Local org uses film as HIV, AIDS awareness medium

By Joseph B.A. Marzan

To raise greater awareness on the human immunodeficiency virus and acute immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) on World AIDS Day last Thursday, Dec 1, 2022, a local advocacy organization tapped a popular and effective medium for their target audience but still ripe for their cause—film.

Team Dugong Bughaw (TDB), a nascent HIV/AIDS awareness advocacy organization, held the ‘Pagsayod’ film festival and cocktail party at the Cinematheque Centre in Iloilo City.

The film festival featured three Filipino films relevant to the occasion—“Taym Pers Pers Taym”, “Gulis”, and “Sa Direksyon ni Makoy: The Final Cut”—all of which were shown consecutively.

“Taym Pers Pers Taym” directed by Ceazara Vidallo, is an animated short film where a man is torn between playing safe or taking risks to achieve full satisfaction.

Kyle Francisco’s “Gulis”, named after the Kapampangan word for “lines”, is a story of a father and son’s dysfunctional relationship and how they reconnect their broken lines because of the latter’s HIV status.

Both films were honored during the CineSpectra short film festival in 2019, where “Taym Pers Pers Taym” won Best Picture and “Gulis” as Critics’ Choice.

“Sa Direksyon ni Makoy: The Final Cut” by Ilonggo filmmakers John Raymond Macahilas and Genevieve Cabarte depicts the final six days of a young boy who succumbed to HIV. It won Best Short Film in the 2^nd Quisumibing-Escandor Film Festival in 2011.

Aside from the film showing, TDB also held side activities such as peer education sessions on HIV 101, HIV mechanism, and Stigma and Discrimination, as well as distribution of condoms and lubricants.

The event’s project head, Andy Martin Evidente, told Daily Guardian that it was just the beginning of “more creative ways to reach the masses”.

“We are optimistic that after this event, not only will our participants be able to enjoy and socialize but we also believe that we will be able to reach them to add to their knowledge and open their eyes to a much bigger reality through a fun and creative way,” Evidente said.

TDB member Hope Abilo said HIV and AIDS awareness advocacy is crucial at this time with the continued proliferation of disinformation.

“It’s very vital to inform people and let them be aware and educate them about HIV and AIDS because it is one of the ways for us to lessen the stigma for people living with HIV and to give them a safer space to live in,” Abilo said.

“There are some things where film is one of the best ways to communicate. That is the reason why try to mimic reality and put them into film because it is a form of media which is one of the easiest ways to come closer to the people. With this kind of advocacy, the more people that we could reach, the more lives we could change,” she added.

TDB Research Head Kingsley de los Santos said this is just one of the activities that the organization is having to reach out not just to the youth, but also to the public.

The October 2022 HIV/AIDS and Anti-Retroviral Therapy (ART) Registry of the Philippines of the Department of Health logged a total of 12,859 HIV cases and 878 deaths this year, with 1,383 new cases and 65 new deaths recorded in October alone.

There are three HIV Treatment Hubs/Primary Care and Certified RHIVDA Confirmatory Laboratories in the region – the Dr. Rafael Tumbokon Memorial Hospital in Kalibo, Aklan, the Western Visayas Medical Center in Iloilo City, and the Corazon Locsin Montelibano Memorial Regional Hospital in Bacolod City.

There are also accredited treatment hubs at the Angel Salazar Memorial General Hospital in San Jose de Buenavista, Antique, Rep. Pedro G. Trono Memorial Hospital in Guimbal, Iloilo, the St. Paul’s Hospital Iloilo and The Medical City Iloilo, both in Iloilo City, and the Roxas City Health Office in Roxas City, Capiz.