QC turns over 25k HIV, AIDS & STI reference materials to HS students

The local government of Quezon City has rolled out 25,000 items of reference material on Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) and Sexually transmitted infections (STI) to Grade 8 students of all public high schools in the city.

Mayor Herbert Bautista said that aside from the reference material, MAPEH teachers were also trained to equip them with proper skills to educate students on HIV, AIDS, and STI.

The age-appropriate module will be part of the MAPEH curriculum of Grade 8 students according to Bautista.

Department of Health reports show that since 1984, the number of people suffering symptoms diagnosed as HIV in the Philippines has reached 46,985. Of the number, 19,555 are from the National Capital Region and 4,412 from Quezon City.

Bautista hoped that with the newly-launched program, the city can contribute to efforts at addressing increasing HIV cases in the country.

"Hopefully with this program that we've launched, yung ating libro, mga work book and informational materials para sa mga eskwelahan and yung pagpasok at pag-organize ng mga Pride Council sa city-level down to the barangay level, mas lalakas ang ating campaign to let it be known to everybody whether what type of gender you belong to male, female, LGBTQI, na meron tayong seryosong programa, that we do have a very serious program in addressing HIV/AIDS here in Quezon City." 

"Quezon City is taking the lead in the country, we have to take the lead because we have the most number of identified HIV, so we should really take the lead and indeed we are taking the lead. Yung ating Clinica Bernardo...is now being replicated all over the country, I think there are about 200 now, more or less Klinika Bernardos all over the country," he added.

Klinika Bernardo in Quezon City which has pioneered a "stigma-free, non-discriminatory and safe environment" clinic offers free services of HIV testing, counselling and treatment. It was said to be the first local government clinic in the country that caters to sexual health. —LBG, GMA News