Tuesday, October 16, 2012

Republic Act 8504 Basics

Key Features of Republic Act 8504: Provisions of RA 8504 relevant in the workplace

Article I: Education and Information - Section 6: HIV/AIDS Education in the Workplace

All government and private employees shall be provided with standardized basic information and instruction on HIV and AIDS.
HIV / AIDS education shall be integrated into orientation, training, continuing education, HR dev’t programs, etc
Each employer shall develop, implement, evaluate and fund a workplace HIV and AIDS education and information program.
In collaboration with the DOH, DOLE shall oversee the anti-HIV/AIDS campaign in all private companies.

Article III: Testing, Screening and Counseling:

Section 16: Prohibition on Compulsory HIV Testing
Compulsory HIV testing as a precondition to employment, admission to educational institutions, the provision of medical service or any kind of service shall be deemed unlawful.

Exceptions to Prohibition on Compulsory HIV Testing

When charged with crime under the Revised Penal Code, Death penalty Act, Anti-rape Law
When resolving issues relevant to the Family Code
When complying with requirements of organ or blood donation
Reportorial requirements
When informing health workers directly involved in treatment and care of persons with HIV/AIDS
When responding to legal proceedings where the main issue is the HIV status of a person

Section 18: Anonymous HIV Testing

Section 19: Accreditation of HIV Testing Centers

Section 20: Pre-test and Post-test Counselling

Article VI: Confidentiality

Section 30: Medical ConfidentialityAll health professionals, medical instructors, workers, employers, recruitment agencies, insurance companies, data encoders, and other custodians of any medical records, file, data or test results to observe strict confidentiality particularly the identity and status of persons with HIV

Release of HIV/AIDS Test Results will only be allowed to the following parties:
- Person who was tested
- Parent of minor if minor
- Legal guardian of mentally handicapped person
- Person authorized to receive results for AIDSWATCH
- Justice of Court of Appeals or Supreme Court
Section 34: Disclosure to Sexual Partners Any person with HIV is obliged to disclose his/her HIV status and health condition to his/her spouse or
sexual partner at the earliest opportune time.

Article VII: Discriminatory Acts and Policies - Section 35: Workplace Discrimination

Discrimination in any form from preemployment to post-employment, including hiring, promotion or assignment, based on the actual, perceived or suspected HIV status of an individual is prohibited. Termination from work on the sole basis of actual, perceived or suspected HIV status is deemed unlawful.
Persons with HIV/AIDS already employed by any public or private company shall be entitled to the same
employment rights, benefits and opportunities as other employees.
HIV infected employees shall act responsibly to protect own health and prevent HIV transmission
Acts of discrimination shall be reported to DOLE or to CSC

Penalties

Misleading information / advertising2 months to 2 years imprisonment
Knowingly & negligently infecting others in the practice of one’s profession
6-12 years imprisonment, fines, suspension or revocation of license/accreditation
Violations on medical confidentiality
6 months to 4 years imprisonment, fines, suspension or revocation of license/accreditation
Discriminatory acts & policies
6 months to 4 years imprisonment, fines of not over P10,000, revocation of license/permits

Mandate of the Philippine National AIDS Council

To be the central advisory, planning and policy-making body for the comprehensive and integrated HIV / AIDS prevention and control program in the Philippines.

Monday, October 15, 2012

TESDA provides skills training to 1,600 youths

MANILA, Philippines – Close to 1,600 youths have moved up the ladder from being out-of-school youths to full-fledged skilled graduates ready to take on jobs.

They came from among the country’s four poorest provinces, who were profiled, enrolled and given skills training under the Spanish-funded Millennium Development Goals Joint Program on Alternatives to Migration: Decent Jobs for Filipino Youth Program.

The skills training component of the program is jointly implemented by the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) and the International Labor Organization.

From the 2,000 youths selected from the provinces of Masbate, Antique, Agusan del Sur and Maguindanao, a total of 1,547 have been given on-the-job training and have graduated from their respective courses.

All of the 2,000 youth swho enrolled under the program completed their courses, but a few are awaiting formal graduation pending the completion of on-the-job training requirements.

Secretary Joel Villanueva expressed optimism their education could be put to good use with the right job.

“Joining the work force or being successful entrepreneurs will give these youth a confident grip on their future,” Villanueva, TESDA director general, said.

Jobs, in fact, came easy for a total of 397 graduates, who have found employment right after finishing their courses.

Of the 2,000 enrollees, Villanueva said they aimed to get at least 1,100 or 55 percent employed.

After graduation, the youths underwent competency assessment that determined if they would qualify to be certified specialists by TESDA.

Of the 1,547 graduates, 500 each came from Antique, Masbate and Agusan del Sur, while 47 came from Maguindanao.

Source: –(The Philippine Star)

PNAC 2013-2014 PREPARATION PLANNING WORKSHOP

Thursday, October 11, 2012

PNAC- HIV/AIDS Network

HIV/AIDS Network

http://pnac.org.ph/crispinoy/homepage.php

Women Workers Welfare Advocacy Program

W³AP (Read as Triple W AP) - stands for “Women Workers Welfare Advocacy Program”, a program lodged with the Women Workers Development Division (WWDD) of the Bureau of Workers with Special Concerns (BWSC). All advocacy initiatives pertaining to the Family Welfare Program, the anti-sexual harassment, and other related laws that affect women workers shall be published under this program. This maiden issue focuses on the setting up of the lactation stations as provided for in the newly enacted “Expanded Breastfeeding Promotion Act of 2009”. The contents of this material will be particularly helpful to Human Resource managers, as they will be guided in how to set up or operationalize the provisions of said law.

SETTING UP A WORKPLACE LACTATION STATION :

a guide for employers and family welfare committees

A lactation station is one of the low-cost family-friendly facilities an employer can put up at the workplace for the benefit of employees. Anything a company can do to add benefits to an employee’s working life helps to attract people and retain people. Breastfeeding mothers who wish to continue breastfeeding their children after they resume their work have special needs. A lactation station provides safe and healthful working conditions for women workers taking into account their maternal functions, thus, promoting the constitutional provision of providing facilities and opportunities to enhance their potential in the service of the nation. A recently passed law,

Republic Act 10028 or the “Expanded Breastfeeding Promotion Act of 2009”

which amended RA 7600 or the “Rooming-in and Breastfeeding Act of 1992,” adopts a national policy to encourage, protect and support the practice of breastfeeding. Specifically, this law requires establishments to set up lactation stations in the workplace and provide compensable time for breastfeeding and lactation periods.

Breastfeeding is nature's way to nourish and protect young infants. The many benefits of exclusive breastfeeding to the child specifically in the first 6 months are irreplaceable. The positive effects for the working breastfeeding mother are equally rewarding.

For the child, exclusive breastfeeding reduces infant deaths caused by common childhood illnesses such as diarrhea and pneumonia as well as hasten recovery during a bout of illness. Breastmilk provides all the energy and nutrients that an infant needs during the first 6 months. For the working breastfeeding mothers, some of the positive effects are the delay in the resumption of normal ovarian cycles and the return of fertility in most women. Breastfeeding mothers lose their weight gained during pregnancy more quickly because they are using more calories to produce milk.

For the establishment, some of the positive effects are:

Less absenteeism among workers
High employee productivity
Greater company loyalty
High employee morale
Improved ability to attract and retain valuable employees

Family-friendly image in the community

Source: http://www.bwsc.dole.gov.ph/bwscweb/

Wednesday, October 10, 2012

HIV-tainted blood donations continue to increase

The number of units of donated blood contaminated with the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) rose by 18 percent this year, according to data from the latest Philippine HIV/AIDS Registry.

The registry’s data, which was posted on the Philippine National Aids Council website, showed that there were 167 units of HIV-positive donated blood as recorded by the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM) from January to August this year.

About 142 HIV-positive units were found in the same time period last year.

Of the increase in HIV-tainted blood donations, LPG Marketers Association partylist Rep. Arnel Ty said “the rising figures clearly suggest that we have many HIV cases which remain undiagnosed and unreported.”

Ty is one of the authors of the proposed Comprehensive HIV/AIDS Prevention, Treatment, Care and Support Policy Act. The bill enjoins specific agencies to support Filipinos living with HIV, as well as raise awareness about the disease.

Data from the registry also showed that HIV cases in general are also on the rise, following a trend that has been going on for the last decade.

From Jan. to Aug. this year, there was a total of 2,150 recorded HIV cases, with 272 cases reported in August alone. In the same period last year, there were 1,416 recorded HIV cases.

According to the registry, the highest number of infections is reported to have come from sexual contact. Less than one percent of the total number of HIV cases since 1984 was transmitted through a blood transfusion.

DVM, GMA News

October 10, 2012

CRISPINOY!

Welcome to CRISPINOY!

Source: http://pnac.org.ph/crispinoy/homepage.php

PNAC-Philippine National AIDS Council Training Program on HIV Monitoring and Evaluation Advance Course

Schedule

Advance M&E – October 8-12, 2012

This is a continuation of the 2011 series of M&E Trainings on HIV programmed by the Philippine National AIDS Council (PNAC) in collaboration with Development Center for Asia, Africa, and the Pacific (DCAAP) and UNAIDS Philippines.

Advance Course (3.5 days)

After completing the Basic M&E Course (requirement), participants are invited to participate in the Advance M&E Course. The program reviews the key elements learned during the basic course and will include a more in-depth skills training to ensure M&E products are utilized as strategic information for program improvement or policy formulation.

OTHER INQUIRIES:

all other inquiry as regards participation to the M&E may be forwarded to Mr. Rench Chanliongco of PNAC Secretariat, phone (02) 743-05-12 or (02) 651-78-00 locals 2550 - 2552 - or globe mobile number (0915) 4797979 or email:rench_chanliongco@yahoo.com

Monday, October 1, 2012

HIV and AIDS 101

What is HIV and AIDS?

HIV stands for Human Immunodeficiency Virus. It is a retrovirus that causes HIV infection. Its entrance into the body lowers the immunity (body defense system) or the ability to fight off disease.
HIV Infection is the successful entry of HIV in the human host, weakening the immune system and leading to a spectrum of diseases.
AIDS stands for Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome. It is a condition characterized by a combination of signs and symptoms, caused by HIV contracted from another which attacks and weakens the body’s immune system, making the afflicted individual susceptible to other life threatening infection.

How does HIV attack the immune system?

The human body is protected by the White Blood Cells in the immune system.
White Blood Cells in the immune system fight disease and germs for your body.
Strong diseases make the body sick, but the white blood cells usually win in the end.
HIV is a VERY strong germ that attacks the White Blood Cells themselves, weakening the body's defenses against diseases and makes the body vulnerable to potentially life-threatening infections and cancers. HIV then uses human cells to manufacture more of the virus, eventually killing the host & nearby cells and overwhelms the immune system.
After a very long struggle lasting years, HIV kills most of the immune system's White Blood Cells, leaving the body unprotected.
Many other (secondary) diseases attack (bringing about the condition of AIDS) and eventually kill the body.

Solid Facts on HIV and AIDS

HIV is transmitted by:

having unprotected sexual intercourse (vaginal, anal or oral), with someone who is HIV positive. Unprotected, penetrative sex accounts for 80% of total exposures to the disease worldwide;
having a transfusion with infected blood;
sharing syringes and needles with someone who is HIV positive for drugs and tattoos or other skin
piercing tools such as razor blades and surgical instruments forcircumcision or scarification.
mothers to their unborn babies and through breastfeeding.

HIV is NOT transmitted through:

Kissing
Casual contacts or handshakes
Sharing living quarters, eating or drinking with an infected person
Mosquitoes and bed bugs.

HIV is transmitted through the following body fluids:

Blood
Semen
Vaginal/Cervical Fluids
Breastmilk

Stages of the HIV Disease

Stage I: PRIMARY INFECTION
- The patient starts experiencing “flu-like” symptoms
Stage II: ASYMPTOMATIC ILLNESS
- The patient may remain well for years
Stage III: SYMPTOMATIC ILLNESS
- The patient experiences “mild” symptoms such as lack of energy, nights sweats, etc
Stage IV: ADVANCED DISEASES (AIDS)
- The patient experiences opportunistic infections from bacterial, mycobacterial, fungal, protozoal, viral and malignant sources that can cause any of the following:
  - Swollen glands
  - Mouth infections
  - Brain infections
  - Skin diseases
  - Lung diseases
  - Loss of weight

HIV Detection and Testing

HIV can be detected through the following tests:

Antibody test - an indirect test measures the response of one’s body to the presence of HIV
Antigen test - a test that directly measures the virus

HIV Testing is voluntary, confidential and anonymous, with pre and post-test counseling. The window period for testing is 6 months from the last exposure with HIV.

There is NO vaccine and NO cure for HIV. Anti-retroviral medication (ARVs) may only slow down the replication of the virus.

The A-B-C-D-E of AIDS Prevention

A - Abstinence
B - Be faithful (having a mutual monogamous relationship)
C - Careful Sex (No exchange of body fluids)
D - Don’t share needles/ sterilized needles
E - Education and Information

See Related Materials on HIV/AIDS

UNAIDS 2008 Fast Facts Series:

Data from national programmes and other organizations:

Next: Republic Act 8504 Basics

Source: http://www.pnac.org.ph/

LABOR ADVOCACY GROUP

Promote Labor Standards

Tuesday, October 16, 2012

Republic Act 8504 Basics