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LoveYourself introduces an innovation with its new service called Couple’s HIV Counseling and Testing (CHCT), otherwise lightheartedly coined as LoveYourself Purple, designed for couples who wish to undergo HIV counseling and testing together. This service aims to provide intervention for couples so that they may plan for their future and discuss a realistic risk reduction plan that they can implement together. An important note to be mindful of with LoveYourself’s CHCT program is the nuance of the word “couple” which implies that at least two individuals who wish to avail the program are in a pre-sexual or sexual relationship. The Learning and Development arm of LoveYourself, Love University, together with one of its founding members, Chris Lagman, coordinated the training program for LoveYourself volunteers who will be counselors for this service. This service was developed with the backdrop of rising incidence of HIV infections among males who have sex with males (MSM), many of thes...

Despite his financial struggles, the unassuming scholar and LoveYourself top counselor keeps the cycle of kindness going, one compassionate act at a time. "I like helping out people, especially when I see them happy or when I see my efforts bear fruit. It gives me fulfillment. And because there were people who helped me in the past when I needed it, I somehow want to give back."  By Jean Natividad  Not considering its tragic ending, the 2000 American drama flick Pay It Forward , based on the novel of the same name by Catherine Ryan Hyde, is a delight for its stellar performances and heartwarming theme. In it, a young visionary named Trevor McKinney (Haley Joel Osment) creates a networking plan of paying favors forward to spread kindness in a rather organized fashion and, ultimately (and excuse the cliché), change the world.  While good deeds seem harder to come by these days and the idea of making a change too daft for society's cynics, it certainly wouldn't hurt to h...

We spoke with one of LoveYourself's top counselors Jack Torres, a man whose enlightenment and life of volunteerism beautifully, but not without its challenges, unravelled in seven years. He shares, "I believe life is not meaningless. If I'm able to find meaning in what I'm doing, others should have the same chance to find meaning in their lives." By Jean Natividad Jack made himself comfortable on the couch, wiping his sweat and catching his breath. It was a scorching Saturday noon in Manila, and we had a few minutes to chat before he had to leave for volunteer duty. In his gray shirt, blue jeans, and trusty sneakers, he looked pretty ordinary. But it's true there's a story behind every person we meet, and Jack's is one of depth and meaning that's worth sharing. Jack, 31, wears many hats as an educator, researcher, teacher trainer, and LoveYourself counselor. He has been contributing to making students, teachers, and clients better informed, than...

Free HIV testing is offered at the Love Yourself Hub (a.k.a. RITM Satellite Clinic). Interested in getting tested? Come! We have friendly and well-trained HIV counselors who are committed to help you conveniently go through the entire testing process. Test results are released within the same day. What preparations are needed before the testing? Just bring yourself to the clinic for testing. Blood extraction will be performed, but unlike the usual blood tests, fasting is not required. How long does it take to get the results? Once the blood sample has been extracted from you, it will take 2-3 hours before you can get your results. The counselor will call your attention once the results are available, and then the post-test counseling shall take place. What are the symptoms of HIV infection? HIV infection can be asymptomatic. This means that you may feel perfectly healthy even if you have already been infected. The only way to know with absolute assurance that you have contracted the v...

Roughly 1 of 4 new HIV cases now come from Filipino youth aged 15 to 24. Alarmed by this trend, student leaders recently partnered with LoveYourself to take an HIV test , hoping to encourage more youth to know their HIV status and practice safer sex. 13 student council representatives from different schools trooped to the LoveYourself hub in Malate late last month. They joined 40 other visitors to avail of the free HIV testing and counseling services at the community center. “It has come to our attention as student leaders that the incidence of HIV in the Philippines has been on a rapid increase. What bothered us more is the fact that a significant portion of these recent increases in HIV incidences come from the youth sector,” explained Arjay Mercado, head of the Gender Committee of the U.P. Diliman University Student Council, and one of the student leaders from the Student Council Association of the Philippines (SCAP), which led the initiative. “With this in our minds, we decided...

Soon after the successful Quickie by LoveYourself Confidential  HIV testing event last September 20 at the Makati Friendship Suites, more than 70 of LoveYourself's HIV-trained counselors came together for the 1st LoveYourself Counselors' Convention on Saturday, October 5 at the Best Western Antel Suites. The Convention was sponsored by the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine , specifically by their AIDS Reseach Group (RITM-ARG). Dr. Rossana Ditangco , head of RITM-ARG kicked off the Convention with a keynote. She talked about the love story between RITM and LoveYourself -- how the partnership has blossomed in the past two years, starting with a basic vision from RITM on the HIV continuum of care, and LoveYourself's passion to bring it to life. "Since LoveYourself took over the operations of the RITM Satellite Clinic in Malate as the LoveYourself Hub, the numbers of those coming to get tested for HIV at the Hub has drastically increased, " Dr. Ditangco declar...

   GOT LOVE? So, you know you’ve got talent and mad skills , but you want to do more than just your 8-to-5. Maybe there are all these creative ideas that you're dying to unleash. Or maybe you’ve just got all this love inside of you that you want to share, but you don’t know where, or how, or whom to. Find your impetus.  LoveYourself is always looking for committed volunteers who believe in our vision of a self-loving, healthy, and HIV/STI-free Philippines. If you  have the time, energy, and team spirit to make a difference in our community, read on. WHAT ARE WE LOOKING FOR? COMMUNICATIONS Software engineers / programmers. Technology is the tool that enables us to touch thousands of MSMs everywhere. And everyday, we're working on cutting-edge projects that can revolutionize the advocacy. If you’ve got IT chops, we want you!  Visual artists / graphic designers. We make things look sexy. If you’ve got an eye for layouts and you rock at Photoshop, you’ll de...

ED: This post was originally written in 2011 by Manila Gay Guy. It still rings true even today. It starts like a painless prick in the mind — HIV? Me?  Nah . Then after a while, you remember those crazy times in the past.  Yeah , you think,  crazy but not too crazy as to put me at risk.  Besides, the probability of getting it is too low.  Malinis naman sila, I’m sure. You continue to attempt convincing yourself. Time pass and you’re mostly successful in keeping those HIV thoughts at bay. Yet there were times, admit it, that the prick in the mind becomes a bit more intense. Did I really do it bareback? Can’t remember na.  May condom naman yata.  Yata? Shit, can’t remember na talaga. Now it’s selective memory lapse. You think you were safe naman, most of the time, at the least. But you can’t seem to get the doubt off your mind. Suddenly, you don’t know, it is not clear if you really were safe. Everytime you see those three letters HIV, there’s a slight s...

The local Health Departments of Quezon City and Makati lead the pack in actively implementing world-class HIV prevention programs, particularly HIV Counseling and Testing.  In a report published by the World Health Organization in the last quarter of 2012, the Philippines was praised for the use of best methods in containing the epidemic. “Existing interventions draw on international best practices such as peer learning, networked outreach, internet chatting, and connecting risk groups to health services,” the report says. In particular, the report cites a key strength of the Philippine response to HIV which is the different models now made available by different groups in the provision of HIV counseling and testing (HCT). “ This diversity is a strength of the response in the Philippines, and should be embraced. There is no single, perfect model for delivering HCT because sites vary in terms of potential clients, available resources, and the site’s experience in providing… HCT, ” t...