As PLHIV, I Think It’s Time We Talk, Dear NGOs and Government

For now, you can call me Janjan. I am a person living with HIV (PLHIV), and all I can say is it’s time for the Philippines to step up its efforts to address HIV.

It was some years ago that I discovered I was reactive after I took the HIV self-test kit. Of course, it was never easy. It took me some weeks to accept that I have the virus. I could never open this up to the people around me.

But it took me some months more to go to a treatment hub to make it “official” and be treated with antiretroviral (ARV) therapy.

For quite some time, I met fellow PLHIVs, and they, too, have their stories to share.

Personally, I am just glad there is a law, Republic Act 11166, that gives priority to the treatment of HIV in the country along with the protection of PLHIVs’ welfare and legal rights against discrimination and unwanted exposure to public scrutiny.

I am also familiar with non-government organizations and other groups advocating for HIV awareness, prevention, and treatment alongside the Department of Health and UNAIDS Philippines.

However, it got me thinking – is this all there is in the Philippines?

Please don’t misinterpret this as being ungrateful, but it is me asking and hoping that maybe the Philippines can contribute more to finding solutions to ending HIV from the grassroots to the world.

TREATMENT HUBS

The country’s treatment hubs run by the government have improved, to be fair about it. The distribution of ARVs has been efficient, and the way the doctors and nurses handle PLHIVs has been great, at least in my experience, so that you won’t feel judged or discriminated against.

It’s quite an advantage, really, when you live in areas such as key cities near treatment hubs because you can visit anytime, but I cannot say the same for those in municipalities in the provinces. Some have to travel to regional or provincial centers to get their free testing and treatment.

I am just hoping that maybe someday, treatment hubs are available in every local government unit and that there are medical professionals who can manage them well.

When news broke about the increasing number of HIV cases every year, it’s possible that, other than one’s courage to get tested, the accessibility of these treatment hubs is a factor.

FINDING THE CURE

It is good that different sectors have made efforts in informing the public about HIV and its treatment, but I believe we, as a nation, can go beyond just advocating and counseling.

When the United States government withdrew its support for funding some health and humanitarian aid to the world (which may affect the distribution of ARVs), this would not have been a major concern had our own government supported medical research, including efforts to find the cure for HIV.

Why not? I believe there are still brilliant minds in the field of medicine and sciences that the country can offer, and I believe they can come up with a breakthrough.

I am saying this because we keep reading news about developments in HIV treatment as a result of years of clinical trials. Maybe it’s time for the Philippines to be a front-row recipient of these clinical trials or, better yet, have Filipino doctors and scientists lead the way in conducting these trials – again, with the support of the government and other organizations.

TIP OF AN ICEBERG

On the ground, you would be surprised that not all are aware of HIV, and some still carry misconceptions and stigma.

Most reports say that most PLHIVs are men having sex with men, or people identifying as gay or bisexual men. Only a small percentage come from heterosexual sex, or from “straight” people.

But I got infected from unprotected sex with a woman.

And I have a feeling that the small percentage from heterosexual sex may just be the tip of the iceberg. There may be straight men and women out there who are unaware they already have it until symptoms show up and it progresses to AIDS.

To think, and based on some readings, most researchers traced the HIV strains to the 1920s in the city of Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo, where the economy was thriving and sex trade was also part of its activities – clearly, not all sex even at the time was limited to gay people.

I believe HIV and its link to gay sex, including the birth of stigma and stereotypes, began in the 1980s in the US when a doctor first reported a phenomenon of patients dying of pneumonia, who happened to be gay people. This was the time when HIV and AIDS became a widespread concern.

FROM HERE ON

In the current reality I’m in, there is so much to be done, not only in understanding HIV but in the overall public health scenario.

We have seen how some Filipinos react to COVID-19 with their misinformed views and twisted narratives. It’s no different when it comes to HIV, especially because this matter often involves sex. You know how dismal our reception toward sex education is in the country. It remains taboo in public and in most households because parents are afraid to discuss it as a matter of science due to religious considerations (but, lo and behold, the Philippines is among the top viewers in the world of a porn website – the irony and hypocrisy).

As a PLHIV for quite some time now, all I can say is that it never ends here, but it will always remind you that we are living on borrowed time.

All I am hoping for is that we, as a nation, start dealing with HIV in a way that leads to finding permanent solutions.

About the author

I am a person living with HIV, and I am currently using a different email address to keep my identity anonymous in the meantime because nobody at work or home knows my status.

I am currently based somewhere in Mindanao, where I work as a professional in a particular field. I hope my story will encourage organizations and the government to seriously look into the implementation of free health services, including advancing health research and innovation, especially given the news that the US government is stopping its support for WHO and other health and humanitarian aid.