Puerto Galera I first heard of Puerto Galera from the early 2000 indie movie, Duda (Doubt).  Some of the scenes were shot there, and from what I saw, it’s similar to the gay scene in Malate. When I transferred to Manila in 2009, I’ve been curious to go to these places. It was Holy Week in 2011 when I finally went on a trip to Puerto Galera. I worked on Maundy Thursday and Good Friday in order to secure rest days on Saturday and Sunday. My gay friends were already there as early as Thursday, and I brought along a female friend when we went there on Saturday morning. How to Go There Puerto Galera, by the way, is the northwesternmost municipality in Oriental Mindoro....

Take The Test Project is a registered, non-profit organization whose advocacy focuses on HIV education and testing. They also offer free services on HIV counseling and testing, syphilis testing, referral to HIV hubs and support groups, and training on STI, HIV, and AIDS education. What:     Batch 11 of Basic STI, HIV, and AIDS Education Training When:    9AM to 7PM, September 22, 2012 (Saturday) Where:   Positive Action Foundation Philippines, Inc. (PAFPI)                 2613 Dian Street, Malate, Manila Please contact Mr. Jay Young at 0917-8909131 for details and other registration information. Visit also their...

Why blog? My dear friend Marvin, who unfortunately passed away recently, encouraged me to start my own blog as it was also his way of coping with stress and sadness that he felt after his diagnosis. Together with creating my anonymous twitter and facebook accounts, blogging seems to be an effective way of communicating with fellow HIV-positive individuals, and at the same time, help the newly-diagnosed sort the shared feelings we have with being HIV-positive. My blog is still a work in progress since I do not post entries as often as I wanted to, but I really try to provide useful information too with the hope of educating readers about HIV, especially its prevention. Marvin was happy...

Five months after leaving Manila, I finally returned, but only for a few days. My aunt booked me a flight with her to help fetch my cousin who recently took her board exam. A lot of things entered my mind as I was on the plane. First, I know I got the disease in Manila. Until now, I can’t pinpoint who I got the disease from. And to be truthful, yes, I engaged in random hook-ups when I was still living alone. Worse than that, I neglected to practice safe sex in some occasions. Shortly after diagnosis, I actually tried to search in facebook and another gay social networking site the people I had sex with in the past. I wanted to know the person who might have infected me. It came...