The Quezon City local government signed the Implementing Rules and Regulation (IRR) of the city’s Human Immunodeficiency Viruses (HIV) ordinance in commemoration of World AIDS (Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome) Day.
The signing was held at the Quezon Memorial Circle on Friday, Dec. 1.
Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte urged other local government units to prioritize services and programs related to AIDS.
“We need to ensure that vulnerable and affected communities are involved. Today is a testament that Quezon City is keeping its promise to ending AIDS by 2030. From institutionalizing our policy, we now laid down actionable measures,” Belmonte said.
The city’s Public Information Office (PIO) said that the HIV ordinance is among the various initiatives of the Quezon City government to address AIDS.
The IRR calls for the implementation of the Quezon City AIDS Council, the formulation of an Action Plan, the establishment of a Technical Working Group (TWG) for monitoring and ensuring the implementation with adequate funding, and reinforcement of the Service Delivery Network for People Living with HIV (PLHIV) and their families.
Councilor Bernard Herrera, chairperson of the Committee on Health and Sanitation, emphasized the need to intensify efforts in the journey to end AIDS by 2030.
“There is no other day or year but now to sign the Implementing Rules and Regulations of the HIV ordinance. This is to ensure that there will be enough care and support, rights-based services, enough capacity for our service providers, and most importantly enough investment to implement and sustain the initiatives so we can end AIDS in 2030,” he said.
Chief Health Operations Officer Dr. Dave Anthony Vergara of the City Health Department stated that they are committed to fulfill their duties in the city.
“This World AIDS Day, we wanted to stay true to our promise of solidifying our efforts and implementing concrete actions that will help us in reaching our goal. We continue to strengthen our efforts not just in the health services but also in tackling the human rights aspect of HIV and AIDS,” he said.
The city government also acknowledged the significance of education and the involvement of the youth in the ongoing battle against AIDS.
They collaborated with barangays and schools to develop an HIV manual specifically designed for high school students.
According to Gabriel Acosta Peralta, Sangguniang Kabataan Chairman of Barangay Batasan Hills, he perceives this as a vital step in empowering the youth with knowledge and information.
“As a youth leader, this HIV manual for High School students will give us accurate and evidence-based information on HIV and AIDS. This will also open doors for conversations while sensitizing the youth with the right knowledge. After all, having the right knowledge is a way to really empower our sector.” he said.
The Quezon City government has implemented initiatives focusing on empowering key populations and People Living with HIV (PLHIVs), building the capacity of duty bearers, and fostering collaboration with various stakeholders and partners,
It added that the collaborations with TLF SHARE and EpiC, members of the Quezon City STI, HIV, and AIDS Council (QCSAC) have helped in formulating the QC HIV Strategic Action Plan and its Operational Plans.