Hello, Sex and Sensibilities readers   

It was my pleasure to meet SAS founder and editorial director Ana Santos while in Bali, Indonesia this past summer at the 9th International Congress on AIDS in Asia and the Pacific; she recently invited me to be a guest blogger on this site, and I could not have been more excited to contribute to the sexual health and sensibilities of Filipinas worldwide.

I emailed Ana with a few ideas about blog posts for the month of March, and she encouraged me to focus my first post on the benefits of condoms and their help in reducing HIV transmission in Asian communities.  Given the current controversy with Philippine Department of Health Secretary Cabral, I thought this to be a particularly relevant subject. 

In a recent email, Ana wrote from the Philippines:

It was on the news yesterday that the HIV numbers for Jan 2010 are in and they are again the highest recorded number in a month — overthrowing Dec 09 the previously proclaimed highest number. It just means that the numbers are on a consistent rise and we may no longer be classified as a low-incidence country soon. =(

A simple Google search of the phrase “Condoms in the Philippines”  yielded the following results:

“The Great Hypocrisy About Sex and Condoms in the Philippines…”
“Philippines sits on HIV time bomb”
“Philippines: Anti-Condom Policies Could Spark AIDS Explosion”

So if 1) HIV transmission in the Philippines is on an unprecedented rise, and 2) latex and synthetic condoms are highly effective in preventing HIV transmission during sexual activity… then why is there a such a controversy over making condoms free and available to the Filipino population, especially on a romantic holiday such as St. Valentines Day?

In my research for this first blog post I found much evidence on the positive effects of condom use in the LGBT community, among sex workers and with intravenous drug users in Asia.  While these are all wonderful findings, I was disappointed that I could not easily access more information about the benefits of condom use in other Asian populations.  My first post as a Sex and Sensibilities guest blogger is a personal attempt to make that gap of virtual information a little less wide   

Condoms are for women.  Taking a condom with you for a night out should be as normal as taking your mobile phone, your keys, your purse.  We are responsible for our own health and well-being   Gender norms and attitudes about sex, particularly in relation to roles and responsibilities, have changed significantly in the past few decades.  We are living at a time when we can enjoy a happy and healthy sex life!  Women who carry condoms are not loose – we’re just smart.  Like men, we cannot predict the future, but we should try our best to be prepared for it.

Condoms are for Catholics.  An enormous part of being a good Catholic is caring for and respecting those around you.  By using condoms, you are demonstrating the deep care you have for both yourself and your partner.  You are showing that you respect the right to live a healthy and happy life; the right to family planning and to have children only when you are ready; the right to choose how, when and with whom to engage in sexual activity; the right to decide what is best for you.

St. Valentine is the Catholic Patron Saint of Love, Young People and Happy Marriages.  In 496 AD Pope Gelasius marked February 14th as a celebration in honor of his martyrdom.  In 2006, National Condom Week was celebrated for the first time from February 14th to February 21st in California, a state that is populated by nearly 480,000 Filipinos.  As I was raised a Catholic and taught to pray to the Saints for strength and hope, I’d like to believe that St. Valentine helped to conspire in this happy, week-long observance   Click here to download Sex in the HIV/AIDS Era: A Guide for Catholics and to read about why Good Catholics Use Condoms.

Condoms are for everyone.  We should all learn about condoms, their health benefits as a medical device and even their added benefits beyond prevention.  If you are sexually active, then you should know that condoms are highly effective in preventing both unintended pregnancy as well as sexually transmitted infections, including HIV.  If you are not sexually active, you should still know this life-saving information so that you can pass it along to the people in your life who are sexually active.  You don’t need to know how to drive a car to understand the benefits of wearing a seat belt, right?

Sex is a choice.  You can choose to not have sex, and the people that truly care about you should respect your decision; but if you are going to choose to be sexually active, then you need to know the options you have to protect yourself and your partner.
 

I love your emails!  Write to me with your questions and comments: SaferSexy [at] gmail.com
Check in on my blog:  http://CircaJoyLynn.wordpress.com
Follow me on Twitter:  http://twitter.com/CircaJoyLynn

• Read more about world – SASs Joy Lynn. 

        

The headline in the Philippine Star read: GOV’T GIVES OUT CONDOMS.

The story was about the now infamous initiative by the Department of Health to promote safer sex during Valentine’s Day which may be some kind of mating season in our country as evidenced by the number of couples in heat queuing in restaurants and motels.

(Yes, there are queues at motels. What is even more amazing is that some people actually patiently wait in their car until a room is available. Talk about a need to breed — a date to fornicate.)

The little ballsy act of giving love in the form of condoms by the newly appointed Department of Health Secretary Esperanza Cabral made the bishops absolutely livid.

Huffing and puffing, they condemned the immorality of giving away condoms, saying it was “lewd”, “vulgar” and “gross”.

They demanded Cabral’s resignation; they asked for her head on a silver platter. If this whole saga were any more remiscent of the 16^th century, they would probably insist that Cabral be burned at the stake.

Even the little rubbers were not spared. The bishops went on a character assassination challenging the integrity of condoms, saying that its use does not prevent the spread of HIV. They insinuated that condoms even promoted it because it encouraged people to be promiscious. They strongly suggested that the possibility of printing a warning on condom packs, similar to what is written on cigarette packs be printed.

And Cabral’s reponse? As reported in the PDI, the DOH Secretary calmly said the health department’s intensified condom distribution program was justified given the unprecedented rise in the number of AIDS cases.

She also said that “while it is very important for us to find out what [the Catholic bishops] think, to cooperate with them in areas where we can be cooperating, the government is the government and must do what it thinks is right for everybody. Not everybody in the Philippines belongs to one church.”

Quite sensibly enough, Sec Cabral ended her statement saying that the DoH was “always willing to discuss and negotiate” the matter with Catholic Church officials.

Sex and Sensibilities lauds Secretary Cabral’s conviction and would like to site another woman  who also wants to stop giving the love glove a bad name.

Dr. Logan Levkoff is a sexologist and an AASECT (American Association of Sex Counselors, Educators and Therapists) — certified sexuality educator. She wrote an ode to condoms which was published in the Huffington Post during National Condom Week last February 15.

As Sex and Sensibilities named this week its own LOVE GLOVE Week, we are re-posting Dr. Levkoff’s ode for everyone’s reading pleasure. This is also meant to be a gesture of raising our glass to toast Secretary Cabral and her concrete efforts to stop the spread of unwanted pregnancies and HIV / AIDS .  

So dear condom (both male and female), how do I love thee?
You allow me to freely engage in sex without worry.
You allow me to protect my fertility, now and in the future.
You allow me to have protection against pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections, including HIV.
You allow me to shatter the incorrect messages about sex that so many young (and older) people get by enabling me to teach students that there are ways to safely explore sex – when they are ready.
You allow me to promote responsibility as a quality that one must look for in a partner.

So little condom, I know that I am married. I know that I have children. I know that I have been monogamous for a very long time. However, I am still committed to you. Each and every time. I won’t have sex without you.

        

In the campaign  dubbed, “Ingat lagi, my Valentine” (Always be careful/safe, my Valentine), a coupon was given for every purchase of flowers made by adult buyers which could be exchanged for safe sex informational kits and condoms (maximum of 5). Minors were entitled to receive only the informational materials and  a lollipop.

This is the first time the DOH has given out condoms to the public. Dr. Ed Janairo, DOH Head of National Center for Disease Prevention emphasized that this move is meant to curb the spread of HIV/AIDS and is in collaboration with the Global Fund and the Philippine National AIDS Council (PNAC). Condom manufacturers, DKT Philippines (makers of Trust, Frenzy and Premiere condoms) and Durex provided the condoms that were given away.

Dr. Eric Tayag, director of the DOH National Epidemiology Center, said that they were working under the directive of newly appointed DOH Secretary Esperanza Cabral (former Secretary of DSWD) who encourgaed an “innovative way of promoting safe sex” among the youth, especially during Valentine’s Day when many may be susceptible to having unprotected casual sex.

The push to increase HIV / AIDS awareness and prevention came after news that STIs and HIV are on the rise among young urban professionals, particularly those in call centers. In December 2009, 126 new AIDS cases were recorded, the highest number to be recorded in one month in 25 years.  A total of 835 AIDS cases were registered in 2009.

The “Ingat lagi, my Valentine” program has been largely criticized by senior Church officials who called the initiative “vulgar, lewd and gross”. Bishop Teodoro Bacani was quoted as saying that giving out condoms might only increase the number of HIV/AIDS cases, adding that the government should have promoted abstinence instead.

An article in Inquirer.net quoted Bishop Emeritus Teodoro Bacani as saying he doubted that Health Secretary Esperanza Cabral herself would give her grownup unwed children condoms and flowers to give to their boyfriends and girlfriends on Valentine’s Day

Condoms, when used properly, have been proven to be 99% effective in the prevention of sexually transmitted diseases as well as unintended pregnancy.