The news must have reached you already, about a friend of a friend, or someone you know, who is now a person living with HIV, or who is contemplating suicide, and worse, someone who committed suicide.
Last
Friday, February 1, 2019, to celebrate National Arts Month and the
Month of Love, Marikina City's various sectors, government agencies,
academe, and private institutions gathered to create One Big Group Hug.
The event, entitled "Happy Hugs for Love and Respect" aims to raise awareness and encourage family and community support for persons living with HIV, persons with mental health challenges, and anyone who feels they need a hug or they want to share a happy warm hug.
These
are the people who need care, acceptance, and respect for what they are
going through. The new HIV and AIDS Law has just been passed and yet
recently, news about shortage of some medicines given to persons living
with HIV came out on television and social media. Some organizations and
people afflicted with HIV attended the event.
In attendance was HIV prevention advocate and strong supporter MR. RHYME “HAPPY” ENRIQUEZ, a successful entrepreneur from Marikina City who’s also running as Councilor of District 2 of the said city come May 2019 elections. Happy Enriquez did not hesitate to support the HIV event since he knew it was for a good cause among the youth of the city.
Indeed,
he does not need to join politics, because even if he was still a
private citizen as a businessman, he has already been doing Tourism and livelihood projects for the people of Marikina City.
But
according to him, he wants to continue these activities and other
worthwhile projects for the community -- on a bigger scale -- and he can
only do that if he will have a "voice" in the municipality, given the
chance to be elected as Councilor.
Giving great support to Happy is Cong. Eugene De Vera,
formerly a Congressman under ABS Partylist, who is now running as
Congressman also of District 2 of Marikina City, to serve his
constituents in the city.
The program began with a community free film showing of “Ang Timeline Ng Buhay ni B.”, an advocacy movie about an adolescent male who finds out he is infected with HIV and must face the stigma attached to it.
The film stars Lotlot De Leon and Cogie Domingo, with Carl Labra, Regie Pasion and Billy Domingo, written and directed by Crisaldo Pablo, and produced by The LoveLife Project for Health and Environment, Inc.
Director Crisaldo interviewed international and local organizations such as UNAIDS Philippines, UNICEF Philippines, DOH, etc. The
filmmaker took pains to research and personally meet persons living
with HIV, especially those who were teenagers when they found out their
health status.
“Ang Timeline Ng Buhay Ni B.” is also about the discreet gay’s journey and challenges, a narrative which is an expertise of Director Crisaldo.
Now
that the HIV and AIDS New Law has been passed, this movie is the
quintessential advocacy tool to show a fictional face of an adolescent
living with HIV, to encourage behavior check and change, and, to
encourage people to learn, understand and implement the new law.
"Happy Hugs for Love and Respect" was
made possible in partnership with LGBT-Bus, Marikina City, Uandrea
Tours, DOH Center for Health and Development, National Commission for
Culture and the Arts, National Youth Commission, YAEHA Channel and
various sectors from Marikina City.
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