Lawmakers want AIDS Law amended

MANILA, Philippines - Several members of the House of Representatives are seeking the amendment of the 16-year-old AIDS (acquired immunodeficiency syndrome) Law or the National AIDS Prevention and Control Act of 1998, or Republic Act 8504.

Ako Bicol Rep. Rodel Batocabe, one of the authors of an amendatory bill, told a news conference that the law has to be amended “so it can adequately respond to the growing danger of an AIDS/HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) epidemic in the country.”

He said the increase in the number of HIV cases among Filipinos in recent years has been alarming.

“Based on official data, cumulative documented cases increased by 115 percent in just two years, from 7,684 in 2011 to 16,516 in 2013,” he said.

Aside from the rapid rise in the number of cases, Batocabe said the demographic profiles of those infected have also changed.

“The Philippine AIDS Registry shows that from 1984 to 1990, 60 percent of HIV infections were among females, while seafarers were the most with infections during the 1990s. However, in the January 2014 Registry, 97 of the 448 cases were among males, 85 percent of whom were males who had sex with males belonging to the 20-24 age group,” he added.

He pointed out that the changes he and his colleagues are seeking in the AIDS Law call for comprehensive prevention, treatment, care and support.

“More specifically, the amendments include giving victims who are minors access to HIV prevention and treatment services. This is consistent with the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, which recognizes the evolving capacities of children,” he said.

Aside from Batocabe, Representatives Lani Mercado-Revilla of Cavite, Teddy Baguilat of Ifugao, and Gus Tambunting of Parañaque have filed similar bills.

In the Senate, there are counterpart measures introduced by Miriam Defensor-Santiago and Pia Cayetano.

In the previous Congress, the House of Representatives approved a bill mandating new strategies in the fight against the spread of HIV in the country.

The bill’s author was Arnel Ty of party-list group Liquefied Petroleum Gas Marketers Association.

Ty said the law “has become out-of-date, amid the sudden surge of the disease that is predominantly spread through sexual contact.”

“A new legislation has become absolutely necessary to effectively suppress the HIV epidemic,” he said.

His bill proposed an incremental funding of up to P400 million to jumpstart a new national HIV and AIDS control plan with crystal-clear strategies, operating guidelines and targets.

According to the Department of Health, HIV is being spread in the country primarily through high-risk sexual contact, predominantly male-to-male sex, and secondarily via needle sharing among illicit drug users.

Ty said a new law “will go a long way in improving the living conditions of HIV-positive people through greater access to treatment, care and support.”

His bill sought tougher penalties for entities and individuals who discriminate against HIV-positive people as well as those who violate their rights to confidentiality.