ONA CLARIFIES ALLEGED“ANTI-GAY” STATEMENTS

 

 

Health Secretary Enrique T. Ona today clarified the statements he made during the Philippine National AIDS Council Plenary Meeting last Fridaywhich was construed as “anti-gay” and has sparked strong reactions from the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) Community.

 

“Let me clarify that the comments were taken out of context. I was merely emphasizing that we need to involve the family in combating the spread of HIV. Families should also be empowered to provide information and to give advice to their children. After all, we really need to think outside of the box given the looming threat of HIV-AIDS; good health habits start at home,”mentioned the Health Chief.

 

He added that the Department of Health recognizes the threat posed by HIV. “While the HIV prevalence in the country remains at <0.1% of the population, we recognize that the trend is increasing and many cases are being added every month. This is the reason why we are directing the interventions to population groups where transmission of the virus has been high. This includes men having sex with men (MSM), female sex workers (FSW), and injecting drug users (IDUs).

 

As regards the cancellation of the Global Fund Round 11, he mentioned that the DOH is currently discussing with other development partners, the private sector, and Local Government Units the possibility of augmenting resources for HIV-AIDS response. Nevertheless, he admitted that there was a need to streamline program interventions and focus on those that yield the greatest impact in preventing the HIV spread. He also recognized that there was also a need to balance the limited resources available for all other government health programs which seek to provide quality health care especially to the poor and the marginalized.