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HIV/AIDS law addresses nat’l security, dev’t concerns

By Liza Agoot

January 22, 2019, 9:07 pm

BAGUIO CITY -- The signing into law of Republic Act (RA) No. 11166 or the “Philippine HIV and AIDS policy act of 2019” will address possible national security and developmental problems, a Baguio-based non-government organization said Tuesday.

Baguio AIDS Watch Council (AWAC) acting president Marlene de Castro said the abrupt increase in HIV/AIDS cases is a concern that must be contained immediately.

“This is also a show of support to the management of the epidemic, especially with the number of HIV/AIDS cases increasing at a fast pace daily,” de Castro told the Philippine News Agency (PNA).

She said HIV/AIDS is a national security issue since it could affect many people.

Hindi lang naman bomba and war (It is not just bombs and war) but the health, epidemic, pandemic and food security, which are of the same level, affecting people’s lives. It affects national security when people’s health is no longer managed and the number of affected people is increasing,” de Castro said.

Based on the latest report of the Epidemiology Bureau of the Department of Health (DOH), the Cordillera region has 457 HIV/AIDS cases from 1984 to August 2018 while Benguet has 54 cases; Abra, 50; Kalinga, 13; Ifugao, 12; Apayao, 11; Mountain Province, 10; and Baguio, 307.

A total of 61 new cases were recorded in the Cordillera from January to July 2018. On a national scale, an average of 32 people are infected daily.

De Castro said that HIV/AIDS and other health problems are also development issues preventing people from becoming productive members of society.

“If most of the public’s fund is spent on managing health problems or HIV/AIDS, there would be no profit or income that will be reaped unlike when money is used to develop roads, provide livelihood, improve agriculture, which will later have a return on investment,” she added.

She said addressing the problem at an early stage would prevent more people from being infected and would not need to have more funds to contain it.

Kung tumaas ang expense for health in relation to HIV/ AIDS, pupunta lahat dun ang pera, walang productivity, walang profit (If the expense for health or to manage HIV/AIDS will be high, there will be no productivity and profit and that will not be good for the country),” de Castro said.

"We're just so elated that the AIDS law was passed and approved already because this was a long-time clamor of the advocates,” she added.

Financing the law

De Castro said they are glad the country is starting to look at the growing problem of HIV/AIDS by passing a law, but pointed out that it should be allotted a budget to implement programs.

“The challenge is still on the budget for drugs, facilities and personnel to manage the implementation and management of the medical needs of the HIV/AIDS clients,” she said.

Since there is a law, she noted that the implementing rules must also define where budget support will have to be integrated in the local annual plan to support personnel, facilities and drugs.

Currently, the local facilities managing the disease rely on what will be downloaded to them.

Earlier, Social Hygiene Clinic medical officer Dr. Celia Flor Brillantes said they are containing the HIV/AIDS problem to prevent it from possible epidemic that could spread to remote communities.

“Some go the cities to work and their lifestyles might lead them to activities that will cause infection. When they go home to their spouses, they bring the infection (with them) and the spread becomes difficult to contain,” Brillantes said. (PNA)

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