Philippines is considered a low prevalence country in terms of incidence of HIV/AIDS.

Since the first case of HIV was discovered in 1984, there have been a total of 4,817 registered cases of HIV in the Philippines. A reported 838 of these cases have progressed to AIDS. 

However, a change in the rate of infection was noticed.

 In 2000, one HIV case was reported every three days. In 2010, this number changed to 3 cases per day. In February alone, there were 130 new HIV cases recorded in the Philippine HIV and AIDS Registry report. 

“The figure is a 177 percent increase compared to the same period last year (47 in 2009),” said Dr. Ferchito Avelino, PNAC Secretariat. “If this pattern continues, were are going to have as many as 1,500 new cases of HIV by the end of this year.”

Avelino noted that for the past three years, MSM has been the primary contributor in the rising cases of HIV/AIDS in the country, whereas in the past, commercial sex workers and seafarers accounted for most of the HIV/AIDS cases.

“MSM are a hidden population.  Means of negotiating sexual encounters is mostly through the internet, which makes it hard to target these populations.  Also, not all MSM identify themselves as gay or bi-sexual, which makes it even harder to indentify these groups.”, Dr. Eric Tayag, Director of the National Epidemiology Center.

“We need to understand the whole gamut of sexual behaviors; from kissing to receptive anal sex to fellatio to get an idea of what context we have to work in.”, Tayag adds.

Another notable change is the rising incidence among injecting drug users.

According to Tayag, from January to March this year, a total of 68 injecting drug users tested positive for HIV.

Records showed that 13 of the 68 cases, who all came from Region 7 or Cebu, were reported in February. While by themselves, the numbers may seem low, Tayag contextualized the situation citing that there  were no cases of HIV incidence among IDUs in 2007 and 2009. In 2008, there was only one.

The practice of sharing needles among drug users contributes to the spread of the AIDS virus at a rate that is even faster than through sexual transmission.

Tayag also spoke about downstream infection referring to injecting drug users intertwining with other “most at risk population” like the commercial sex workers and MSM.

“There are commercial sex workers among injecting drug users, there are injecting drug users who are clients of sex workers. There are injecting drug users who are MSM,” he said.

Research also shows that injecting drug users have the “least knowledge” about HIV/ AIDS, and that condom use among them was also low.

Condom debate

It was hoped that the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) and the DOH could reach a common ground on the use of condoms and their effectivity in combating the spread of HIV.

The CBCP, in several statements, blatantly condemned the DOH initiative, calling it “vulgar”, “lewd” and “gross” and labeling Cabral as immoral. The CBCP further claimed that condoms do not hinder the spread of HIV, but rather aggravate it because it promotes promiscuity and challenged DOH Secretary Cabral to a debate on the efficacy of condoms.

Bro. Dan Cancino, Jr. of the National Catholic Network on HIV/AIDS under the CBCP told SAS, “At the end of the day, we [the DOH and the CBCP] share the same goal –  the prevention of HIV and AIDS. We just have different ways of doing it.”

The CBCP remained immovable on their anti-condom position and continued to challenge their efficiacy,  but recognized  condom use in serodiscordant couples.