Revisiting these words and thinking about their impact today would bring an impression that does not surprise advocates, because they would find out that there has been little progress as much as one would think after more than a decade has passed.

Kirby’s examples of what steps the Australian government has taken to prevent HIV infection during a drug use scare was not what was on everyone’s mind especially after a statement on the moral correctness of protecting their citizens.

He said, “Paradoxically enough, the only way to deal effectively with the problem of the rapid spread of this epidemic in our region is by respecting and protecting the human rights of those who are already exposed to the virus and those most at risk.”

He said that despite political disagreements, political parties recognized that there really was one clear and efficient way to reduce the risk of individuals, especially those who are in sex work, people who inject drugs, males who have sex with other males, and other marginalized persons. It was the “courageous decisions” that have been made by their political leaders to put aside their differences and prioritize these lives that changed the game.

“When we were in the middle of the war on drugs, needle exchange was a very politically risky step to take. But it was taken because the politicians came to the view that saving lives was the ultimate moral test,” he added. He referred to the program wherein people who inject drugs were encouraged to exchange their used needles for new ones when they are about to use drugs anew. He also encouraged the need for a standardized and realistic way of educating the public.

As for the Philippines, where advocates were lobbying for a law (RA 8504) at that time, he said the country’s leaders had “too many words and not enough action” and that they should respond “with more than words”.

RA 8504 or the Philippine AIDS Law was passed a year later in 1998, but it’s disheartening to know that despite Kirby’s reminder to the Philippine government to respond fast, and to adopt the moral correctness of recognizing its moral obligation to protect the rights of its citizens in preventing HIV infection, not much has changed.

There are still many disagreements on what is the ‘morally right’ thing to be done. This at the expense of the lives lost to AIDS and continues to lose at a hastening pace. Would it take another 16 years or more for us to see anything happening in the fight against HIV? We sure hope not.

It’s a matter of prevention versus cure. I’m talking about the constant woes in HIV advocacy caused by people using the Internet as an avenue of baseless accusations and unwarranted disclosure of people’s HIV status.

Early this year, an individual chose an online social network as the platform to indict a student of being HIV-positive and of deliberately infecting other people through a poster of the student’s picture and other identifying features. As expected, with the phenomena brought by these online mediums, the post spread like wildfire through countless re-posts. It drew different comments; a few, of dismay that someone would do this to shame a person, but mostly of confusion and fear that probably, this person might actually be purposely infecting others.

To save a maligned name and disprove the unknown perpetrator, the student took the HIV screening test at a social hygiene clinics and got a non-reactive result.

This has happened before. A blog targeted multiple subscribers of a gay social networking site and branded them HIV-positive as well. This even reached mainstream media and caused quite a blow towards our efforts of dissipating the fear of HIV, which would eventually hamper the public’s opportunities of understanding HIV and AIDS.

In light of a current law penalizing people who malign others, with some using HIV infection at the core of accusations, I think it’s good that there is something to use against persons who put others in a bad light. Given the lack of teeth of RA 8504, or the Philippine AIDS Law, it could help put a stop to the destructive online attacks. But I think we can do more than just chastise.

But then again, why not just aid the campaign on HIV prevention by educating people, strengthening school campaigns and helping the media handle this very sensitive topic? HIV is no longer just a health issue. It is a social issue given the country’s taboo perception on sex and sexual contact, which is currently the most widespread mode of transmission of the virus.

I believe that educating people and removing the stigma is the best preventive measure against hateful remarks online from ever happening again. Not only will it help the country in its goal of lessening HIV prevalence; it will also help persons living with HIV to seek out help without fear of discrimination. Again, as they say, prevention is better than cure.

Disclaimer: The views represented in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect that of AIDS Society of the Philippines, Inc.