NEWS
Bagani Community Center opens in Bacolod City written by Jean Paul Amit The Champion Community Centers welcome the Bagani Community Center to its network of HIV care and wellness centers in the Philippines. Led by the Family Planning Organization of the Philippines (FPOP) and LoveYourself, Inc., the community center opened its doors once again on May 16, 2020 after its shortened soft opening in March of this year.
screening services template set by the Rajah Community Center in Iloilo City, and is also looking to be a provider of Pre-exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP).
Since its soft opening on March 1, the Bagani Community Center has catered to clients with its 11 initial volunteers that have been trained and certified to conduct HIV screening as community-based services motivators. It is in the Center’s directive to have new batches of volunteers succeed The Bagani Community Center was estab- previous ones as time goes on, so please lished in order for Bacolod, and the rest of feel free to catch updates on how to beits neighboring cities in the island of Ne- come a volunteer. gros to have access to quality HIV testing and treatment services. As an HIV care An honor bestowed upon the dauntless, center, it also aims to provide psychosocial Bagani is a title that was earned in early support through an internal network for Filipino culture. To be acclaimed as a Bapersons living with HIV in the form of HIV gani means to be a warrior who rises above counseling services. one’s challenges, and because it takes heroism, we must evolve with modernity to The community center will be the first of champion the Bagani within us. The very Negros Island’s HIV Care providers with definition of Bagani relies on the sense of due thanks to FPOP, who advocates for community that which a Bagani honors sexual and reproductive health, mainly by with his victory. In the same way, the Baproviding access to HIV testing and sexu- gani Community Center aims to dignify the ally transmitted infection (STI) screening City of Bacolod through service. for men having sex with men (MSM), and pregnant women as well as their partners FPOP is able to commit its work through as part of ante-natal care. It also recogniz- its local and international partners, and naes the needs of the youth, particularly ado- tional and local agencies and facilities that lescent minors, to have access to free HIV provide resources, technical assistance testing services. In addition, the organiza- and services. May Bacolod embrace the tion serves the community of transgender Bagani in everyone through this thrust. women, who now have access to hormone therapy services and counseling. Clients may visit Bagani Community Center between 1PM to 8PM, Wednesday to By extending training and other means of Sunday, at the 3rd floor of the NEDF Buildcapacity-building, the Bagani Community ing, 6th Street, Bacolod City. Clients may Center aims to host a growing communi- also schedule HIV screening through their ty of volunteers, community facilitators, Facebook page @BaganiBCD. peer educators, and health care providers. Bagani adopts the community-based
The newly-renovated Bagani Community Center, decorated with Maskara murals-a well known festival in the Philippines. Photo grabbed from @IBaganiBCD
From page 1: FPOP reaches clients... ...previously unreachable sector. If we did not have iScreen, these people would still not be aware of their status, and given their reluctance to do traditional testing, there would be no way for them to find out. We are very privileged and thankful that we have iScreen in FPOP Iloilo,” shared Figuracion. Misterio, on the other hand, said, “When it comes to knowing your status, it doesn’t matter who you are or what you are, what matters is what you do.” “Together with DOH and WHO, we give our community another option to know their status, which is to self-screen. There is absolutely no reason to fear for their sex life as long as they know their status in a secure and comfortable environment.” FPOP Iloilo is known to be at the forefront of HIV screening in Western Visayas. Despite being a non-government organization with fewer than ten staff, FPOP is recognized not only for its efforts in addressing sexual and reproductive health and rights but also for its HIV and AIDS services and advocacy. They have also been actively working with the local government unit of Iloilo City through its agencies such as the City Social Welfare and Development Office and the City Population Office, as well as other regional and national agencies such as the Commission on Population, the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), and the DOH.
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