GENDER EQUALITY AND HIV 101

April 26, 2018

ESSU, Multi-purpose hall

Resource Speaker

Mr. Roel Andag

Profile

He graduated Valedictorian in 1992 from East Visayan Institute in San Julian

Eastern Samar. He graduated as member of the top 10 the graduating class, BS
Commerce major in Economics at Eastern Samar State College in 1998. He was the
associate editor at ESSC Monitor, the college publication and program Director of the
students broadcasting services. He was also the chair of the college editor’s Guild of
the Philippines-Eastern Samar Chapter. ESSU graduated who became Provincial
Topnotcher in both in both sub-professional and civil professional service
examination in 1997.

He is the first ESSU graduate to finish Master’s Degree in the University of

the Philippines in Diliman, where he graduated in 2004 with a degree of Master of
Public Administration. He is the first ESSU who’s Youngblood and Career articles
were published by the Philippine Daily Inquirer and Anvil Publication. He is the first
graduate in ESSU to occupy management position in and to work as consultant to
Multinational Organization including the office of the President of the Philippines–
NAPC Office of the President of the Philippines-CWC, Chevron, Bayer
Pharmaceuticals, USAIDS, and the United Nations. He is the first ESSU graduate to
have speaking engagements in Ateneo de Manila University, De La Salle University,
PUP and Saint Paul’s University Manila. His professional experience spans work in
multinational companies, government organization, the academe and NGO’s. He is a
member of the Philippine Society for Training and Development. At present, as
training and Development Manager since May 2013 at Caribbean Cruise, he has
conducted training sessions in 4 luxury ships, each ship work with up to 1,500
crewmembers representing 72 nationalities and has travelled to 35 countries in Asia,
Europe, Caribbean and America.
 HIV 101 Orientation Seminar
Objectives

At the end of the seminar, participants should be able to gain:

1. Basic understanding on HIV epidemiology, risk factors, transmission,

natural history and clinical manifestation;

2. Basic understanding on HIV disease management; and

3. Basic understanding on HIV testing and counseling.

Through this seminar, participants are expected to be able to:

1. Explain HIV epidemiology, risk factors, transmission, natural history

and clinical manifestation and management; and
2.
2. Explain HIV testing procedure and interpret meaning of positive and
negative result.
INTRODUCTION

HIV/AIDS is one of the biggest challenges the world faces today. The
rate of infection is quickly increasing and more and more people are
getting ill and dying from AIDS related illnesses. HIV/ AIDS is a serious
incurable disease, it is important to know how the disease is transmitted.

AIDS is the last stage in a progression of diseases resulting from a viral

infection known as the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV or AIDS virus).
There is no cure for HIV infection or AIDS nor is there a vaccine to prevent
HIV infection. However, new medications not only can slow the progression of
the infection, but can also markedly suppress the virus, thereby restoring the
body’s immune function and permitting many HIV-infected individuals to lead
a normal, disease-free life.

Thousands of people are infected and children are being orphaned

because of HIV/AIDS. Not everyone knows the impact AIDS has in every
community and every business or organization. Almost all of us are affected
by HIV and AIDS. There is really NO cure for HIV/Aids. The best we can do to
prevent this disease from spreading and taking more lives, is to educate and
create awareness. Knowledge is power!
HIV/AIDS
Mr. Roel Andag discussed the second topic which is on HIV, where
HIV stands for human immunodeficiency virus, the virus that causes HIV
infection.

In his talk, he stressed some helpful and enlightening facts on the

topic. AIDS stands for acquired immunodeficiency syndrome and is the most
advanced stage of HIV infection. HIV attacks and destroys the infection-
fighting CD4 cells of the immune system. The loss of CD4 cells makes it
difficult for the body to fight infections and certain cancers. Without treatment,
HIV can gradually destroy the immune system and advance to AIDS.

HIV is spread through contact with certain body fluids from a person
infected with HIV. These body fluids include:

 Blood
 Semen
 Pre-seminal fluid
 Vaginal fluids
 Rectal fluids
 Breast milk

The spread of HIV from person to person is called HIV transmission. The
spread of HIV from an HIV-infected woman to her child during pregnancy,
childbirth, or breastfeeding is called mother-to-child transmission of HIV.

HIV is spread mainly by having sex with or sharing drug injection

equipment with someone who is infected with HIV. To reduce your risk of HIV
infection, use condoms correctly and consistently during sex, limit your
number of sexual partners, and never share drug injection equipment.

You can’t get HIV by shaking hands or hugging a person infected with HIV.
You also cant get HIV from contact with objects such as dishes, toilet seats,
or doorknobs used by a person with HIV. HIV does not spread through the air
or through mosquito, tick, or other insect bites.
Soon after infection with HIV, some people have flu-like symptoms, such as
fever, headache, or rash. Without treatment, HIV can advance to AIDS.

The use of HIV medicines to treat HIV infection is called antiretroviral therapy
(ART). ART involves taking a combination of HIV medicines every day. ART
prevents HIV from multiplying and reduces the amount of HIV in the body.
Having less HIV in the body protects the immune system and prevents HIV
infection from advancing to AIDS.

ART can’t cure HIV, but it can help people infected with HIV live longer,
healthier lives. ART also reduces the risk of HIV transmission.

One way to prevent the spread of the disease is by practicing abstinence or

by having safe sex. Abstinence is defined as not having sex at all, and it is the
safest practice. However, if one feels that he must have sex, then safe sex
should be practiced. Safe sex involves the use of a condom. Mr. Andag
demonstrated the proper way of using condoms in which it could help lessen
the ignorance and make use to lessen the problem.

Aside from raising awareness on HIV, the speaker conducted an activity

which is the WILDFIRE HANDSHAKE GAME,intended to make the
participants feels what it feels like to be an HIV infected person. Thus, giving
comprehension and a better understanding on how to respect and not judge
people based on their illness. It is one way of supporting them in their battle,
by respecting the affected individual.

SUMMARY

In general, Mr. Roel Andag wants the participants to recognize the

significance of HIV awareness and these are as follows:

 Encourages to get tested and know the individual status.

 Increased awareness of safe practices to prevent HIV infection results
in people being more careful and ultimately decreases infection rates.
 HIV/AIDS awareness help people become aware of the levels of care
and treatment, whether they are living with HIV or caring for someone
with this disease.
 To educate the people who pass down the knowledge to their
community members and make a positive contribution towards
society.
 Not to stereo type or discriminate HIV infected people and help
everyone to understand the disease, to boost morale and create better
relationships.
 GENDER EQUALITY 101 SEMINAR
Introduction
Worldwide, most countries recognize that equal rights should exist
between men and women. Many have produced regulations intended to fight
discrimination and programs granting women access to health, education, and
economic rights. However, the fact remains that women have fewer
opportunities than men to benefit from economic development, with lower
participation in the labor force.

Discriminatory practices persist in many organizations despite

regulations to the contrary. It is important to create an open and friendly
atmosphere to address gender discrimination issues; therefore it is critical to
involve men and women rather than only women. Because gender biases are
embedded in culture, it is very difficult to eliminate them without having a
holistic view and involving men as a part of the solution.

Through this seminar, participants are expected to be able to:

1. To improve understanding of gender equality.

2. To encourage balanced participation of men and women in various
aspects.
3. To exchange good practices.
4. To define the ways of influencing the public on gender equality issues.
 Mr. Roel Andag, started his talk about stereotyping and applying his
lecture, it means a rigid, oversimplified, often exaggerated belief that is
applied both to an entire social category of people and to each
individual within it. Stereotypes form the basis for prejudice, which in
turn is used to justify discrimination and attitudes. They can be positive
as well as negative. As he goes on with his discussion, he highlighted
that in many parts of the world, laws discriminate against women by
constraining the conditions of their employment, restricting their
ownership of productive resources, or limiting their rights to travel or to
political participation.

The speaker said that it is obvious that there is so much sexism and
inequality in society, especially in the workforce and that there is not enough
measures being taken to prevent and stop such problems and this was
definitely something that should be promoted.

Moving on with his discussion, the next area was on SOGIE in which
SO stands for Sexual Orientation GI is for Gender Identity and E is for Gender
Expression .Sexual Orientation was on determining through desire or
attraction .The object of desire whether physical / emotional / romantic
determines sexual orientation. He added the three main categories of sexual
orientation which are the homosexuality, along with bisexuality and
heterosexuality. Homosexuality is romantic or sexual attraction or behavior
between members of the same sex or gender. It is when a person, whether
male or female is attracted to a person of the same sex. Homosexuals are
commonly termed as lesbians for females and gays for males. Heterosexual
is a term used for the people who get attracted to the people of the opposite
sex while bisexuals are those who are attracted to both same sexes .As to
Gender Identity it is for one’s personal experience of one’s own gender. It
can correlate with assigned sex at birth or can differ from it. Lastly, the
Gender Expression is for external manifestation of gender, expressed
through a person’s name, pronouns, clothing, haircut, behavior, voice, and/or
body characteristics. Society identifies these cues as a masculine and
feminine, although what is considered masculine or feminine changes over
time and varies by culture. These are concepts the speaker discussed on. He
ended the SOGIE topic saying that the difference between gender identity and
sexual orientation is who you are and whom you love.
The speaker added that in an ideal world, sex, sexual orientation and gender
identity are incidental. But in heavily prejudiced society, these conditions
results in negative judgments and biases against those that are perceived to
be different. That SOGIE should not be used for unequal treatment and
discrimination.