Mediaboss Marketing

MANILA, Philippines --- The Pasay City government, alarmed by the report of the Department of Health (DOH) that the city is one of six cities in the country most risk for the spread of the Acquired Immuno-Deficiency Virus (AIDS), is conducting study to amend its existing ordinance on the fight against the "killer disease."

Pasay Mayor Antonino Calixto said that after the announcement made by DOH, the city needs to do more to strengthen its anti-AIDS campaign. He said there is a need to amend city ordinance of 2002 to strengthen the monitoring and implementation of the law as well as to allocate funds for its effective monitoring and implementation.

He said that at present, the city government is strictly requiring entertainers and others with similar occupations to attend AIDS/Sexually Transmitted Infection Awareness Seminar before they are issued a mayor's work permit/License or Occupational Health Permit, as required by the city ordinance of 1993.

The mayor said the ordinance also requires regular STI examination on entertainers and others with similar nature of occupation every two weeks by the Social Hygiene Clinic.

Calixto explained that operators and managers of entertainment establishments are also required to develop a set of their own health care policies and that prior to issuance of working permits, all applicants for employment in establishments are required to present an original copy of their birth certificates and other documents duly authenticated by City Health Office.

"We have to increase monitoring to effectively implement the ordinance. For this we need additional funding, thus we hope that the City Council will revisit the ordinance in light of the report of the DOH," Calixto said.

However, even if the city government has its own ordinance to be followed for the fight against the "killer disease," the effort is not enough and that more has to be done.

Calixto said the best tools in prevention and control of HIV/AIDS are education, information and communication.

"AIDS is a serious problem. The DOH said that in the Philippines nine persons are infected with HIV every day. That means every two to three hours one Filipino gets infected. Thus, we need to do more," Calixto stressed.

He already gave the assurance that the city government is reaching out to the people at the grassroots level to educate them on prevention as well as in addressing the spread of the virus through information campaign and proper coordination with the concerned government and NGOs.

See original here:
Pasay Intensifies Anti-AIDS Drive