Old LY Site

By Mark Angello C. Ganon September 30, 2017 – Fresh faces once again dotted the People’s Hall of SM Aura Premier with the orientation of Batch Duque, LoveYourself’s 3rd set of volunteers for 2017. JM Maynes, Love U (the corporate university of LoveYourself) admin, oversaw the batch orientation of 45 promising individuals who underwent and passed a selective recruitment process. The whole-day affair centered on the essence of volunteerism in the organization’s HIV awareness and prevention advocacy. Batch Duque, 45 new and promising LoveYourself volunteers LOOKING BACK… In 2016, LoveYourself’s triad of volunteer batches highlighted the country’s three main islands as a sign of patriotism ( Magayon for Luzon, Kinaadman for Visayas, and Bahandi for Mindanao). This 2017, the inspiration for the names and logos of the three batches of recruits are the iconic architectural structures significant to the organization. They were the hubs and halls that were witnesses to the growth of LoveYo...

By Carlos Diego A. Rozul Everyone has talked about a particular status in his or her life, be it their relationship status, their financial status, and heck people talk about their problems on their Facebook status all the time! But one thing that’s rarely talked about is one’s HIV status. Despite its relevance today it is still greatly stigmatized and has been thought of as taboo by many. This monthly column aims to help facilitate discussion on issues surrounding HIV testing and living with HIV. Blood is the lifeline that flows through the body. It nourishes and transports waste products to appropriate filtering organs. In the past year, there have been reports 1 , 2 of increased donated units that have tested reactive for HIV after screening consistent with the rise of HIV infections in the Philippines. However, there have also been accounts of nonreactive men having sex with men (MSM) who have been deferred from donating blood on the basis of their sexual orientation. Reiner, a r...

By Jay-Ar Keita The Philippines’ battle with HIV continues, as the number of newly diagnosed people living with HIV (PLHIV) remains high. According to the HIV/AIDS and ART Registry of the Philippines (HARP), an average of 30 new cases per day were reported in June 2017, only five cases less compared to May 2017's daily average.This time last year, there were 841 new cases reported. The latest data shows a 20% increase to this month’s census of 1,013. Eighty-eight percent (88%) of these were asymptomatic at the time of reporting. Stock photo / Pixabay Sexual contact remained the top mode of transmission, according to the report. Eight hundred eighteen (818) reported cases were men having sex with men (MSM), while 151 were from heterosexual intercourse. Out of the 818 MSM cases, 554 were through homosexual contact, and the remaining 264 came from bisexual contact. Also listed were sharing of infected needles with 25 cases and mother-to-child transmission with 7, while the remaining...

By Jeffrey Venzuela The latest data (June) released by DOH , shows that more than half of the reported cases of HIV belong to the age range of 25-34 years old, which means that most cases are young professionals. With the ongoing advancement of treatment and maintenance for HIV and AIDS, it should be known that life doesn ’ t end upon diagnosis. Living, however, can still be an uphill battle. While some people look to their jobs to make ends meet, others consider their work as a part of their self-fulfillment and self-realization. In this edition of STATUS, we ask: Should your serostatus matter at your workplace? One ’ s serostatus is very sensitive and private information. Only you can choose to disclose it. However, there may come a time when working conditions are not so favorable to your health or you would need to explain frequent absences. In times like these, it would be beneficial to talk to your supervisor or human resource personnel about your situation. Image by Jiru Rada A...

Long before Miss Universe 2015 Pia Alonzo Wurtzbach exponentially raised HIV and AIDS awareness in the country, many Filipino individuals have been working hard to change the landscape of the HIV and AIDS advocacy in the country. Ten (10) of them will be recognized this World AIDS Day on 1 December during the first-ever “Love Gala.” The Love Gala, as unveiled Wednesday (9 August), is the Asia’s Premier Charity and Awards Gala event, which will honor outstanding individuals and their immeasurable contributions at “The Ripple Awards.” The organization believes that “a single person's act of love can start a wave that can save millions of people.” The Ripple Awards nomination period is open until 31 August 2017. Visit the Love Gala page: http://lovegala.org/nominate-now/ to nominate someone who has created ripples of positive change that greatly influenced the domestic and global movement towards the HIV and AIDS advocacy. Potential nominees can be a repre...