DULDULAO DOT NET This Day & Beyond

Tag: HIV/AIDS & ART Registry of the Philippines (HARP)

  • Let’s talk about sex with Durex’ SEXducated

    Let’s talk about sex with Durex’ SEXducated

    In the past few years, Filipinos have started opening up and talking about sex and how it is an important conversation to have in order to engage in safe, healthy, and satisfying sexual activities. But despite the inroads that have been made in normalizing conversations about sex, barriers remain when it comes to discussing Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs) including the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) as the feelings of shame and stigma remain which prevent people from accessing information and resources that can help Filipinos develop safe sex habits.

    The lack of access and conversation contributes to the continued rise in the number of people who test HIV-positive in the country. July 2021 data from the HIV/AIDS & ART Registry of the Philippines (HARP) showed that 1,045 Filipinos tested HIV-positive while 60 people died of AIDS-related complications. This means 33 people tested positive every day from January to July 2021.

    HIV cases in the Philippines continue to rise especially for youths aged 15-24 years old

    Faced with these numbers, Durex continues to strengthen its mission to promote safe sex with its new SEXducated video series available on the Durex Facebook and YouTube channel.

    SEXducated with Durex

    Targeted toward millennials and Gen Zs, singles, and stay-at-home couples, the SEXducated with Durex video series is a fun and creative treatment to lessons on practicing safe sex. The show gives light to HIV awareness and how to improve one’s overall sexual health.

    “It’s part of our responsibility as a brand to empathize with our consumers’ needs and give them safe and practical solutions,” said Matt Davis, Reckitt Marketing Director. “Through SEXducated with Durex, we aim to provide a safe space and have a thoughtful discussion on topics that beg to be talked about.”

    Singles and young people can learn from the boys of Boys Night Out (Sam YG, Slick Rick and TonyToni) and Elijah Canlas as the four debunk HIV myths with hard facts. They can also learn from Dr. Kilimanguru, as he addresses need-to-know information about HIV. While couples can find ways to rekindle their relationships as they explore the topic of seeking pleasure through intimate acts with Dr. Rica Cruz.

    With Durex’s SEXducated series, Boys Night Out and Elijah Canlas debunk HIV myths and learn hard facts about safe sex

    Dr. Kilimanguru or Winston Kilimanjaro Tiwaquen is a doctor who gained fame on TikTok for his medical advice videos known for being easy to understand and entertaining because of his use of hugot lines and jokes. Through his videos, delivered in colloquial Filipino, viewers learn about the simplest medical issues from the common cold to HIV, and even COVID-19. Meanwhile Dr. Rica Cruz is a sexologist and media personality whose expertise is on sexual pleasure and sexual behaviors. Dr. Rica believes that sexual ownership is sexier than sex.

    Together Dr. Kilimanguru and Dr. Rica Cruz, viewers learn need-to-know facts about HIV and having sex safely, intimately, and pleasurably

    Protection, Preparedness, and Education (PPE)

    Enabling Filipinos to “Always Come Prepared,” Durex fulfills its role as a responsible brand through ongoing partnerships with various organizations. To date, Durex is distributing condoms to the beneficiaries of the Commission on Population and Development (POPCOM), San Lazaro Hospital – Nagasaki University Collaborative Research and Laboratory, Positive Action Foundation Philippines Incorporated (PAFPI), Pasig City Government, Sustained Health Initiatives of the Philippines (SHIP), The Red Whistle, and LoveYourself, Inc.

    The need to connect is very human and so is the need for open conversation about something as natural as sex. And with the isolation possibly triggering more intense feelings, it’s important to protect oneself from risks that can be otherwise prevented.

    With its SEXducated campaign, Durex encourages Filipinos to always come prepared and enjoy sex safely. Learn more about practicing safe sex with Durex via their Facebook page.

    REFERENCE:

    John Paulo Ondra Caparros

    Public Relations Department – SBU BLAZE

    Strategic works, Inc.

    +639173068591

    john.caparros@stratworks.ph

    2nd Floor Zaragoza Building, 102 Gamboa Street, Legaspi Village, Makati City PH

  • Durex University Digi-Townhall: bringing the timely message of Protection and Preparedness Education Online

    Durex University Digi-Townhall: bringing the timely message of Protection and Preparedness Education Online

    Continuing with its mission of informing the public, especially the youth, about HIV awareness during a pandemic, Durex recently resumed its University Townhalls, now dubbed University Digi-Townhall, as part of their ongoing Protection & Preparedness Education (PPE) Campaign. Shifting the event to an online platform, what used to be held annually in various college campuses is now done virtually, still with subject matter experts as key resource persons and the Boys Night Out crew—Slick Rick, TonyToni, and Sam YG—as hosts.

    “By moving our townhalls online, we want to bring forth the strong message that Durex continues to reach out to the youth who are the most vulnerable,” says Durex Philippines. “It’s critical that we keep them informed of the dangers of contracting HIV, of the importance of using protection, especially during this COVID-19 pandemic.”

    Through the University Digi-Townhall, Durex, together with TonyToni, Slick Rick, and Sam YG of Boys Night Out, reach out to the youth to open discussions about safe-sex and HIV.

    Given the present COVID-19 situation, the dangers of HIV have escaped public awareness, with many still unmindful of how HIV is equally deadly as Coronavirus. This view is further validated by data from the DOH-Epidemiology Bureau showing that from July to September 2020, there were 1,875 confirmed HIV-positive individuals reported to the HIV/AIDS & ART Registry of the Philippines (HARP). Of these, ninety-five percent or 1,783 of the reported cases are male and the median age is at 28 years old.

    Dr. Edsel Salvana, Infectious Disease Specialist and HIV Doctor, shares about the state of HIV/AIDS in the Philippines.

    Thus, through the University Digi-Townhall, Durex aims to help reverse this trend by helping people—particularly singles and stay-at-home couples—be more prepared, protected and educated about HIV, highlighting the importance of safe and protected sex during these challenging times with the use of condoms.

    For the first University Digi-Townhall, held in partnership with LoveYourself, Inc., National University Student Government, National University Student Affairs Office, and PUP College of Business Administration Student Council, infectious disease expert Dr. Edsel Salvana, Educator, Sex Therapist and Licensed Psychologist Dr. Rica Cruz RPsy, and Jabar Ysmael, a Person Living with HIV, were on hand to share with the close to 400 participants their valuable insights and advice.

    Sex and Relationships Therapist Dr. Rica Cruz shares her own tips on how to practice safe-sex, emphasizing the importance of protection, especially during the time of the pandemic.

    In his talk, Dr. Salvana discussed the state of HIV/AIDS in the Philippines following the alarming UNAIDS annual report which states that the country still has one of the highest growing infection rates in the world. Dr. Cruz, furthermore, emphasized how proper awareness coupled with practicing safe sex can help curb the spread of HIV, contextualizing her presentation on safe sex in the time of pandemic. Meanwhile, Esmael drew from personal experience as he spoke on the challenges of dealing with HIV/AIDS in the Philippines, while underscoring the importance of getting yourself tested.

    Jabar Esmael, a person living with HIV, opens up about his own personal experiences and raises the importance of always getting tested.

    “In view of recent data, the urgent need for Filipinos to always stay prepared and protected against HIV/AIDS cannot be stressed enough,” says Dr. Salvana. “This has become ever more critical now in these times when health and wellness awareness is paramount.”

    As preparations are underway for the next leg of their University Digi-Townhall, Durex continues to remind everyone that no one is invulnerable to catching HIV and that we must always come prepared.

    REFERENCE:

    John Paulo Ondra Caparros

    Public Relations Department

    Strategic works, Inc.

    +638937472 | +639173068591

    john.caparros@stratworks.ph

    2nd Floor Zaragoza Building, 102 Gamboa Street, Legaspi Village, Makati City PH