CASTELO REJECTS COMPULSORY HIV TESTING ON GAYS, SAYS IT VIOLATES HUMAN RIGHTS Rep. Winston “Winnie” Castelo (Liberal Party, 2nd District of Quezon City) today rejected the planned compulsory test for HIV infection of suspected gays, saying it violates their human rights, but supported what has been described as “community-led” HIV testing instead. “The current legal framework allows voluntary and confidential HIV testing for a person, who allows to be subjected to such test,” said Castelo, chair of the House committee on Metro Manila development. “Anything that goes beyond this legal framework could be challenged in any legal forum,” said Castelo, who issued the statement in reply to published reports about the plan of the Department of Health (DoH) to conduct compulsory HIV testing on men. Castelo has directed his legislative staff to prepare a resolution directing the committee on health, chaired by Rep. Eufranio Eriguel (LP, 2nd District of La Union), to make an inquiry “in aid of legislation” on the reported upsurge of HIV cases in the country and the initiatives the DoH has been undertaking to contain HIV infection. Castelo acknowledged the critics’ assertion that any HIV testing should be human rights-based, because of the social stigma attached any coercive modes of HIV testing. “Gays who need to get tested fear discrimination; they go underground once authorities make testing compulsory. The government has yet to address the issues of HIV-related stigma and discrimination,” Castelo said. Castelo said the alternative to compulsory HIV testing is what has been termed as “community-led” HIV testing, which involves the collaboration and cooperation of community groups and DoH testing facilities. Quoting critics, Castelo said the intensified collaboration between community groups and government-run HIV testing facilities over the past four years has triggered an increase in the uptake on HIV testing, accounting for the raise in new HIV infections as recorded by the Philippine HIV/AIDS Registry. Quoting critics, Castelo said international and local HIV experts cite this community-led HIV testing as a model that effectively leads to the registration of HIV cases and their subsequent documentation to form a database of HIV cases. “This model has been described as legal, cost-effective, evidence-informed, and human rights-based,” Castelo said. #
Posted on: Wed, 04 Jun 2014 00:53:42 +0000
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