MANILA, Philippines - We knew they were going to be there and we had this planned from the beginning. We leaped out of the cab and onto the streets with rainbow tattoos on our shoulders, fury in our fists, and feet ready to walk the good walk. Right around the corner, we saw the first traces of them, getting ready with their huge, condemning signs and loudspeakers and T-shirts that said, "Repent and Believe." “This is going to be good,” we kept saying to each other. It was the first time for both of us to attend a Pride March and we couldn’t stop imagining if what we see on "Queer As Folk" would match its real-life, Filipino counterpart. Walking into the grounds of the Makati City...

In the spirit of Christmas, let us not forget our brothers and sisters in Mindanao that were heavily devastated by the wrath of typhoon Pablo. Make your own share through many organizations accepting donations. PHILIPPINE RED CROSS Ways to Donate:- Through PayPal- Through Ushare - Credit Card, Online Banking, Megalink- Through GreenPeso - PayPal, Bancnet, GCash- Through Multiply- Through PayDollarCash or Check DonationsPlease send cash or check donations to the PRC National Headquarters in Manila. Checks should be made payable to The Philippine Red Cross. We can also arrange for donation pick-up.We now accept cash donations for the Philippine Red Cross at any 7-11 store or Cebuana Lhuillier...

Newly Diagnosed HIV Cases in the Philippines In October 2012, there were 295 new HIV Ab sero-positive individuals confirmed by the STD/AIDS Cooperative Central Laboratory (SACCL) and reported to the HIV and AIDS Registry. This was 48% higher compared to the same period last year.  Most of the cases (93%) were males. The median age was 28 years (age range: 15-56 years). The 20-29 years (57%) age-group had the most number of cases. Forty-six percent (137) of the reported cases were from the National Capital Region (NCR). Reported mode of transmission were sexual contact (286) and needle sharing among injecting drug users (9). Males having sex with other males (83%) were...

Maalaala Mo Kaya (Would You Remember) is the longest-running drama anthology series in Philippine television. It has been on air since 1991. The show accepts stories from letter senders, and picks exceptional ones to present in TV format. To mark World AIDS Day, their episode this December 1 was entitled Pulang Laso (Red Ribbon). It is quite rare for a TV station in a conservative country like ours to present a story involving a sensitive topic such as HIV/AIDS. The TV episode elicited various reaction from people on social networking sites like Twitter and Facebook. While some commended the daring move of the TV network to raise awareness regarding HIV through the drama...

MANILA, Philippines - The last time I saw Sarah Jane Salazar was weeks before her death at the National Center for Mental Health where she was confined for a psychological disorder emanating from her HIV infection.  She was delirious, but she remembered who I was. She asked if I was there to interview her, and I said no, I was there to visit. I told the hospital director that I had to give up the interview even after going through a long process to be allowed inside.  The sight of the restless young woman, who put a face to AIDS in the 1990s, suddenly very ill, staring at a few days to her death was not a compassionate situation for an interview. It would have been my last...

MANILA, Philippines - Former Department of Health (DOH) secretary Alberto Romualdez has blamed the Arroyo administration for the rise of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) cases in the country. Romualdez said the previous administration's alleged obedience to the Catholic Church's dictates to stop the distribution of free condoms had resulted in the sharp increase in the number of Filipinos who had contracted the dreaded disease.  Romualdez, DOH chief during the Estrada administration, recalled that it was in 1997 when the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) informed the Philippine government of its plan to phase out donations of reproductive...

*Please read the post of Mr. Naval's sister at the end of this article. Thank you. Rodel Naval --- the handsome and enigmatic singer behind the hit ballads “Muli” and “Lumayo Ka Man” --- succumbed to AIDS (acquired immune deficiency syndrome) 17 years ago, two of his siblings revealed on Saturday. The singer’s sudden and mysterious death in Toronto, Canada on June 11, 1995 at age 42 was officially ascribed to pneumonia, but rumors soon reached Manila that he had in fact died of complications from AIDS. His sisters Rosalie and Delia acknowledged the rumor as fact in an interview with Cristy Fermin on “Ang Latest” on Saturday, ahead of the release of a new commemorative album of...

Ikaw at Ako by: Johnoy Danao Ikaw at ako pinagtagpo Nag-usap ang ating puso Nagkasundong magsama habang-buhay. Nagsumpaan sa Maykapal Walang iwanan tag-init o tag-ulan Haharapin bawat unos na magdaan. Sana'y di magmaliw ang pagtingin Kay daling sabihin kay hirap gawin Sa mundong walang katiyakan Sabay nating gawing kahapon ang bukas. Ikaw at ako pinag-isa Tayong dalawa may kanya-kanya Sa isa't-isa, tayo ay sumasandal. Bawat hangad kayang abutin Sa pangamba'y di paaalipin Basta't ikaw, ako, tayo'y magpakailanman. Kung minsan ay di ko nababanggit Pag-ibig ko'y hindi masukat ng anumang lambing At kung magkamali akong ika'y saktan Puso mo ba'y handang...