DOH BATTLE WITH HIV AND AIDS, PROCLAIMED REDVOCATES AMBASSADORS FOR 2018
Noli A. Berioso for OPMBworldwide
The Department of Health (DOH) is in full force to battle the root cause of HIV and AIDS thru their LHIVE FREE campaign. A press conference was held last September 28 at One Esplanade Events Place in Pasay City. “The number of Filipinos affected by HIV and AIDS have drastically increased over the last couple of years”, shares DOH Secretary Francisco Duque. “Just over the past decade, the average rate of new HIV cases in the Philippines has grown from one per day to 31 per day and this figure does not include undocumented cases. We also currently have the highest percent of increase of new HIV cases in the Asia and the Pacific region from 201 to 2013 at 133%”.
The DOH take this very seriously, they decided to partner with people and organizations that will going to help them to address the root cause of the growing epidemic.
LHIVE FREE is a campaign created by DOH Integrative Competitive Intelligence Asia (ICI Asia) using creative and modern means to disseminate information about HIV and AIDS as well as to promote safe sex. The campaign aims to make conversations about the virus a normal thing among today’s youth.
As part of initial waves of initiatives geared towards spreading information and debunking myths about the virus, the DOH launched LHIVE FREEREDVOCATES: The Search for 2018 HIV & AIDS Advocacy Ambassadors, a three-way pageant for men, women and transwomen aged 20 and above with no less than miss International 2016 Kylie Verzosa as the pageant’s spoke person . The winners were proclaimed last September 28 during the finals of the search held at the SMX Convention Center, Mall of Asia Arena Complex, Pasay City. Proclaimed winners are:
Female Division:
Winner: Patrixia Shirley Santos, 2nd Place – Shane Tormes,
3rd Place – Precious Olay Neyra
Male Division:
Winner: Joseph Xavier Pili, 2nd Place Kelvin Kai Angala, 3rd
Place: Jeatu Ed Magbuhat
Transgender Division:
Winner – Stefania Cruz Lopez (Pan Yang), 2nd Place
– Yuly Galagnara, 3rd Place – Brigitt Salvatore.
They will going to promote the DOH campaign against HIV and AIDS.