30 AIDS-stricken victims prowl in South Cotabato

General Santos City in South Cotabato province serves as prowling grounds for 30 individuals with full-blown HIV-AIDS—most of them are commercial sex workers and some are professionals.

Dr. Nelly Lastimoso of the General Santos City District Hospital confirmed the cases of 30 HIV-AIDS infected individuals and warned the local adult population to be very careful about their sex partners. Findings came from blood tests of the victims.

General Santos City is among the 10 Philippine cities with a high number of syphilis and other cases of sexually transmitted diseases, according to a private study that lists the cities of Angeles, Olongapo, Cebu, Davao, Iloilo, Zamboanga, Baguio, Quezon and Metro Manila with the highest prostitution growth rate.

Lastimoso said that these 30 individuals are from South Cotabato and General Santos, most of them were engaged in the commercial sex trade and some are professionals.

Lastimoso said they are now focusing their study on the prevalence of sexually transmitted disease (STD) and human immuno virus/Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (HIV/AIDS).

Studies indicate that four of some 300 commercial sex workers in each of the cities who registered for social hygiene (pap smear) and blood tests tested positive for HIV while the rest have syphilis.

“At present, General Santos City, which has been popularized as the tuna capital city of the Philippines, has the highest number of sex workers in all various night spots, hotels, and beer joints,“ said one local official who refused to be identified.

Migrants particularly the women from various key cities who flock to GenSan to work in the canning fac-tories would be forced to engage in prostitution after their five-month contract in the company would expire.

“Contractual workers in the tuna canning factories particularly in the fishing industry in Gensan were forced to engage in prostitution after their five-month contract in the company would expire,” said the source.

It noted that migrant women who are jobless and laid off women workers were usually prone to engage in flesh trading. –JERRY ADLAW, Manial Times