If we do not test people for HIV infection, then we won’t know how bad the situation is in the country. So let’s get this out of the way, testing is important.
But solely focusing on this messaging – i.e. that there are more people reported to be HIV positive because more people are now getting tested – is ineffectual, is inadequate, is limiting. I am trying to find “nice” adjectives here, though you get the point, i.e. that the claim is problematic.
Yung nag-i-insist na “mataas ang HIV infection rates kasi marami na nagapa-test”, and then be insistent on that line of messaging lang, yung ayaw maging critical by looking at contexts kasi preferred ang oversimplification ng organization na pinagtatrabahuan niya na kumikita sa existing HIV testing projects, paki-sampal.
Why, oh why?
- Just because more people are getting tested for HIV, should not mean that more people will test HIV positive. Ang lazy ng pag-link sa dalawa eh; that marami kasi nagpa-test kaya marami nag-positive, as if one automatically leads to the other.
- Yung totoo, kahit marami ang magpapa-test, kung wala namang na-infect ng HIV to begin with, then hindi tataas ang reported HIV infection rates.
- Yang pag-taas ng numero, ang pinapakita niyan ay ang failure ng HIV service providers – from the Department of Health to the mayayamang NGOs to the ill-equipped community-based organizations (CBOs) – sa kanilang tungkulin. Yung CBOs puwede i-excuse; yung DOH and ang extremely well-funded NGOs, hindi. Kasi sa tinagal-tagal nilang dapat inatupag ito, ayan na nga… lumalala lang ang numero… kasabay ng pag-yaman ng iilang “service providers”.
So, oo, mahalaga ang figures showing us how bad the situation is in the Philippines. But don’t use the same numbers to “excuse” the failures of the very systems that now exist to deal with HIV.
Bad pa rin ang safer sex education na pinapakalat. Yung DOH, nasa “A, B, C of safer sex” pa rin, pilit na tinutulak ang bulok na “be mutually faithful” message sa panahon ng PrEP, open relationships, polyamory, sex work normalization, et cetera. Marami-raming NGOs, nakatutok sa profit and not sa services. Yung PrEP, available lang sa “can afford”. Yung OHAT Package ng PhilHealth, hindi lubos na pinapakinabangan ng PLHIVs, pero nakakamkam ng ilang “service providers”. Ang ARV, di pa rin ma-access ng mga nasa laylayan ng lipunan.
All these gravely impact the HIV infection rates in this country… hindi lang yung dahil marami ang nagpa-test.
