CEBU CITY – The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has urged local governments in Cebu to establish their own local AIDS Council or LACS in an effort to help spread awareness of the deadly disease in the province.
Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation-Cebu media officer Greggy Senados said that a functional AIDS council is one of the keys in effective information dissemination about the alarming state of HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus) cases in Cebu. Out of 54 local governments in Cebu province, Senados said only five cities – Cebu, Danao, Naga, Toledo, and Carcar – and the municipalities Minglanilla and Compostela have functional AIDS council, including the Cebu provincial government.
“We need to have more LACs to help spread awareness about HIV/AIDS (Human Immunodeficiency Virus/Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome) in Cebu province. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation is now reaching out to the remaining 47 local government units or LGUs to establish their local AIDS councils,” he said.
The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation have conducted several projects in Cebu, including providing technical assistance and trainings on the prevention, awareness, and information dissemination about HIV-AIDS. They also trained LGUs to help them establish their functional LACs.
The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has also partnered with Bisdak Pride Cebu to spread HIV-AIDS awareness through theater arts. The group has already performed and talked about HIV in Argao town and is set to bring the campaign to Santander, Moalboal, Balamban, Toledo, Danao, Consolacion, Bogo City, Bantayan Island, and Daanbantayan next month. (Luel Galarpe and Bebie Jane Casipong)
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