00:00According to the Department of Health,
00:02the number of cases of HIV-positive people in the country is increasing.
00:05It is more important for young people to fight against it.
00:10That is what Kara David is talking about in the new episode of the Digital Documentary Program
00:15of GMA Public Affairs, which is called,
00:17Karadox.
00:18Let's watch it.
00:22I met 18-year-old Mikael.
00:25He doesn't have a real name.
00:28At first glance, he looks like a typical kid.
00:32But he has a lot of experiences.
00:36When did you know that you are HIV-positive?
00:40When I was 17 years old.
00:43Mikael is still a minor when he started to have sex with other men.
00:49But it's not just the call of the flesh that provokes him.
00:53It's also the loud call of the pocket.
01:07Do you not use protection?
01:10Sometimes I do, sometimes I don't.
01:13Mikael is one of more than 100,000 Filipinos who are currently fighting HIV.
01:19It is usually obtained by using a condom without protection.
01:25It can also be obtained by borrowing or using a carrier or injection.
01:33One of the reasons for this is social media,
01:36which has also become a way to promote sexual activities of HIV-positive people.
01:41Social media is one of them.
01:43It's easier for the young population to connect with each other.
01:49One text away, one app away,
01:52they will find the one compatible with them for their connection.
01:57Why is testing a solution to this problem?
02:04One of the targets, actually global targets,
02:09is what we call 95-95-95,
02:12which is 95% of those who have HIV know that they are positive for HIV.
02:21According to the Department of Health,
02:23there are also more cases of HIV-positive minors.
02:29Mikael was only 17 years old when he found out that he was HIV-positive.
02:35It was also difficult for him to get medicine
02:37because of the limitations for minors who are under our law.
02:43I complied a lot.
02:44I went back and forth because at that time, I was still a minor.
02:48In the age of modern medicine,
02:50LUNAS is still not invented to fully open the body of an HIV patient.
02:57But there is medicine to stop the spread of the virus in the body.
03:03This is what is called Anti-Retroviral Therapy or ART.
03:08It needs to be taken by the patient every day
03:11to detect that he is HIV-positive.
03:16This is the medicine that Mikael is taking now.
03:19He hopes that he will also reach the undetectable status sooner.
03:25I take it every day at the same time
03:27because it is a strict medication.
03:29I take it every day at the same time
03:31because it is a strict medication.
03:33I cannot escape it.
03:34The doctor said that the virus can be resistant
03:38once I take it at different times.
03:43I take it religiously.
03:45Watch the full story later this afternoon
03:48on the GMA Public Affairs YouTube channel.
03:51This is The Paradox, the story in each episode.
03:59The Paradox
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