Associated Press: Rights group, worried about HIV, urges Philippines action
“A human rights watchdog says the Philippines is facing one of the fastest growing epidemics of HIV in the Asia Pacific, fueled by government policies that restrict intervention, including access to condoms by men who have sex with men…” (Cerojano, 12/7).

Quartz: Rodrigo Duterte’s next war is a growing HIV epidemic in the Philippines
“…The latest statistics from NGO Human Rights Watch, released [December 8], show that there are currently 26 newly diagnosed HIV cases per day in the Philippines, a sizeable jump from the one-per-day rate just eight years ago. The report revealed that the inaccessibility of contraceptives and lack of sexual education in schools are the root causes of the increasing HIV incidence…” (Reyes, 12/7).

Thomson Reuters Foundation: Philippines HIV prevention policies leave behind men who have sex with men: rights group
“…Last year, at least 11 cities in the Philippines reported HIV prevalence rates of more than five percent among men who have sex with men, the study said. The Philippines introduced effective policies targeting the outbreak of HIV among sex workers in the 1990s, however ‘it has failed to adapt its prevention strategies in line with the epidemic’s shifting epicenter,’ HRW said in a statement…” (Liu, 12/7).