The virus has long gripped our country. Since its first recorded case back in 1984, the disease has maintained a steady rise in numbers, taking more than 2,000 lives along the way. There seemed to be little progress by way of managing the disease at a nationwide scale. In our conservative country, the social stigma attached to the virus may be one to blame.

The Filipino Catholic Church, a once primary condemner of sexual diseases, has acknowledged the lack of resolve of their previous stance. It had been making notable strides in bridging the gap between widespread HIV awareness and the Filipino people over the years. Cebu Archbishop Jose Palma called on his fellow priests and Catholics to extend their aid to those infected with the disease. For the 2015 World AIDS Day celebration, he stated that “we have to reach out to HIV victims because they, too, are our brothers and sisters. This is an imperfect world, but life is still beautiful and meaningful.” Reports of priests refusing to provide funeral Masses for AIDS victims have also surfaced. These were met with much disapproval by the Catholic Church. “We can educate our priests about it. We have to tell them that we should be a merciful Church that reflects the love of God,” said Archbishop Palma.

Recent statistics show that the age groups being reported as affected by the virus seem to be getting younger as well. Out of 28 Filipinos with HIV, 24 belong to the youth sector, claimed the National Youth Commission chair Aiza Seguerra. She clarified that these statistics does not necessarily mean that younger people are getting infected due to early engagements. It simply means that more and more young people are getting themselves tested. This seems to signify that open dialogues promoted by the DOH and NYC  for parents and schools are effective in raising awareness and spreading information on HIV. The NYC is also hoping to revise the RA 8504 which states that written informed consent is required prior to HIV testing for persons aged 18 and below. The organization hopes to lower the age of consent to 15, citing the difficulty of gaining parental consent on still taboo topics such as HIV testing.

While a cure for HIV is yet to be developed, means of disease management are already accessible, especially for those detected at an early stage. DOH ensured this by making antiretroviral drugs (ARVs), the HIV maintenance medication, free for the public. ARVs and test kits could be accessed in all City Health Offices.