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. If you are travelling from Manila, you take a JAC Liner bus (located near Taft MRT station) that will take you to Batangas pier, which is the last stop of the bus. Travel time is around two hours, and bus fare is less than 200 pesos.

There are actually four major points of Puerto Galera: Sabang Pier, Muelle Pier, Balatero Pier, and the most popular of them all, the White Beach. Secure a ticket from any of the shipping companies there that traverse to White Beach. Travel time is around 45 minutes.

But of course, the two paragraphs above are common knowledge to the LGBT community. And a friend once told me, “Every gay man has gone, at least once, to Puerto Galera.” I disagree a bit, but then again, for sure, every gay man has heard of Puerto Galera, or heard personal accounts from their gay friends what happens in the place especially during Holy Week.

White Beach

When we arrived in White Beach, the very first thing I noticed is how thick the crowd is. I didn’t expect that the stretch of the beach is not that long, but the hotels and inns are just too many. I actually thought of it as a mini-Boracay: very popular which makes it very crowded, which in turn makes the stretch of the beach appear shorter.

There are also a lot of restaurants there. Some offer steeply-priced food while others serve budget meals. Activities that you can do there include banana boat ride, volleyball, frisbee, skim board, jet ski, island hop, or simply, people watching. My group even tried the famous Mindoro Sling together with our lunch. Hehehe!

Hot bodies abound Puerto Galera, mostly males. Hahaha! At least, all the hard work in the gym paid off for those who flaunted what they have. To which a part of me decided to hit the gym when I return to Manila (I jogged instead, but still did not achieve the Galera bodies of others. Hehehe!).

I was also surprised to pass by a kiosk which offers free HIV testing (sadly, our group did not pay attention to it). And at night, some advertisers gave away condoms.

Galera Nights

We slept mid afternoon after the late lunch since the Mindoro Sling got us a bit buzzed. We had a quick dinner immediately after we woke up, and I couldn’t understand the excitement of my companions as we head to the beach front for the night party.

Well, I finally understood it as we arrived in the beach front. The bars and restaurants had their own shows, from spectacular fire dancers to impersonators to live bands, but the crowd seemed to be united as they danced on the beach to the fusion of loud music from the bars.  Galera just explodes at night time! People party there like it’s the end of the world. They danced on top of tables, hugged and kissed openly, and chattered over Mindoro Sling. It was crazy and fun at the same time!

In Manila, bars are usually closed in observance of the Holy Week. In Puerto Galera, it’s totally different. I was feeling quite ambivalent as I have been accustomed to traditional Holy Week celebration especially back in the province, and somehow, I felt that the festivity is not quite right. But then again, times have probably indeed changed. I believe that Galera is about openness and acceptance.

Love

Just like Malate, Puerto Galera has been the venue for the LGBT community to be themselves. There are no pretensions, no masks, and no need to hide. Love is everywhere in Galera: love among friends, and those in relationships. The energy is uplifting in Galera. It gave me a sense of oneness with the crowd. The music drowned all my worries. Galera made me real.

Note: the photos from this blog entry were taken last April 2011 and September 2012.

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 facebook account at facebook.com/takethetest

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 to inform me that he was writing for PositiveLite.com, a Canadian online HIV magazine. I was able to read his contributions there, and was impressed on how he articulated himself. He encouraged me to write for the magazine too, but I had second thoughts since I have a problem with composition.

However, several weeks ago, I read a tweet, calling for those who are interested to become guest contributors for PositiveLite.com. I tried my luck. A part of me wanted to reach out to people from other nations. Fortunately, I was invited to contribute an article. A million thanks to the wonderful people behind PositiveLite.com

For my first offering, I submitted an introduction about my personal journey with HIV.

I am Pinoy Positive, a young man from the Philippines living with HIV. Aside from running the halls of the hospital for more than three years as an ICU nurse, I also run half-marathons in road and trail races. I was diagnosed March 2012 just as my career in the healthcare industry was about to take off. I was set to work abroad, but HIV did not permit me to do so.

Here's the LINK to my story.

And it is also featured in Daily Love.

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 to my knowledge that an ex-boyfriend died of liver abscess this January, and another one I dated died of meningitis last October 2011 (click HERE).

Coincidentally, on my second day in Manila, while riding in a train going to Ayala, a Chinese-looking guy beside the door caught my attention. I stared at him trying to recall where I met him, and he stared back. Well, his height was a giveaway; I had sex with him before. Although we did it several times, they were all protected sex. But why did I see worry in his eyes? Or maybe paranoia was just playing tricks on me. We were still staring at each other when I headed towards the door of the train. We were beside each other, catching glances, but there were no exchange of words.

Is knowing who infected me really that important? I had protected sex with him, but why worry?

Maybe some questions are better left unanswered. I'm guilty of dwelling too much in my not-so-distant past.

Surely, there’s still pain in my heart. I had a promising career in Manila, and I was two weeks short to going abroad until I was diagnosed HIV-positive before my departure date. One night of sex turned into a lifetime of regret.

Me, working as a nurse here is purely accidental. I was visiting an ex-bf in Manila when he heard from his friend that a new hospital is going to open soon, and then he encouraged me to submit my resume. And that is how the story of how I worked for more than three years in that hospital started.

Manila was my stepping stone. I built my dreams here. As my workmates started to resign and eventually landed jobs abroad, I started to solidify my qualification by passing several international exams. I was a good nurse, but not a good employee. But eventually, I attempted and successfully gained my manager’s trust and confidence. My promotion came at the time that my visa abroad also arrived. And I chose the latter. Of course, one of my dreams is to work abroad, and secondly, I want to provide a better life for my family.

But because of HIV, I lost both ---- my job abroad, and my work in Manila. I lied to my family why I wasn’t able to go abroad. I isolated myself from my friends and co-workers. I went back to my province, and made sure to have no, or at the very least, minimal contact with people I know there. Up until today, my family thinks that I went home to rest since my papers abroad is still being processed. And they like it that way knowing that work abroad can be very tiring and embracing a foreign culture is difficult.

My plan of going back to Manila in search for work is nearing. I have mixed feelings. I’m a new and changed person now. Well, mostly new point of view since I already know my limitations and the purpose of me going back. It’s much clearer to me now. I still have this fear of what awaits me there, but I hope I’d still be as motivated and dedicated as I was in my previous job. Fingers crossed. Manila, be good to me please the next time I return.

MANILA, Philippines - A total of 278 new human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) cases were diagnosed in the country in July, up 36 percent compared to the 204 reported in the same month of 2011, a member of Congress said Wednesday.

Citing National Epidemiology Center statistics, LPG-MA Rep. Arnel Ty said the new infections brought to 1,878 the cumulative number of new HIV cases discovered in the seven months to July. 

Ty said the Philippine HIV and AIDS Registry, which began passive surveillance of the disease in 1984, now lists an aggregate of 10,242 cases, including 1,078 with full-blown AIDS.

HIV causes AIDS, or the Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome. The disease that destroys the human body’s immune system does not have any known cure. However, anti-retroviral treatments can slow down the ailment.

Ty is one of the five authors of House Bill 5312, which seeks to renew the country’s outmoded, 14-year-old AIDS Prevention and Control Law.

He said the House committee on health has already initially approved the bill, which is now pending with the (House) committee on appropriations.

The bill proposes to earmark an extra P400 million to launch a forceful new program to suppress the disease that is being spread in the country largely via sexual contact, predominantly male-to-male sex.

Modes of transmission 

Ty said the July cases included 36 overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) who all acquired the virus through sexual encounters, and 16 drug users who were all infected after they shared tainted needles.

He said last month’s cases – 265 males and 13 females ­– had a median age of 27 years, with those in the 20 to 29 age group comprising 58 percent.

Except for the 16 injecting drug users, all of the new cases in July were contaminated due to sexual activity, with males having sex with other males accounting for 85 percent. 

The Philippine National AIDS Council has warned that up to 46,000 Filipinos could be diagnosed with HIV by 2015, unless the rapid spread of the contagious disease is contained.

At the rate new cases are being spotted, the Philippine government could be spending up to P1 billion annually by 2015, just to procure the anti-retroviral drugs for Filipinos living with HIV, according to Dr. Edsel Salvana, a specialist in infectious disease medicine.

As of March 31, Ty said at least 2,278 Filipinos living with HIV were known to be undergoing anti-retroviral therapy.

Source:

interaksyon.com/article/41726/philippine-hiv-infections-pass-10000-mark

WASHINGTON DC - A new pill to treat HIV infection -- combining two previously approved drugs plus two new ones -- has been approved for adults living with the virus that causes AIDS, US regulators said Monday.

The single daily dose of Stribild provides a complete treatment regimen for HIV infection, the US Food and Drug Administration said in a statement.

"Through continued research and drug development, treatment for those infected with HIV has evolved from multi-pill regimens to single-pill regimens," said Edward Cox, director of the Office of Antimicrobial Products in the FDA's Center for Drug Evaluation and Research.

"New combination HIV drugs like Stribild help simplify treatment regimens."

The new regimen, made by Gilead Sciences in California, was tested in more than 1,400 patients, in two double-blind clinical trials.

Results showed that Stribild performed as well or better than two other treatment combinations, and brought virus readings down to undetectable levels in around nine of 10 patients after 48 weeks.

The drug combines Truvada -- another Gilead offering approved in 2004, that combines emtricitabine and tenofovir disoproxil fumarate to fight an enzyme that HIV needs to replicate -- with elvitegravir, another enzyme-fighting drug, and cobicistat, which enhances the effects of elvitegravir.

The drug was tested in adult patients not previously treated for HIV. The FDA said further study is required to determine the drug's safety for women and children, how resistance may develop, and whether the drug interacts with other drugs.

Sources:

firstpost.com/living/us-approves-new-daily-pill-to-treat-hiv-433667.html

economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/news-by-industry/et-cetera/us-approves-new-once-a-day-pill-to-treat-hiv/articleshow/15861702.cms

http://www.interaksyon.com/article/41609/us-approves-new-once-a-day-pill-to-treat-hiv

http://news.yahoo.com/us-approves-once-day-pill-treat-hiv-110028729.html

Newly Diagnosed HIV Cases in the Philippines

In July 2012, there were 278 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 36% higher compared to the same period last year.

Most of the cases (95%) were males. The median age was 27 years (age range: 15-70 years). The 20-29 year (58%) age-group had the most number of cases. Fifty-two percent (144) of the reported cases were from the National Capital Region (NCR).

Reported modes of transmission were sexual contact (262) and needle sharing among injecting drug users (16). Males having sex with other males (85%) were the predominant type of sexual transmission. Most (94%) of the cases were still asymptomatic at the time of reporting.

AIDS Cases

Of the 278 HIV positive cases, seventeen were reported as AIDS cases, all were males. The median age is 32 years (age range: 18-52 years). All acquired the infection through sexual contact (8 homosexual, 2 heterosexual, and 7 bisexual). There were no reported deaths for this month.


Overseas Filipino Workers


Thirty-six of the 278 (13%) reported cases were OFWs. There were 31 males and 5 females. The median age was 31 years (age range: 22-52 years). All acquired the infection through sexual contact (11 heterosexual, 14 homosexual, and 11 bisexual).

Source:

Philippine HIV and AIDS Registry

Since the first recording of AIDS in the early 1980s, one would expect that more people would become aware of the disease, and at the same time, would take safety precautions with their actions.

Numerous ad campaigns have been launched here and abroad in an attempt raise awareness regarding HIV/AIDS. But how effective were these campaigns? Some of these ads have even received mixed reviews. From being controversial to being way over the top, what's your take on these ads?

AIDS makes us equal.

This French campaign stands out since most people are big fans of superheroes. It's easily noticeable, and a true attention-grabber. The message conveys that HIV/AIDS makes us all equal. No one is excused no matter what our status in life is. Neither Superman nor Superwoman is even safe.

The ad struck me personally because as a nurse for more than three years, and a running enthusiast as well, I never thought that I would get infected as I have always looked and felt healthy. Again, no one's safe anymore.

Each time you sleep with someone, you also sleep with his past.

This Canadian ad of Bristol-Myers Squibb was executed by BleuBlancRouge. This ad was chosen by the company to raise public awareness of risky sexual practices.

If the past is interfering with your relationship: check-your-lovelife.ch

1. No intercourse without a condom.

2. No sperm or blood in the mouth.

This is a campaign by the Swiss Federal Office of Public Health and the Swiss AIDS Federation. Check-your-lovelife.ch is an online site which provides basic information on HIV/AIDS, and it also contains their group's archive of previous ad campaigns.

AIDS is a Mass Murderer.

These German ads on AIDS was condemned by European HIV charities when they were released in 2009. The video and poster ads featured the lookalikes of Adolf Hitler, Saddam Hussein, and Joseph Stalin . It initially shows blurred clips of a couple having sex. Before the end of the clip, the man is then revealed to be Hitler, and a tag line is flashed: AIDS is a mass murderer.

But of course, the tag line refers to the fact that nearly 30 million people died from AIDS-related causes since the beginning of the epidemic.

References:
advertolog.com
eurokulture.missouri.edu
oddee.com

For those who missed the episode of Bawal ang Pasaway last Wednesday, August 22 (I did, unfortunately), I attached here a segment of the episode which I found at the website of GMA. The guests of Prof. Solita Monsod include Wanggo Gallaga, HIV positive and writer for the Philippine Star, and Philip Castro, program officer of the United Nations Development Program.

Mareng Winnie: "You know na ikaw ay kandidato for AIDS only because you know your own sexual behavior."

Personal Note:

I always feel sad every time I see interviews about HIV such as this one. Mareng Winnie even said, "How can someone as intelligent and as knowledgeable as Wanggo contract AIDS?"

In my family, humility aside, I am considered the brightest among the children, having graduated with two courses, and two professional licenses under my name. I even worked for big companies. Those were the proud moments of my mother. Now that I have HIV, and I haven't disclosed my status to any family member or even to my friends, I just can't imagine what their reactions will be. I don't even know when the right time is to disclose about my status.

For now, I thank God for my high CD4 that I still do not need to take ARVs. It is just my ardent wish that when the right times comes, I'll be accepted by my family, most especially by my Mom.

Keep safe everyone, and God bless you!

Immortal Body, Immortal Pain

Marvin: One of my beloved artworks I created. I offer it to all those who feel depressed and burdened with life. Suicide seems like a viable and only option but then, it never is. This is an artwork to express that terrible loneliness.

Immuno-compromised

I have sores all over me:

They scar my fragile surface

Like constellations

Spanning the universe

Of my feeble flesh.

I gasp and sigh.

I hear the delirious

Whispers from my thighs.

These are not moans

But the sole sounds of my bones

Breaking into mourning.

Maybe I should be glad

That something still feeds on me.

I want this love to die

But it cannot be.

It is the disease

Which runs alongside

The potent malady in my being.

Compromised I will forever be.

But with you, I find the strength

To make myself immune

Against all this insanity.

*Marvs, I may have failed to ask for your permission to post some of your works in my blog, but I'm pretty sure you'd allow me to, and you'd be delighted.

*Marvin's artwork can be found HERE, and the link of his poem can be found HERE.

More than three years ago, I chanced upon a young man on a gay social networking site, guys4men. Although normal conversation between users in that site involves sex and meet-ups, we talked more than that. He was into literature: short stories and poems. His enthusiasm in these forms of art reminded me of an ex-boyfriend, which made me like him. His name is Marvin. We sometimes chat over YM, and have exchanged friendster accounts. However, our communication halted, probably because he was busy with his studies, and I, with work. We eventually forgot about each other’s existence.

April of this year, after I was diagnosed with HIV, I stumbled upon people living with HIV in facebook and twitter. I needed help, I was in a state of panic. One of them encouraged me to make a blog, telling me it will feel better if I ventilate my feelings through writing. He shared his blog too. Upon seeing his cartoonized photo, I felt that I know the person I’m communicating with. I asked him if he is Marvin. He said yes.

His comment in my blog entry: Bits and Pieces

What a small world we have, really! Marvin and I never met in person, but in a span of several years, we met again over the Internet. Only this time, we are both HIV positive.

He is one of the very first persons who knew about my HIV status: talked with, listened to my worries, took the time to monitor my daily activities; gave me instructions on what to do; made sure that I’m alright; calmed me; cared for me.

He was diagnosed last February 2012, and his initial CD4 count was 2 (which makes him an AIDS case), yet he fought the battle well. His voice still reverberates in my ears at times, and I can still hear him calling me “Kuya” with so much enthusiasm. He told me that he is surviving at 2, and added that I’d be sure to survive better because of my early diagnosis.

We talked about online writing work, as that is what we do for a living. He was a book reviewer. I still am a marathon and real estate news writer.  He suggested a lot of other online sites where I can earn, and work is home-based at that. His eagerness to help others is just so wholehearted.

At around third week of July, he told me that he fainted while working online. I told him to tell his mother about that, and that he should go to his hub for consultation. He refused. He feared that his mom might not allow him to continue with his online work. When he fainted the second time, I learned from other twitter friends that he had himself checked by his HIV hub.

His comment in my blog entry: Somewhere over the Rainbow

And then the weird messages from Marvin came. He questioned the researched and tested data about HIV and AIDS. He told me he has found the cure. He said he was an elite controller. He said he was misdiagnosed as having HIV, and should have been diagnosed as schizophrenic. I told him that maybe he has just read a lot of books, and that he internalized what he has read. I told him that when people read about schizophrenia, for example, a person may find some schizophrenic traits within himself. But that doesn’t conclude anything unless diagnosed by a medical doctor.

That wasn’t the Marvin that I know. It was the virus talking. AIDS got him really bad, and destroyed his thoughts.

I admit that I somehow neglected Marvin. I believe that I do not have the authority to give him advice (medical or personal) as it may jeopardize his treatment. I refused to be self-righteous either. I have always encouraged him to talk to his doctor. It’s just so sad to know that in that state, others may have harshly judged him. Yes, I felt that he may have lost touch with reality, but were we therapeutic in dealing with him? He was a young man at 21, and he was helpless!

Last August 15, from twitter, where Marvin and I usually communicate to each other, I received the news that someone passed away. Then I received calls from twitter friends telling me it was Marvin.

You did not die in vain, Marvin. Your literary works will always be remembered by your friends and by our community. I will always remember your eagerness to help others through your advocacy. We may not always agree on some things, but no two minds are alike anyway. This will not be the last time I would hear about you, as more and more people will talk about you, your mission, and your advocacy.

You will always be my makulit younger viral brother.

For your reference, here are the links to his blog sites:

thesexysquid.blogspot.com

plagiophile.blogspot.com

posithive-cutie.tumbler.com

touchtalent.com/profile/1866

He was also a contributing writer to Positive Lite.com, Canada's online HIV magazine. Here are the links to his entries:

Mirvan's Story: The Uninvited Guest

Army of Two

Little Steps

Positive Lite.com's tribute article to Marvin: click HERE

The STD Project's tribute article to Marvin: click HERE
Marvin's interview with The STD Project: click HERE

This happened last July 2012, and have been posted on numerous sites over the Internet. It is worthy to be re-posted to keep us informed that this new kind of cyber-bullying exists, and must be stopped. We must also be cautious of the information we share/re-post in our social networking accounts especially if the contents are sensitive in nature. And much worse, if the information and/or accusation being shared and passed on is unverified.

I contacted the victim, Mr. Raymond J. Malinay-Lopez, through facebook and I was given permission to post the video that he made regarding the issue.

Here is an excerpt taken on the facebook account of Mr. Malinay-Lopez:

     It does not matter whether or not any of the individuals involved have HIV/AIDS or not. What is important here is that each person is entitled to full confidentiality regarding their HIV/AIDS status under R.A. 8504 (Philippine AIDS Prevention and Control Act of 1998), and that should be universally respected. No one deserves their name slandered over social media in that manner, and such hate speech ought to stop. And of course, being diagnosed with HIV/AIDS is not a death sentence and there have been many advances in modern medicine to help people living with HIV live good lives provided they are diagnosed early enough.

Here is also the statement of the AIDS Society of the Philippines:  

     The AIDS Society of the Philippines (ASP) Board of Trustees and its staff members vehemently state that the organization is not accountable and is not associated in whatever form and manner with the "NOTICE TO THE PUBLIC" that is currently circulating in the social media.

     For all its supposed intents and purposes, the notice and whoever is behind it is a blatant attack on the ASP's name and track record. The organization has remained and will always remain professional and genuinely committed with its HIV and AIDS prevention initiatives and is conscientious in its role and responsibility  to protect the rights of all individuals.

     The ASP is currently undertaking an investigation and taking on the appropriate discourse of actions to address this destructive assault on the organization.

Researchers have identified a mysterious new disease that has left scores of people in Asia and some in the United States with AIDS-like symptoms even though they are not infected with HIV.

The patients' immune systems become damaged, leaving them unable to fend off germs as healthy people do. What triggers this is not known, but the disease does not seem to be contagious.

This is another kind of acquired immune deficiency that is not inherited and  occurs in adults, but doesn't spread the way AIDS does through a virus, said Dr. Sarah Browne, a scientist at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.

Scientists at the National Institutes of Health led a study in Thailand and Taiwan of more than 200 people with the disease. Most of them make substances called autoantibodies that block interferon-gamma, a chemical signal that helps the body clear infections.

The fact that nearly all the patients so far have been Asian or Asian-born people living elsewhere suggests that genetic factors and something in the environment such as an infection may trigger the disease, researchers conclude.

For the full story, please click this LINK.

References:

huffingtonpost.com/2012/08/22/aids-like-disease-asians-immune-system_n_1823296.html

newschannel9.com

AIDS News Daily