1) GENERAL BACKGROUND The Philippines HIV epidemic which impacts disproportionately on men who have sex with men (MSM) and transgender people. The sharp rise in HIV incidence in the country, which has increased by 812% from 2008 to 2013, is attributed to a concentrated epidemic among MSM and transgender people, with at least 80% of new cases transmitted through unprotected male-to-male sex. Current epidemiological data do not disaggregate for transgender people, but an Integrated HIV Behavioral and Serologic Surveillance conducted in Cebu City indicates an invisible concentrated HIV epidemic specifically among transgender people as well. Other worrying aspects of the epidemic include restrictive legal, policy and social environments; highly discriminatory stereotypes and myths; and violation of the rights of people of diverse sexual orientation and gender identities. Even in the absence of criminalization, other provisions of law that violate the rights of MSM and transgender communities are arbitrarily and inappropriately used obstructing HIV interventions, advocacy, outreach, and sexual health related service delivery. On 27 April 2012, the Philippine National AIDS Council (PNAC) approved a National Comprehensive Strategic Plan on HIV and AIDS for Men having Sex with Men and Transgender Population (‘MSM & TG Strategic Plan’), a roadmap of interventions to arrest the increasing HIV epidemic among Filipino MSM and transgender people. A subsequent Operational Plan was crafted and presented to the Executive Committee of PNAC, and it was eventually adopted by various stakeholders on 7 December 2012. These national level policy actions were supported by UNDP. The direction provided by the Department of Health and the PNAC Executive Committee for the ‘MSM and TG Plan’ is towards localization, with the National Capital Region (NCR), which accounts for the one-half of the HIV incidence for the MSM and transgender people, as the first area where the Plan will be localized. In support of this city-based strategy, the Department of Health and UNDP will conduct a city-based study on stigma, discrimination impacting universal access to HIV and health services for men who have sex with men and transgender people in NCR. This activity is supported by UNDP under the ISEAN-HIVOS Multi-Country Programme which covers Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines and Timor-Leste. |