Quezon City dad bats for council to screen entertainers for AIDS, STD

MANILA, Philippines - A Quezon City councilor has proposed the creation of an anti-AIDS council that will regularly screen entertainers and those with similar occupations in the city.

Under a proposed ordinance filed by Majority Floor Leader and District IV Councilor Jesus Suntay, there will be a roster of entertainers and employees of entertainment and relaxation establishments in the city, and one of the functions of this multi-sectoral STD/AIDS council is to conduct regular screening for sexually transmitted diseases and HIV among “people with high-risk sexual behavior.”

Suntay said the proposed council will be the “central advisory, planning and policy-making body on the prevention and control of STD/HIV/AIDS in Quezon City.”

The council will be headed by the city mayor and co-chaired by the city health officer, and its members will be the chairman of the city council’s committee on health, the city’s social welfare officers, a representative from the Department of Interior and Local Government and two from accredited non-government organizations involved in AIDS prevention campaigns.

The proposed ordinance will also require owners and operators of entertainment establishments and their employees, including massage therapists of barber shops and massage clinics, to attend seminars on STD/HIV/AIDS prevention conducted by the city health office.

“In compliance with this ordinance, the establishments mentioned herein shall not be allowed to operate unless a certificate of attendance in an STD/AIDS seminar has been issued to its operator and to all its employees,” the proposed measure stated.

The proposed measure also has provisions against discrimination in the workplace and in schools against people with HIV. Suntay said violators may be punished with six months to one year in jail, fined between P3,000 and P5,000, or both.