Old LY Site

 By Tino Largado “How do you take pieces of condoms and use it to convey powerful and compelling messages through photographs?” Artists, photographers, hobbyists, and enthusiasts took on this challenge when they joined the Shoot the Rubber Photography Contest held from July 27th to August 5th, 2020, as a highlight of the first ever National HIV Prevention Month (NHPM). Over 50 entries were sent, all creatively using condoms and lubes in a way that invokes a strong message on why they are key HIV prevention tools and how they help promote a #SaferNow lifestyle. Of these, 37 made the final cut and meticulously judged by an esteemed panel of jurors: Culture and Arts Managers of the Philippines (CAMP), Inc founder and HIV advocate Ian Alquiros, freelance photographer and artist Kraus Estanislao, photographer, LGBT rights advocate and HIV awareness ambassador Niccolo Cosme, and celebrity photographer BJ Pascual. Ian, Kraus, and Niccolo joined in on the Condoms and Lubes Day virtual even...

By LoveYourself Communications MANDALUYONG CITY - LoveYourself Anglo was certified as a Rapid HIV Diagnostic Algorithm (rHIVda) Confirmatory Laboratory on June 30, 2020. Certified by the Department of Health (DOH), the community center’s diagnostic laboratory is equipped to conduct confirmatory testing without the need to send samples to the National Reference Laboratory-San Lazaro Hospital-STD/AIDS Cooperative Central Laboratory (NRL-SLH/SACCL) for reactive cases. “I would like to express my gratitude to our hardworking laboratory and community well-being team for making this happen. Hopefully more Filipinos are able to access their treatment more efficiently with this system shift.” said Ronivin Pagtakhan, LoveYourself Executive Director. The Health Technology Assessment Study Group of the Health Policy Development and Planning Bureau of the DOH changed the diagnostic algorithm of HIV in the country. This was mainly due to the need to respond to the exponential increase in HIV infec...

By: Joel Donato Ching Jacob Amy asked why I felt that I wanted to meet with her. I answered, “I wanted to meet with you because I do not want to meet with you.” I didn’t know it then, but I have social anxiety. I am not sure how it feels for other people I can only relay how it feels for me. It does feel like I was going crazy because I get upset over conflicting fears. I get overwhelmed with fears of missing out but I am also afraid of people. I dislike interacting with people. Some of my friends find it hard to get on board with the idea; maybe I did too at the start. I can be loud. I can be fun. I am the guy you can expect to call for the waiter at the restaurant or to ask for the manager if we had complaints in a venue. I love dancing in the clubs. I am not the least bit shy, so social anxiety seemed like the least of my problems. Illustration by Isaac Brines But I was also very flaky. I would agree to go to events and I would be ready but I would cancel at the last minute. The ide...

By: Ryan Taborada Restricted mobility in Cebu City due to imposed lockdowns has posed a real challenge for its residents who continually need to avail of HIV-related services by LoveYourself White House. Knowing that testing and access to medication is critical to combat the spread of HIV, LoveYourself continues to open its door to anyone who needs its services. Except on holidays, LoveYourself White House remains open from Wednesdays through Sundays, with temporarily reduced service hours of 12 p.m. to 5 p.m., cut-off time at 4 p.m. Starting on May 20, 2020, the center will operate from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., 6 p.m. cut-off time. Its return to its regular hours of 12 p.m. to 8 p.m. will be announced once this becomes viable.  To keep the in-person antiretroviral (ARV) refill uninterrupted for those undergoing treatment, LoveYourself has recently activated the Xpress Refill program. They may now receive ARV refill via delivery by registering here: go.loveyourself.ph/xpressrefill . “...

MANDALUYONG CITY (21 April 2020) – Miss  Universe Titleholders Pia Wurtzbach and Catriona Gray headlined the Rise As One: An Online Concert that happened last April 12 at the Champion Community Centers' Facebook page. The Champion Community Centers, alongside the movers in the HIV advocacy, have banded together to send a message of hope and love to the country, amidst the COVID-19 and extended community quarantine situation. Wurtzbach, also the UNAIDS Goodwill Ambassador for Asia and the Pacific, encouraged the people to prioritize their physical health. She advised to continue following measures to avoid COVID-19, and for people living with HIV (PLHIV) to keep a stock of their antiretroviral medicines to secure an undetectable status, since undetectable equals untransmittable (U=U). Gray, an HIV advocate, empathized with the members of the HIV community for the medical assistance they need despite the ongoing enhanced community quarantine. She also advised reaching out and getting...

By Carlos Diego A. Rozul On LoveYourself’s eighth year of service, the year 2019 has been one of its most eventful years thus far. Not only has its pool of volunteers been growing, but the organization has been expanding its reach and improving its services. Keeping with this growing opportunities, volunteers were enriched with special trainings addressing critical organizational affairs. New programs and projects were also launched as a result of the hard work and dedication of its volunteers and staff. With everything that has happened, let us remember 2019 as the year it was. Programs and Projects LoveYourself, as a loving community of HIV awareness advocates, is most known for its free HIV testing and treatment services. As of December 2019, LoveYourself across its community centers, Platinum Testing Service , and offsite events has done 38,549 tests, enabling clients to take charge of the sexual health with timely HIV testing , and treatment if they turned out reactive to the test...

By LoveYourself Communications Everyone needs that sense of security in sexual health, whoever your sexual partner is. Reducing your vulnerability to sexually transmitted infections (STIs), especially with HIV, has always been a responsibility to yourself. You can better protect yourself against HIV with the new prevention method called the Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP). We have seen the rise of HIV cases at an exponential rate over the years. These cases usually come with images of fear and death narratives. But now, we can all be witness to a new era, wherein we can enjoy our lives to the fullest. More than that, we are able to show off our love for ourselves - a necessity to be cherished, and with new advancements available, such worries could be addressed more proactively. The time is ripe for us to change and shape our own narratives. PrEP being given to a client in LoveYourself Anglo Pre-Exposure What Now? Now you are asking yourself, what is PrEP? From its etymology: “Pre” or ...