FREE CONDOMS A PART OF ANTI-HIV/AIDS CAMPAIGN

From: DOH WebPage

Press Release/16 February 2010

The Department of Health (DOH) clarified today that the condoms given last Valentine’s weekend were not meant to promote artificial contraception, but rather a reminder to the public of the importance of responsible sexual behavior in combating the threat of HIV/AIDS. The Ingat Lagi, My Valentine campaign, which was held last February 13 at the Dangwa Flower Market in Manila, has received criticism from the Catholic Church for supposedly being “immoral”.

The DOH, reiterating the words of Deputy Presidential Spokesman Ricardo Saludo, explained that the condom distribution should not be construed as a signal that the government is advocating sexual licentiousness. The free condoms were just a tool of a creative campaign aimed at promoting awareness on HIV/AIDS prevention at a most opportune time – Valentine’s Day.

The DOH emphasized the fact that it was not pushing condom use as the exclusive method to combat HIV/AIDS, as some critics of the Ingat Lagi campaign accused, and defended the activity as just part of the three-point campaign to combat HIV/AIDS known by the acronym ABC – A for “abstinence from sex”, B for “be faithful to your partner” and C for “condom use”. The health agency also pointed out that the distribution of the condoms to adults was undertaken by a private merchandising firm, DKT, and that the government did not spend for the procurement of the condoms, as it was also DKT that supplied them. The DOH’s role in the campaign was focused on raising public awareness and information dissemination, as it employed counselors to explain the ABC campaign to the throng of people that crowded Dangwa last Saturday.

The DOH further said that it will continue to push the ABC program more aggressively in light of reports of the alarming increase in HIV/AIDS cases in the country, so as to empower the public with information on how to deal with this threat. This information will then allow individuals to choose and use the most appropriate means to protect themselves from HIV/AIDS.