00:00Ito mga ka-RSP, isa ka sa lukuyan, ang Pilipinas ay nahaharap sa isang seryosong krisis sa kalusugan ng mga bilisang pagtaas na mga kaso ng HIV.
00:10Ayon sa Department of Health mula Enero hanggang Marso ng 2025,
00:14umabot sa 57 ang naitalang bagong kaso ng HIV kada araw na may kabuhang 500% na pagtaas kumpara sa nakaraang taon.
00:24Ang mga kabataang nasa edad 15 hanggang 25 ay kabilang sa mga pinaka-apektado nito.
00:31Dahil dito, inire-recommendahan ng Department of Health ang deklarasyon ng HIV bilang isang National Public Health Emergency
00:38upang mas mapabilis ang mga habang laban dito.
00:42Ngunit sa kabila ng mga hamong ito, may mga kuwento ng tapang at pag-asa.
00:47Ngayong araw, makasama natin sa Ezra Vaganza, isang drag artist and content creator na isang person living with HIV
00:53upang ibahagi ang kanyang kwento at karanasan itong kol sa kondisyong ito.
00:57Welcome back to Rise and Shine Pilipinas, Ezra. Good morning.
01:00Good morning, Rise and Shine Pilipinas.
01:02Thank you for being with us again.
01:03Yes. Game.
01:05So, Ms. Ezra, can you tell us about your story?
01:07Ano ba yung nangyari sa iyo?
01:10So, actually, I have been living with HIV for the past four years now.
01:16So, I was diagnosed since 2021.
01:19But, on top of that, I'm actually also undetectable and untransmissible na.
01:24So, ibig sabihin nun, yung virus sa katawan ko ay umabot na sa point na mababa na hindi ko na siya mapapasa sa iba.
01:31Ganon.
01:32So, anong giniwa mo kaya naging undetectable and untransmittable?
01:36Yes. So, ang tinake ko is, syempre, ang pag-daily na pagtake ng treatment or ng readily available na antiretroviral treatment or ART na actually ma-access natin ng libre sa ating mga local health centers or mga, may ibang mga NGO na naman offer nito.
01:56HIV clinics, mayroon din.
01:56Yes.
01:58Ayun.
01:58Ngayon ko lang nalaman yun na yung undetectable, no?
02:01Mayroon na palang ganyan.
02:02Kayo nga binanggit ko ng banter, Daniel.
02:03Oh, I'm not listening talaga.
02:05I mean, today. Today, nalaman niya. Today.
02:08Yes.
02:08Pero, nung nalaman mo na, I'm curious lang ako, syempre, nakakashok yun.
02:13Pero, paano mo, ano, paano mo nilabanan? Paano mo hinahandal yung situation?
02:19Noong una, of course, syempre, it's news. It's life-changing news. Not just to me, but also to the people around me.
02:24But, thankfully, meron akong support system. Yung family ko, yung partner ko na sinamahan ako throughout my journey.
02:32Hindi ako hinusgahan.
02:33And, immediately, aram namin kagad kung anong gagawin.
02:36Yun nga, to take the treatment.
02:38And, thankfully, within six months, actually, na-achieve ko kagad yung undetectable status na.
02:43Ayun.
02:44Ano, tingin mo ba? Naging early yung pagpunta mo sa HIV clinic, kaya siguro gumaling ka rin agad?
02:50Actually, nakatulong yung early detection.
02:52I feel like...
02:53Ano, ginawa mo? May symptoms ba? Ano ba na-feel mo nun?
02:56Bakit kailangan pumunta? Kailangan ka pumunta? Kailangan ka nagpa-test?
02:59Sa totoo lang, wala naman talagang symptoms ang pagkakaroon ng HIV.
03:03So, it was just part of my routine.
03:06Good!
03:06Part siya ng health routine ko to actually check.
03:10Recommended ng ating mga sinasabi is like three to six months.
03:14Kailangan lagi nag-check.
03:15Kasi, yun yung time na pinaka-malalaman mo or pinaka-merong state of detection.
03:22Okay.
03:23Ito kanina, napag-usapatan natin.
03:25Miss Yes.
03:25Stigma.
03:26So, Ms. Ezra, I'm curious lang, o paano mo naman hinahandle yung stigma?
03:29Kasi, alam natin ng Pilipinas, parang hindi pa siya ganun talaga ka-ready or hindi pa siya...
03:34May marami na.
03:35Marami.
03:36Malayo pa.
03:36Malayo pa.
03:37Actually, yung numbers na nakikita natin ngayon, it's actually, in a way, a good sign.
03:41Kasi, ibig sabihin, maraming hindi natatakot and maraming hindi na ashamed na magpa-test.
03:50And that just means, mas marami tayong matutulungan at mabibigyan ng karampatang treatment.
03:55But in terms of the stigma, yes, unfortunately, ang dami pa rin nakabalot na judgment.
04:01Nakapagalimbawa, sinabi mo, ay, may HIV ka kasi siguro bakla ka or what.
04:06Meron mga negative connotations and associations with it.
04:09So, me, as a drag queen, I actually use my platform din to educate people para at least kahit paano nababawasan yung ganitong classic stigma.
04:17And kahit paano, yung bagong mga tao na nakakaharap with the same diagnosis of having HIV, at least maramdaman nila na there's someone, someone normal to look up to na, ah, hindi naman pala talaga siya nakakahiya.
04:31And, ah, through the undetectable status nga, at least merong hope na treatable siya.
04:38Ayun. Well, the time na ikaw ay na-diagnose, kumusta yung mga tao sa paligid mo?
04:44Ah, though you said you have your support system, but let's also consider, minsan kasi alam natin, hindi dapat natin isipin yung sabihin na ibang tao eh, pero apektado pa rin tayo dyan.
04:55Of course.
04:55At that time, it was hard for me, of course, because, um, definitely, hindi siya madali na, para, na pag-usapan in general.
05:06Okay.
05:06Um, but, uh, again, it also comes with the right information na, bukod sa ako, um, mag-take ng treatment for myself, um, isa rin actually sa pag, sa ways na pag-prevent ng transmission or ng spread ng HIV is, pag-equip, lalo sa partner ko, para hindi siya magkaroon, kasi actually HIV negative siya.
05:26Uh, uh, until now, na, uh, four years, five years na kaming mag-show, HIV negative pa rin siya, um, nagt-take siya ng PrEP or pre-exposure prophylaxis, and kasabi din nun, of course, sa paggamit ng traditional na contraceptives, so, uh, those are the ways that we can really help prevent the spread and transmission of HIV.
05:44As lalo naman yung mga misconception about HIV, yung mga na-encounter na fake news, kasi maganda rin to, di ba, sa information drive, di ba, para malaman din ang taong bayan, kung ano ba yung mga misconception?
05:57Well, that mainly, um, misconception ng HIV, especially ngayon, is that kapag mayroon ko yung HIV, it's the end. Wala na, wala na magagawa, kanon.
06:05But, uh, again, with the technologies and the advancements that we have, na, yun nga, ma-access natin for free, uh, through our, actually, through DOH din, and through, um, other, uh, agencies na, na nakakapag-fund ng ating mga, um, HIV testing sites, uh, meron tayong, uh, proper treatment para mas mamanage natin yung HIV.
06:28And, bukod sa pag-manage ng HIV for PLHIVs like me, there's also, um, again, PrEP, which is also accessible for free for people to also be protected for themselves, so.
06:40Minsan, ah, nag-ask ako nyo yun before, paano ba nag-work kang PrEP? Parang kailangan mo yata muna magpa-check-up if that works on you as well.
06:46Yes.
06:46Kasi it might affect your liver yata or kidney.
06:49Yes.
06:49But, uh, going back dun sa iyong journey, no, kumusa si Ezra before ma-diagnose versus soon siya ay na-diagnose ng PLHIV. Anong siya ay naging PLHIV?
07:00Actually, yung malasabi kong pinaka-difference lang ngayon is that, uh, right now I'm more, uh, aware and in tune of my body.
07:08If anything, um, the, uh, having HIV actually helped me, uh, be more aware of my health na, kaya siyempre, um, bukod sa pagiging undetectable, siyempre, kailangan andun pa rin yung conscious decisions na, uh, kailangan healthy ako, nakakapag work ako, workout ako, pero, I feel like that goes for everyone naman in general na, ano, conscious decision of having a healthy lifestyle.
07:36Regardless of, you have, if you have HIV or not.
07:39Okay, follow-up question lang.
07:41Kasi siyempre, people are somehow, siyempre, uh, we're breaking the stigma and they're very careful with asking questions as well.
07:48Is it, uh, what, what do you think could be the right way to ask people living with HIV when it comes to, is there a lesson, na dapat ba matotohan dito, or how, how does it feel like being a person living with HIV, uh, how could we be sensitive with people living with HIV, asking them questions like this?
08:05Actually, uh, the most, uh, sensitive thing to do, or the most empathic thing to do, is, um, to not assume.
08:13Okay.
08:13Kasi yun talaga yun eh, uh, you really can't tell if someone has HIV just by simply looking at them, because walang certain look ang pagkakaroon ng HIV.
08:21Kesyo, LGBTQIA+, or hindi, uh, walang pinipiling sakit.
08:25Ay, walang pinipili ang sakit.
08:27Okay.
08:27So yun, um, and another way that we can also be more empathetic towards, uh, persons living with HIV is, not assuming the worst, because, uh, it also feeds into the narrative na, oh no, kalugmuk-lugmuk siya, which is, hindi naman talaga.
08:42Instead, we could empower the people na, thank you for sharing your story, gano'n, or thank you for trusting me with your status.
08:50Uh, as simple as that, gano'n.
08:52Kasi not everyone, uh, can actually, uh, have that, um, comfort to trust you with their status.
08:58And if they do, uh, of course, um, responsibility mo na rin yun to...
09:02When you perform as a JAG queen, I mean, in our community, di ba, or in the JAG community, kumusta ang treatment sa kapwa-drag artist mo?
09:10Actually, I'm very thankful that the drag community is, um, very much welcoming, or, um, dare I say, parang, parang wala lang.
09:19Kasi yun naman talaga yung goal ng destigmatization, na parang wala lang.
09:22Oo, oo, oo, oo, oo, oo.
09:24Tsaka yung support system, kumay-support system ka, di ba?
09:27Oo naman, ang JAG ka-danyer, yes.
09:28Ah, okay.
09:30So, um, Ms. Ezra, ano naman yung, siguro, message mo sa mga, uh, like you na nakakaranas ngayon ng stigmatism, tsaka may kinakaharap?
09:40So, actually, um, to anyone who might feel na medyo natatakot sila magpa-test, um, there's nothing actually to really worry about.
09:50But, ah, because, ah, through testing, tsaka lang natin malalaman, eh, kung, ah, ano yung dapat na karampatang solution for us.
09:57If malaman natin na HIV negative tayo, there are solutions para makik natin that way, para ma-prevent natin yung pagtaas pa ng cases.
10:05So, the solutions are, ah, PrEP, or again, traditional contraceptives.
10:11Aside from that, if you do find out that you are, um, a person living with HIV, ah, there are also solutions right now para hindi mo na rin siya, ah,
10:20ah, ma-transmit to others, and ma-achieve mo yung undetectable status, such as ARVs.
10:25Alam mo, ay-wonder si Ezra, no? Kasi last year, yung-guessin natin siya ngayon, patuli pa rin siya sa pagbigay na impormasyon,
10:31not only sa drag artist, pero dahil kasama ka namin sa Risencia, yung Pilipinas, and salamat dito.
10:36Um, pa, sa kakumuha ng lakas ng loob, paki-open to?
10:40Actually, kumuha rin ako sa lakas ng loob, para sa mga taong nag-open up sa akin.
10:45Okay.
10:46Um, since coming out, I have also received a lot of messages from strangers, ah, telling me that they, in a way,
10:54I've also inspired them to take on their journey as well, ah, bravely.
10:59So, sa kanila na ako nakakuha ng lakas ng loob na, ah, mag-give back sa community namin, sa PLHIV community,
11:09para, in a way, lahat kami, ano, lahat kami, ah, no longer living in shame and fear.
11:15Katawa, may activities din ba pag-PLA-HIV community?
11:18Um, in a way, merong, ano, merong sort of bond na nangyayari.
11:23Okay, ayun.
11:24On that note, maraming salamat, Ezra, sa iyong tapang at pagiging bukas na ibahagi sa amin ang iyong naging karanasan.
11:31Sana ay magsimbang inspirasyon at paalala ito, nakatulad ka ng mga nabanggit ni Ezra,
11:37ang pagkakaroon ng HIV ay hindi katapasan, bagkos isang hamong maaaring malampasan kung may tamang kaalaman at suporta.
11:45Thank you once again, Ezra. Bye, guys.
