• PROGRAM MANAGER
• PROJECT OFFICER/S (MSM / TG / YKP / PWID)
• FINANCE OFFICER
• FINANCE ASSISTANT
• MONITORING, EVALUATION, ACCOUNTABILITY & LEARNING (MEAL) OFFICER
• MONITORING, EVALUATION, ACCOUNTABILITY & LEARNING (MEAL) ASSISTANT
• ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICER
• ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT

Brief Description of the Organization:

The AIDS Society of the Philippines (ASP) is a leading association of professionals from various sectors in the community (government, non-government agencies, and the private sector), with a common unifying interest in preventing the spread of HIV and AIDS. As a professional society, it counts among its members, experts and professionals from diverse fields such as health and development, infectious diseases, public health, business, and media and communications.

The ASP was established in 1996 by its Founding President, Dr. Ofelia T. Monzon, who pioneered investigative studies on HIV/AIDS at the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine in Alabang, Muntinlupa. Its mission is the promotion and support of activities to prevent and control the spread of HIV/AIDS.

Interested parties may email their resume / CV preferably with 2-3 references and a recent ID picture to: info@aidsphil.org

Indicate your subject as “Applicant for (Position)”

Shortlisted Applicants will receive an Interview Invitation.

For 30 years, from 1984 to present there were a total of 20,424 HIV and AIDS cases reported and it’s constantly increasing. With the changing drivers and trends of the epidemic, it is now the time to go back and assess what we did best and what we missed out.

This year’s theme “The Evidence: A Roundtable Discussion on HIV and AIDS in the Philippines,” will surface and review the current evidence on what is really happening in the country and trace where are we now. There are six themed sessions: Integration of HIV and AIDS in the Education Curriculum, HIV Counseling and Testing, HIV Testing for Minors, Anti-Retroviral (ARV) Treatment in Pregnant Women, ARV Treatment Guidelines, and Human Rights on HIV and AIDS. Distinguished speakers who are experts from the region will elaborate on the best practices that may be effective at the regional level, local program implementers will discuss current policies, coverage extent of reach and challenges, and people living with HIV (PLHIV) will share their personal experiences and advocacy agenda points for consideration.

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We are inviting you to join us on this important event. Let us talk, discuss and look at ways on how to can move forward. Through continued and strengthened solidarity, we will be able to rise above the challenges and remain practical and strategic in approaches to ultimately curb the Philippine HIV epidemic. It is everyone’s concern. None of us can do this alone, but together, we can

Several HIV interest groups recently criticized the DOH for its plans to implement “mandatory” HIV testing while citing provisions in the 1998 AIDS law that does not allow “compulsory” testing.

In the Philippines today, the number of new HIV infections continues to increase month per month and estimates now run to 14 new HIV cases every day. Despite these, the HIV prevalence (new and old infections combined) remains less than 1%. Most of the current infections occur among males who have sex with male who engage in unprotected sex.

Preliminary results from the 2013 Integrated HIV Behavioral and Serologic Surveillance (IHBSS) carried out on 6,305 males who have sex with males offered these findings: 1) 44 for every 1,000 were HIV positive compared to 17 per 1,000 in 2011 2) two-thirds engaged in anal sex while only 37% used condoms in their last anal sex 3) only half accessed the social hygiene clinic for medical services while only 17% were reached thru peer education 4) despite the risks, only 15% were ever tested and only 8% were tested in the past 12 months and knew their results.

In 2013, the United States Preventive Health Services recommended that clinicians screen ALL adolescents and adults ages 15 years-65 years for HIV and younger adolescents or older persons who are at increased risk as well as all pregnant women including those who present in labor. They cited strong evidence that such mandatory screening tests have benefits since screening identifies those who have HIV but otherwise may not feel ill, and if they are infected then they can start with medicines that can make them have better chances of staying healthier and thus delaying AIDS, the final stage of HIV. Individuals who will be offered HIV screening can decline.

Based on the current HIV situation (including future projections) and current strong evidence on benefits of early HIV screening, the Department of Health, mulls mandatory screening by health providers for patients who maybe suspected having HIV infection based on a risk-based assessment. The AIDS law in fact encourages risk based screening. What is mandatory therefore applies to health providers who remain key participants to halt or reverse the HIV epidemic. Mandatory screening maybe extended to pregnant mothers during their prenatal visit to prevent mothers infecting their child.

In the AIDS law, such testing requires informed consent, pre- and post-test counseling, with test results only available to individuals who were tested, bounded by privacy and confidentiality.

What the law prohibits for such HIV testing is when they are used as preconditions to “employment, admission to educational institutions, exercise of freedoms of abode, entry or continues stay in the country, or right to travel, or provision of medical services.” The DOH/Philippine National AIDS Council continues to monitor such discriminatory acts and encourages all concerned to report such acts so that they will be appropriately addressed.

The AIDS law also provides that any person with HIV is obliged to disclose their HIV status and health conditions to their partners while the DOH pursues contact tracing. Contact tracing requires HIV screening and this remains a public health prerogative. Individuals traced from contact tracing will be properly counseled and ethical testing requirements will be observed.

The DOH welcomes criticisms as a means to understand those who have divergent views and to reconcile such different views in a proper venue that allows productive resolution of issues.

Even as DOH mulls such “mandatory” testing, giant steps are necessary to increase public awareness of HIV, concretize a comprehensive plan that is sufficiently financed and end stigmatization and discrimination against HIV.

There is no other urgent time than today for health care providers to receive HIV-positive individuals at our health service facilities. It is also imperative to regard counseling as crucial and essential.

The AIDS Society of the Philippines (ASP), in partnership with the Philippine Obstetrics and Gynecological Society Foundation, Inc. (POGS) Women Reproductive Health Advocacy Committee (WRHAC), embarked on a pilot workshop on “Appreciating HIV and AIDS Counseling” on June 13 and 14, 2013 to build awareness and understanding of the process of counseling on HIV and AIDS and appreciating the need for counseling skills, specifically in the conduct of pre and post test counseling.

Dr. Jose Narciso Melchor Sescon, a fellow of POGS and currently the president of ASP, was the team’s lead trainer for the workshop. Dr. Sescon recalled that “counseling was not part of any medical curriculum – unlike in other paramedical courses such as nursing and social work, but it is still an assurance that they can effectively handle HIV and AIDS counseling processes.” He said, “It is very timely that POGS members be acquainted with what and how the counseling process is correctly undertaken.”

Brother Lito explaining the importance of effective communication

“Counseling is a dynamic process between the counselor and the client, undertaking a common ground, working towards a pragmatic course of action that is realistic and time-bound”, said Dr. Sescon. “At all times, HIV and AIDS counseling is client-centered based and it is where informed decisions are made.”

The entire workshop content was culled from POGS 2012 edition: “A Silent Infection: A Sourcebook on HIV and AIDS Competency.” The primer workshop used lectures, case studies, role-plays and other forms of learning methodologies and techniques. A total of 33 workshop participants attended, 25 of them completed the 2-day appreciation training. All were OB GYN consultants sent by their respective departments from the different POGS-accredited hospitals in Metro Manila, including representatives from Batangas and Cavite City.

The workshop was opened by Dr. Mario Bernardino, committee chair of POGS WRHWA. The “Getting to know you” session was a lively Bingo social activity wherein participants moved around and searched for partners, making way for formal introductions. In the first topic, “Understanding HIV and AIDS”, Dr Nerissa Sescon FPCP, FPSMID, elaborated on the basics of HIV biology, life cycle, modes of transmission, and prevention. Her lecture also explained antiretroviral therapy and information as to where to link HIV services.

Dr. Mario Bernardo opening the event.

Dr. Sescon provided the “Global situation vis-à-vis the local situation of HIV and AIDS in the Philippines”, followed by the “HIV continuum of risks”, in which participants identified a full range of sexual activities and classified them according to the risks of contracting HIV. Dr. Sescon stated that the risks for HIV are different with the risks of contracting other sexually transmitted infections (STI) and health workers have to know this by heart.

Dr. Sescon explained and demonstrated the proper use of condoms in the next session on “Correct and consistent condom use”. The session revealed the fact that most of the OB GYN participants do not know how to use a condom.

Dr. Sescon demonstrating the proper use of condoms

The “Psychosocial dimensions of HIV and AIDS” and “All about communication and counseling processes”, were provided by Dr. Anjoy Aguadera and Bro. Lito Cruz respectively. Dr. Aguadera presented a case study that served as a springboard for discussing bio-psychosocial events in the life of a person living with HIV and AIDS. Bro. Cruz emphasized the need to revisit health care providers’ language styles in dealing with “clients”, a term best referred to patients who are undergoing counseling, and how counseling has to highlight verbal and non-verbal cues in communication. Dr. Aguadera also presented the differences between “Voluntary counseling and testing” and “Provider-initiated Counseling and Testing”.

In the session on the AIDS Law or RA 8504, Dr. Sescon stressed the relevant provisions for health service providers to know. He said it is imperative to inform, educate and reduce the risk all patients contracting the virus and cautioned against giving misleading information to clients, such as condoms having holes. Dr. Sescon said the law clearly articulates that an HIV test would need a written informed consent from the client, coupled with the conduct of pre and post test counseling.  On confidentiality and disclosure issues, he said it is important that a health care provider knows to whom an HIV test is conducted and disclosed. For each violation of the law, there are corresponding penalties and sanctions to include revocation of medical licenses of the health care provider and health facility.

Participants took turns simulating a counseling session

Bro. Lito Cruz’s session on the “Different Stages of Counseling” entailed a discussion and an actual role-play of what constitutes counseling and what does not. Lorna Garcia, president of Babae Plus, facilitated a review of safer sex practices and condom use.

The participants took turns in counselor and client roles for them to experience how it is done. After a synthesis on learning processes, Dr. Sescon engaged the participants in a “Wildfire” that simulates a client’s HIV test to the time the test result is revealed.

Dr. Ditas Decena, POGS PRO, congratulated the OB-GYN participants for a fruitful and meaningful workshop initiative and for all participants during the closing ceremony. Post test and evaluation of the workshop was conducted to complete the session.

Participants of the appreciation course

For more of the photos, visit the album on our Facebook Page.

Thirty years later, with Facebook, decades of AIDS research, a tighter-knit international community, and a widely established anti-retroviral therapy, the Philippines is undergoing the same epidemiological patterns as the US.

The rise among men who have sex with men

Statistics show that the virus has taken hold of the demographic of men who have sex with men. In the government’s HIV registry for January 2013, there were 380 people registered as newly diagnosed with HIV; 93% percent were males. The most dominant form of transmission was via sex of males with other males at 82%, followed by people who inject drugs through shared needles.

The data provides two perspectives: one that shows the HIV prevention advocacy is working well because people, especially the key affected population (KAP) of males who have sex with other males (MSM) are getting themselves tested, and another that says more people are engaging in sexual activities without protection that increases their risk of exposure to HIV.

No condoms, baby

This controversial contraceptive has sparked debates for decades in the Philippines. Despite its acceptance in the international community for its benefits in HIV prevention and that of other sexually transmissible infections, as well as unplanned pregnancies, its rejection by religious groups still proliferates today. One fact in all of this is not using condoms increases the risk of transmitting HIV.

Dr. Eric Tayag of the Department of Health previously mentioned the preference of the MSM community to perform “bareback” or anal sex without protection as one of the results of the obvious lack of correct information about the use of condoms. According to Dr. Tayag, this has driven the numbers to their consistent record highs.

We have yet to find out what the condom preference is of the heterosexual demographic in their activities in bed and what it means for the Philippines in general.

Let’s pick up the pace

The national program on HIV prevention and control is currently handled by the DOH in partnership with ASP. They provide education to the KAPs of MSM and people who inject drugs under a package of services that cover HIV 101, condoms, lubricants, and information distribution. Other efforts include online HIV education, also under ASP, and the involvement of community-based organizations under the ISEAN-HIVOS project handled by the Philippine NGO Council on Population, Health and Welfare (PNGOC).

Only with the passage of the Reproductive Health Law did the discussion of age-appropriate education on reproductive health take off. But as citizens, we can stand up and say to our officials that we want more. These activities, as well as more funding on HIV awareness and prevention, would potentially serve as the foundation needed to create a generation of individuals with enough information on their sexual health. Maybe then can we see more individuals who access and use condoms properly.

What you can do

Be an activist in your own way. Involve yourself by being educated and tested. Knowing how the virus works and knowing your status is the best way for you to stay healthy. Pay it forward. A way to help the HIV advocacy is by spreading the word that getting tested is vital. You can do one better by joining groups like the ASP Volunteers Circle and helping out in community outreach activities.

There are a lot of ways to help but it will always start with the individual. To stop the spread of HIV, motivation and education is the key. You can be the cure.

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Use #zeroHIVph on Twitter to join the discussion

Would you like to know more? Message us on our Facebook or tweet us!

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DOH: 12 new HIV/AIDS cases per day
by  Sheila Crisostomo (March, 2, 2013)
www.philstar.com

Photo from ASP Facebook page, lifted from registry published by NEC

MANILA, Philippines – From an average of nine new cases of HIV/AIDS a day in 2012, the Department of Health (DOH) registered 12 new cases daily in January this year.

Health Assistant Secretary Eric Tayag said these 12 new cases daily are equivalent to 380 new cases reported to the DOH’s Philippine HIV and AIDS Registry in January 2013. Of these, 25 were already AIDS at the time of reporting.

Read more

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Consistent condom use in anal sex stops 70% of HIV infections, study finds, but intermittent use has no effect
by Gus Ciarns (March 4, 2013)
www.aidsmap.com

An analysis by Dawn Smith of the US Centers for Disease Control (CDC) reported at the 20th Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI 2013) on 4 March has provided the first estimate of the efficacy of condoms in preventing HIV transmission during anal sex since 1989. It found condoms stop seven out of ten anal transmissions – the same efficacy found by the 1989 study.

Dawn Smith of the US Centers for Disease Control (CDC) presenting at CROI 2013.

However, it also found that sometimes using condoms is not effective at preventing HIV infection, and that long-term 100% condom use is a minority behaviour: only one-in-six gay men actually managed to maintain it over the three- to four-year time frame of the analysis.

Read more

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US doctors cure child born with HIV
by Ian Sample (March 4, 2013)
www.guardian.co.uk

Mississippi doctors make medical history made with first ‘functional cure’ of unnamed two-year-old born with the virus who now needs no medication

Doctors in the US have made medical history by effectively curing a child born with HIV, the first time such a case has been documented.

The infant, who is now two and a half, needs no medication for HIV, has a normal life expectancy and is highly unlikely to be infectious to others, doctors believe.

Though medical staff and scientists are unclear why the treatment was effective, the surprise success has raised hopes that the therapy might ultimately help doctors eradicate the virus among newborns.

Doctors did not release the name or sex of the child to protect the patient’s identity, but said the infant was born, and lived, in Mississippi state. Details of the case were unveiled on Sunday at the Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections in Atlanta.

Read more

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With the international community’s strong campaign against the virus, the Philippines still remains one of seven countries with a continued increase of HIV infections.

Fact is it’s the younger generation who take the biggest blow from the epidemic. The latest statistics show that 30% of the people diagnosed for September 2012 alone were 20-29 years of age — the age where dreams for the future are cemented and the path towards them are chosen or are already being taken.

We’re facing a looming threat, and the biggest challenge is how to get the public to fight with us, or even to just start caring. In a time where there’s a global decline in the new cases, why are we still on a steep increase in number?

The low-down on HIV and the Philippines

The first AIDS case was during the early 1980s. People had a hard time grappling with it since it was rapidly spreading in the US and it involved a transmission that is a taboo topic (you guessed it, sex), until now in this Catholic country. But the advocacy went on, struggling, but it strove to provide correct information to the public. What was just 1 newly infected person in every 3 days a decade back is now 1 in every 3 hours, and still growing.

Currently, the government is still under the funding of an international agency, providing support to HIV prevention in priority cities in the country as well as treatment, care, and support for people living with HIV. The DOH has been preparing for the departure of its major funder, and is facing uncertainty as to what the end of the project would mean for the Philippines.

The project helped us equip the social hygiene clinics with free HIV testing, a handful of hospitals with HIV and AIDS Core Teams to handle people living with HIV, and provide free ARV treatment (under specific conditions).

On the other hand, the past few years have provided the advocacy with great allies from the private sector. Organizations like Take The Test, Project Headshots Clinic, The Love Yourself, Yoga For Life, Society of Transsexual Women of the Philippines, and other groups have taken on the challenge of making HIV more than just a health issue, but a social issue.

Your urban guide to HIV information around the Metro!

Hopefully not a repeat of the San Francisco AIDS scare

In the stats, 96% of HIV cases are males.

It might not be known to a lot of people but what is happening to us here, with the exponential growth of the HIV epidemic, has happened before in San Francisco during the 80s. It was the time where the virus was not even known as HIV yet but was called a lot of different names, a couple of the more famous ones are Gay Related Infectious Disease (GRID) or the “Gay Cancer”. If you look at the data now, I’m sure you’ll see the similarity.

Just to make things clear, homosexuality does not equate to HIV. What needs to be seen here is the persistence of the government to deny the public of the basic means to prevent the spread of the infection. Prioritization needed: Education for all, acceptance of condoms as one of the best ways to protect the people, and acknowledging the necessity to have legislation that will cradle the advocacy for HIV awareness and the care for the positive community.

The LGBT community in the Philippines has been vehemently trying to promote HIV awareness, especially since most of the cases are tallied under infection via homosexual activity. Much like what they’ve clamored for in the US, they call for the government to allow them to freely express their sexual rights and recognizing the fact that there is a need to focus on HIV as a national concern, especially since HIV and AIDS isn’t a “gay disease” but it affects everyone. Everyone has sex, and doing so unprotected increases the risk not only of getting HIV, but also of other sexually transmissible infections. And to quote Ms. Teresita Marie Bagasao, UNAIDS Philippines Country Coordinator, “If we lift the stigma, lift the discrimination, people will come forward and participate in finding solutions to the problem.”

HIV, the Internet, and me

The Internet is everywhere, and that’s a fact. The boom of social networks and the accessibility of mobile internet contribute to satiating the Filipino’s thirst for being connected with people. One of the drawbacks brought upon by this innovation is the increase in sexual negotiations. And since the youth are growing in the world of Android and iOS, ensuring their guidance about sex and HIV should be a priority.

This was given recognition by the DOH and AIDS Society of the Philippines, Inc., which paved the way for the promotion of HIV education and free testing services via social networking sites. As earlier mentioned, the private sector advocacy groups took to the internet to mount their HIV prevention advocacies. The AIDS Candlelight Memorial activities that celebrate the lives of people living with HIV, and World AIDS Day which is the livelier and awareness advocacy-driven event, are the two events where most of the groups come together to help out, especially promoting activities online.

On a good note, education has been a lot easier to disseminate because of the internet. Cool ways of telling people the basics about HIV and how to stay protected have sprung from the creative minds of people from different sectors. Photographer to the celebrities Niccolo Cosme has the yearly Project Headshots Clinic online campaign that features celebrities on portrait shots that is coupled with statements about how HIV has affected their lives. Much is to be explored with the presence of the internet, hopefully more of the positive ones.

Helping out isn’t all too hard anymore as well. All you need do is go online, and find these organizations. Pretty sure they all have online handles.

What happens next?

That’s pretty much up to you.

According to Dr. Eric Tayag of the Department of Health, the projected number of HIV cases in the country by 2015 is 30,000 or more.

How do you start? The best way is to have you tested for HIV and educating yourself about it. HIV testing is the only way one finds out if he or she has the virus. Knowledge is power, they say, and if you know your status, you’re well on your way to a better life.

Being HIV positive and knowing it soon is the start of having yourself undergo the right treatment and is your best springboard to changing your lifestyle to a healthier way of living. There are also institutions and organizations that provide support to people living with HIV, both government and private, so there’s always somewhere to go to. Being HIV negative, however, should be always taken seriously. Knowing your status and continuously living a risky sexual lifestyle always puts a target on your wellness, so having a negative status should be given priority and kept as such.

Education is pretty much the key to ending confusion and disparity between morality and what is actually happening. Knowing HIV 101 not only gives people the ammunition for war against the epidemic, it also builds the foundation to a well-informed country, further preventing another prospective HIV case.

It’s all about knowing where we stand and why we do the things we do. People have different reasons for what they do under the sheets, especially when they’re young. I always say one thing though, explore your sexuality responsibly.

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For more information, please visit our website aidsphil.org. For your sexual health needs, contact iCON Clinic at 0917-826-iCON (4266) / 0932-877-iCON (4266). The clinic is open on Saturdays 1pm-9pm.

Happening on October 19, 2012 at The Bayleaf Hotel, Intramuros, Manila.

Learn more about how the HIV epidemic is currently assessed and addressed in the country.

For registration instructions, please contact us through our office details.

(+632) 376-2541
info@aidsphil.org

Check out the Facebook event here:

https://www.facebook.com/events/254164028020506/