National Youth Commission (NYC) Chairman Aiza Seguerra has expressed alarm over the rising number of young Filipinos infected with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV).
The child star-turned-public official wants minors as young as 15 years old to be able to get tested for HIV without parental consent.
According to Seguerra, as much as 85 percent of new daily infections are accounted for by young Filipinos aged 15 to 30.
“The face of HIV [infection in the country] is the youth,” Seguerra said in a report by the Inquirer.
“We at the National Youth Commission believe that there is a need to disseminate the correct information about HIV. Let’s admit that we have different views about HIV and that most of the time, we avoid people who are HIV-positive,” she added.
Currently, people under 18 must first secure permission from their parents before they could be tested for HIV-AIDS. Lowering the age of testing to 15 could help the government control the steady rise of the infection among the youth.
“It’s already difficult asking permission from our parents to have a night out. What more if you tell your parents, ‘I’m sexually active. I might have HIV. Please go with me.’ So it’s very hard,” Seguerra said.
In 2015 the late Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago filed a bill allowing minors to submit themselves to HIV-AIDS testing even without parental consent.
