Miss Universe 2015 Pia Wurtzbach, whose advocacy is AIDS awareness, took to social media Wednesday morning to make a statement regarding the recent drug bust that happened at a hotel in Bonifacio Global City (BGC), Taguig.
Last Sunday, eleven men were arrested in the said drug raid. The men, most of them professionals, were just in their underwear when the authorities walked in on the reportedly illegal drugs-fueled party.
They men were in the middle of a sex party.
According to reports, the operatives caught some of the men having sex while others were using drugs. Around P300,000 worth of illegal drugs was also seized in the hotel room
The target of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) operatives were two models suspected of supplying party drugs to club goers in BGC. The two have already been charged with drug possession, drug sale, conspiracy to sell, possession of drug paraphernalia.
The other nine, meanwhile, were charged with use of illegal drugs. They will not be detained.
What fueled controversies in the said raid was the release of a sensitive info of one of the men - that he is HIV positive.
Under Republic Act 8504, it's illegal to reveal one's HIV status.
Here's what Pia has to say:
Universe, listen to this. A few days ago a drug bust happened in a high scale hotel in Manila Philippines involving 11 supposedly gay men. Two of them were suspected of selling/distributing drugs. During the operation, the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) found out that one of of them was HIV positive. PDEA and local news outlets decided to expose the identities of these men to the media. Their mugshots, names, and the HIV status of one of them were released. Was this really necessary? I understand that what the men were supposedly doing was illegal and they should face legal consequences. But there was absolutely no need to expose and publicly shame them. It’s illegal to publicly announce one’s HIV status (RA8504). What has been done has not only traumatized the men that were involved; it has also worsened the HIV situation in the Philippines. We’re working so hard in educating the people properly on HIV/AIDS, on taking away the stigma. Because of what PDEA and the news outlet have done, some people are now associating drugs and immorality with being gay. It’s ridiculous. The whole point of this drug raid was to arrest the men for their supposed crime, which was selling/distributing and using illegal narcotics. Being gay is not a crime! Living with HIV is not a punishment! Come on, Philippines. We are already taking small steps forward to improve acceptance, tolerance and understanding. We cannot take big steps back. To PDEA and the news outlets, take steps to mend the situation. Sa aking mga kababayan, wag po tayo maging judgmental. Hindi immoral ang maging bakla, hindi dapat ituring na kaparusahan ang HIV. At lalong hindi ito biro na dapat pag-pyestahan at pagtawanan. To my beloved LGBT community, stay strong. We’ll win this.
The post came along with a blank black image.
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