MANILA, Philippines - The Department of Health (DOH) has appealed to lovers to observe safe sex by using contraceptives but urged teenagers to abstain.
“(Couples) have to keep themselves safe. Making decisions like this could lead to lifetime complications like unwanted pregnancies. HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) is also now on the rise,” said acting Health Secretary Janette Garin in a chance interview.
“For teen-agers… don’t go beyond what you can handle,” said Garin, who pushed for the passage of the Reproductive Health Law when she was still congresswoman of the first district of Iloilo.
Garin added that abstinence is “really the most ideal” practice but it is a barely heeded advice.
“Unfortunately, many still get carried away. If they have a condom, then use condoms, especially those who are not married. You could protect yourself from (sexually transmitted) diseases,” she said.
For this year’s Valentine’s Day, however, the DOH will not be distributing condoms.
Under the term of former health secretary Esperanza Cabral, the agency distributed condoms at the Dangwa Flower Market in Manila during Valentine’s Day in 2010. This brought strong criticisms from the Catholic hierarchy.
Condom distribution is still part of a regular program of the DOH, noted Garin, but they are targeting poor couples as recipients.
Garin suggested that couples organize group dates or exercise groups so they could avoid being intimate with their partners. She also urged motel operators to provide condoms to their clients.
PCG ready for V-day
The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) would be stepping up their vigilance beginning Friday to Sunday, as dinner cruises and dates aboard yachts are expected in celebration of Valentine’s Day.
The PCG is expecting people to avail of dinner cruises along Manila Bay, while yachts, docked at the Manila Yacht Club, are expected to sail along the bay area beginning Friday, Feb. 13, until Sunday, Feb. 15.
PCG Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) sub-station commander Chief Petty Officer Edgar Tantiado yesterday said that since some Valentine’s Day activities would be happening at sea, coast guard officers would be patrolling the area and would be ready to respond in cases of emergency.
“We have on standby three aluminum boats, we would also be listening on our radio for any updates” and the Vessel Traffic Monitoring System (VTMS) would be tracking the ships’ locations, Tantiado said.
He noted that passengers would have only about an hour and 15 minutes aboard cruise ships since this is normally how long the tour would take to get around the bay area.
– With Evelyn Macairan