Why don’t we use condoms? | ABS-CBN
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Why don’t we use condoms?
Wanggo Gallaga
Published Dec 08, 2018 02:45 AM PHT
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Updated Dec 08, 2018 10:32 PM PHT
EDITOR'S NOTE: This piece tackles delicate subject matter that may require guidance for minor audiences.
In the 10 years of my work in the advocacy for HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) awareness and prevention, it has always been instrumental to impart that HIV is preventable.
In the 10 years of my work in the advocacy for HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) awareness and prevention, it has always been instrumental to impart that HIV is preventable.
You will not get HIV if you followed very simple steps: abstinence, and if you find that you cannot abstain, then use a condom. It is a simple message. One that will ensure that you will not be infected with HIV.
In the 10 years that I’ve been an advocate, sharing my story of becoming a person living with HIV, I’ve seen the numbers rise drastically over the last decade. When I was diagnosed as HIV positive in 2008, there were more than 3,000 who had been infected by the virus.
You will not get HIV if you followed very simple steps: abstinence, and if you find that you cannot abstain, then use a condom. It is a simple message. One that will ensure that you will not be infected with HIV.
In the 10 years that I’ve been an advocate, sharing my story of becoming a person living with HIV, I’ve seen the numbers rise drastically over the last decade. When I was diagnosed as HIV positive in 2008, there were more than 3,000 who had been infected by the virus.
In October of 2018, that number has risen to 60,207. In 2008, there were three new HIV infections per day. Now, it has gone up to one new infection every hour.
Why can’t people follow these two very simple steps? This question has plagued me ever since I became public with my own HIV status and became an advocate, sharing my stories in various platforms – from schools to forums and even visiting bars and café – trying to create a sense of urgency that we must take care of ourselves. HIV attacks the immune system and if left untreated can become AIDS (acquired immune deficiency syndrome), a disease that can be fatal because it makes people vulnerable to dire infections.
As an individual, I did not have the resources to go and do research on my own. I had always made myself available to various government offices, NGOs, and corporations for whatever assistance they may need from me.
In October of 2018, that number has risen to 60,207. In 2008, there were three new HIV infections per day. Now, it has gone up to one new infection every hour.
Why can’t people follow these two very simple steps? This question has plagued me ever since I became public with my own HIV status and became an advocate, sharing my stories in various platforms – from schools to forums and even visiting bars and café – trying to create a sense of urgency that we must take care of ourselves. HIV attacks the immune system and if left untreated can become AIDS (acquired immune deficiency syndrome), a disease that can be fatal because it makes people vulnerable to dire infections.
As an individual, I did not have the resources to go and do research on my own. I had always made myself available to various government offices, NGOs, and corporations for whatever assistance they may need from me.
However, when I was asked to be a part of the team to produce "HIV Rising," a documentary by ABS-CBN’s DocuCentral on the current landscape of HIV in the country, I was excited to jump onboard as I would be able to use this as a springboard to answer that simple question.
Why aren’t people using condoms to protect themselves from HIV?
As a filmmaker, I mostly revolve around the world of fiction. This would be my first foray into documentary and it was an interesting look into the process but, at the same time, it was a perfect opportunity to really cover a lot of ground within the issue.
We spoke to three people living with HIV and discussed how they got infected and why. We talked to all relevant government agencies – the Department of Education (DepEd), the Department of Health (DOH), the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), and the Philippine National AIDS Council. We also spoke to non-government organizations involved in the advocacy; from specialists to stakeholders, from people in government to private individuals with their own reasons for being a part of the fight.
Why don’t people use condoms? It is because our culture doesn’t foster a safe environment to talk about sex as a health issue.
However, when I was asked to be a part of the team to produce "HIV Rising," a documentary by ABS-CBN’s DocuCentral on the current landscape of HIV in the country, I was excited to jump onboard as I would be able to use this as a springboard to answer that simple question.
Why aren’t people using condoms to protect themselves from HIV?
As a filmmaker, I mostly revolve around the world of fiction. This would be my first foray into documentary and it was an interesting look into the process but, at the same time, it was a perfect opportunity to really cover a lot of ground within the issue.
We spoke to three people living with HIV and discussed how they got infected and why. We talked to all relevant government agencies – the Department of Education (DepEd), the Department of Health (DOH), the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), and the Philippine National AIDS Council. We also spoke to non-government organizations involved in the advocacy; from specialists to stakeholders, from people in government to private individuals with their own reasons for being a part of the fight.
Why don’t people use condoms? It is because our culture doesn’t foster a safe environment to talk about sex as a health issue.
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One interesting insight we got from Dr. Rossana Ditangco of the Research Institute of Tropical Medicine (RITM) was that condom use is primarily a learned behavior. If an individual’s first sexual experience was without a condom, it leads to further sexual activity without it. Condom use has to start early for it to become a habit.
Interestingly enough, our conversations with representatives from the DOH and the DepEd revealed that even teachers and medical professionals were afraid to talk about sex to a younger generation because the culture of the Philippines makes it uncomfortable to do so.
A decade after I became an advocate, it was only through this documentary, HIV Rising, that I discovered other people’s stories, and how we are all connected and how we are all part of the solution.
We need to keep the conversation going. This documentary, hosted by award-winning journalist Korina Sanchez-Roxas, who also wrote a thesis on HIV/AIDS for her graduate studies, is part of a larger effort by advocates all over the world to keep the discussion alive.
The solution is simple. Abstain. If you cannot, then use a condom properly. And you will be all right.
One interesting insight we got from Dr. Rossana Ditangco of the Research Institute of Tropical Medicine (RITM) was that condom use is primarily a learned behavior. If an individual’s first sexual experience was without a condom, it leads to further sexual activity without it. Condom use has to start early for it to become a habit.
Interestingly enough, our conversations with representatives from the DOH and the DepEd revealed that even teachers and medical professionals were afraid to talk about sex to a younger generation because the culture of the Philippines makes it uncomfortable to do so.
A decade after I became an advocate, it was only through this documentary, HIV Rising, that I discovered other people’s stories, and how we are all connected and how we are all part of the solution.
We need to keep the conversation going. This documentary, hosted by award-winning journalist Korina Sanchez-Roxas, who also wrote a thesis on HIV/AIDS for her graduate studies, is part of a larger effort by advocates all over the world to keep the discussion alive.
The solution is simple. Abstain. If you cannot, then use a condom properly. And you will be all right.
The author is a member of the faculty of the Film Department of the College of St. Benilde, a screenwriter, poet, and film reviewer.
"HIV Rising," produced by ABS-CBN News' DocuCentral, will be shown on CH 2, Dec. 9, 2018, during Sunday's Best, after Gandang Gabi Vice. It will also be shown December 14, 9 p.m. on DZMM TeleRadyo, and on December 17, 8 p.m. on ANC.
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