Gov’t sectors urged to understand law on HIV/AIDS

After the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) revealed a drug suspect's HIV status on Tuesday, the Department of Health is urging the public and all government agencies to educate themselves on the Philippine AIDS Prevention and Control Act.

"Actually all sectors should be educated about HIV, hindi lang po ang ating education sector o ang ating health sector, ang ating work force. Meron na po tayong law na that every single workplace should have HIV information in place; that includes government and non-government and private sectors," DOH Public Health Surveillance chief Dr. Genesis Samonte said.

"It's just a matter of reminding people of what is in the law and also siguro individual din kasi 'yan so parang hindi lang per agency but tayong lahat...individual effort din po 'yan sa atin to know what HIV, how to prevent it, ano po ang services available," she added.

PDEA and media outlets were criticized after the former announced in a news conference that one of the suspects arrested in a drug raid was HIV-positive.

Miss Universe 2015 Pia Wurtzbach took to social media to defend the rights of the drug suspect, saying that it's “illegal to publicly announce once’s HIV status.”

Under the Republic Act 8504 or the Philippine AIDS Prevention and Control Act, a person's HIV status is confidential except in specific medical situations and if subject to a subpoena from a court.

It added that discriminatory acts and policies referred could be punishable with a penalty of imprisonment for six months to four months as well as fines.

Lawmakers have also condemned the revealing of the suspect's condition, with Akbayan Representative Tomasito Villarin saying that being involved in drugs had nothing to do with being HIV-positive. He said it only adds to the stigma of having the virus.

Dinagat Islands Representative Kaka Bag-ao, the principal author of the Philippine HIV and AIDS Policy Act, said that PDEA had no right to infringe on the confidentiality of an individual having HIV.

PDEA had already expressed regret on baring the HIV status of the drug suspect.

The suspect was among 11 people arrested in an entrapment operation in a hotel in Bonifacio Global City last week.

The House of Representatives on Monday approved on third and final reading House Bill 6617, or the proposed "Philippine HIV and AIDS Policy Act," which seeks to strengthen the existing policy aimed at preventing further spread of the the HIV/AIDS in the country.

The Senate version of bill is pending second reading approval. — BM, GMA News