In May, we, together with our partner The Project Red Ribbon, conducted the Light Up
concert, an online commemorative celebration of the Philippine International AIDS Candlelight
Memorial (PIACM). This event gave tribute to the meaningful lives of our friends who expired
from HIV and sparked a light of hope to people currently living with HIV in the Philippines.
Despite the ongoing COVID-19 situation, the event aimed at continuing the fight against HIV
and AIDS, and for communities to live beyond the existence of two pandemics victoriously.
Government institutions and celebrities and government also joined the celebration.
In June, we celebrated Pride Month with our campaign theme ATBPride. The phrase
"at iba pa (atbp.)" is a Filipino abbreviation for 'and others' and can also mean variety. The
ATBPride campaign embraced and celebrated the community's 'otherness' as something
special. The campaign highlighted the importance of the community's contributions to society.
It serves as a beacon of hope, love, and care, especially for those marginalized by merely
being the "other." This campaign highlighted inclusivity in diversity, making its tagline: "Ibaiba pero sama-sama." Various activities were slated for this month, including Usapang
ATBPride, an online talk show series explaining different SOGIEs. We also had two episodes
of The LoveYourselfTV's The Universe Speaks, headlining Miss Universe 2015 Pia Wurtzbach
and Boy Abunda, and Miss Universe 2018 Catriona Gray together with various allies and
members of the community. Both online shows were geared towards highlighting the
importance of being an ally of the community.
Despite the COVID-19 situation, this July 2020 we are bringing the Philippines safer
from HIV by holding the first-ever Philippine National HIV Prevention Month (NHPM). The
Philippine NHPM is set every July of every year. This initiative supports the Presidential
Proclamation No. 971, which was signed last June 23, declaring the second week of July as
Infection Prevention and Control Week. This year’s NHPM theme is “SaferNow,” following
the new HIV combination prevention concept, which includes innovative and effective ways to
prevent HIV: condoms and lubricants, pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), post-exposure
prophylaxis (PEP), and antiretroviral treatment as prevention (TasP). The NHPM is
spearheaded by the Sustainability of HIV Services for Key Populations in Asia Program and
the Champion Community Centers network with LoveYourself as its lead implementor and is
supported by UNAIDS Philippines, AIDS Healthcare Foundation, Pilipinas Shell Foundation,
Australian Federation of AIDS Organisations, and APCOM. Also, community-based
organizations (CBOs) around the country, catering to HIV-related services focusing on the
LGBTQIA community, will conduct parallel activities to support this national event.
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