BAGUIO CITY (PIA) — The Baguio City AIDS Watch Council (AWAC) seeks to further strengthen its functions and members with the passage of the Ordinance No. 16, series of 2022 or Baguio’s HIV/AIDS Control and Prevention Ordinance of 2022 reconstituting and strengthening the Baguio City AWAC.
AWAC members reviewed again the Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) of said ordinance during the council’s meeting in April 18. Members, including representatives from various government agencies, service providers, Baguio Association of Bars and Entertainers, and other civil society organizations, shared their inputs and comments to enhance the IRR.
Councilor Betty Lourdes Tabanda, City Council Committee on Health and Sanitation, Ecology and Environment chairperson, stressed the need to concentrate on the details of the ordinance. “It may be a little controversial because it is a totally acceptable type of behavior or not totally acceptable legislation,” she said.
Tabanda is optimistic that the AWAC will “come up with something for the benefit of persons living with HIV/AIDS and at the same time, will also be for the benefit of everybody else”.
Meanwhile, City Health Services Officer Dr. Celia Flor Brillantes said the “ordinance will enhance and strengthen the Reproductive Health and Wellness Center”. She also thanked the AWAC members for their inputs and active participation in the council’s activities.
Also tackled during the AWAC meeting was the proposed activity for the International AIDS Candlelight Memorial set on May 26, 2023 in the city. “This is a dedicated time of the year to remember those who lost their lives to AIDS and help mobilize communities and break down the stigma surrounding the disease,“ said Brilliantes.
The 2023 observance highlights the stigma and self-stigma experience by people living with HIV with the theme, “Spread Love and Solidarity, not Stigma and Fear”.
The AWAC is in the forefront of the campaign against HIV/AIDS in Baguio City. A multi – sectoral group founded in 1987, it is recognized by the Department of Health as the first local AIDS Watch Council in the country that is continuously working with the city government in programs, services and advocacy against HIV/AIDS. **JDP/DEG-PIA CAR