Regional AIDS assistance team plans to combat HIV

TACLOBAN CITY – A meeting was held yesterday at the DOH-8 compound by the Regional Aids Assistance Team to formally tackle the topic regarding the ascending number of STD/HIV/AIDS victims, and to find immediate solutions for this.

The team is a multi-agency team composed of the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG0, Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), Department of Health (DOH), Commissiion on Human Rights (CHR), Commission on Higher Education (CHED), Civil Service Commission (CSC) and Department of Education (DepEd).

Boyd Cerro, regional sentinel nurse and STD/HIV/AIDS program coordinator, said the aim of the meeting is to help those who are victims of STI/HIV/AIDS.

“Because of the increasing number of HIV cases here in the Philippines, we are planning to expand our team by adding more agency into it.” Cerro also said.

“With the addition of agencies into a team, it would be easier for them to combat these kind of problems before it becomes rampant all over the Philippines.” Cerro added.

These agencies would all be working together in planning the best solution to this increasing number of affected persons with these diseases.

Aside from that, they are really planning to make effective prevention activities against these diseases because these would be essential to make their actions solid.

It was also learned that lately there were administrative orders that came out stating that HIV education must be included in the school curriculum nationwide which will be of great importance for many people, especially to teenagers.

At present, they are just waiting for the timing until they could formally start implementing their proposed plans. And their team will still continue to meet again in the near future to really have a formal decision regarding the planned activities, lectures, campaigns etc. Connectively, these activities will surely make their forces more stronger, it was disclosed. (JENNO A. RANIN, LNU-Intern)