By Bet Domingo
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| THE HACKERS: LoveYourself volunteers, beauty queens, the doctors and the media are all united for one cause during the Hacking HIV 2.0 last Saturday (17 November) at the PETA Theater in New Manila, Quezon City. (PHOTO BY: Aya Tantiangco) |
The Hacking HIV 2.0 entails the
unveiling of four new HIV programs. First of which is the establishment of
three new community centers, namely LoveYourself Welcome in Manila near Welcome
Rotonda, Lily by LoveYourself x DIOSSA in Parañaque City, and LoveYourself
White House in Cebu City.
“These new community centers will
enable us to reach more people for our HIV-related services,” LoveYourself
Senior Director Christopher Lagman said.
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| Photo by Joma Ragrario |
Beauty queen-ambassador turned
volunteer, Gray introduces a pioneering HIV service called SelfCare. It is a
HIV self-screening process that caters to people who want to have their HIV
screening by themselves at their own convenient time and with utmost privacy.
“We offer this alternative option to
address the concerns of the people who are willing to take the test, but are
not able to do so due to fear and stigma attached to HIV testing. We initiated
this move, so we would be able to bring the service to them and help them know
their status,” Gray said.
On the other hand, LoveYourself is
also the power behind the national HIV testing day on the 24th of November
dubbed as “Hot Doctors of ‘Pinas.” According to LoveYourself founder and
executive director Ronivin G. Pagtakhan, the Hot Doctors of Pinas will provide
HIV101 during the testing day and interested individuals should register at
this link: bitly.com/HotDoctorsPinas.
“We started the mass testing campaign
in 2011 where LoveYourself was still starting with one site only, and we are
now holding this kind of activity twice annually. This time, we are
collaborating with various community-based organizations providing HIV services
to expand the program to different locations across the country,” Pagtakhan underlined.
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| Photo by Joma Ragrario |
The Hot Doctors of ‘Pinas sites in
Metro Manila (i.e., Manila/Quezon City, Mandaluyong, Parañaque, Pasay and
Taguig) and in cities in different provinces (Luzon: Bacoor and Imus in Cavite
Mabalacat in Pampanga, Puerto Princesa in Palawan, Visayas: Cebu and Iloilo,
Mindanao: Cagayan de Oro, Davao and Zamboanga).
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| BEAUTY WITH A CAUSE: Miss Universe 2015 and UNAIDS Goodwill Ambassador for the Asia-Pacific Pia Alonzo Wurtzbach and Miss Universe- Philippines 2018 and LoveYourself volunteer Catriona Gray strike a pose not to model a brand, but to be the model for the community in hacking and sacking the HIV to termination in a press event for four LoveYourself new programs. Photo by Joma Ragrario |
Finally, world-renowned HIV advocacy
ambassador, Wurtzbach launches the 2019 Love Gala and Ripple Awards. These are
LoveYourself’s twin events that gather together advocates and supporters of the
global HIV movement to magnify and mainstream the cause.
“We’ve started Love Gala in 2017
during the World AIDS Day commemoration, and recognized leaders and front
movers in the HIV advocacy during the Ripple Awards. In the love month next
year, we will do it again to inspire more people to rally for the cause,”
Wurtzbach explained.
Wurtzbach has been LoveYourself’s
biggest ambassador during her stint as Miss Universe 2015.
Love Gala/Ripple Awards will take
place on 23 February 2019 at One Esplanade in SM MOA Complex in Pasay City.
