Rival Filipino beauty camps unite to help fight HIV/AIDS
The country's two rival beauty camps - Kagandahang Flores and Aces and Queens - have joined forces to help the Department of Health (DoH) in the new renewed fight against human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) which causes acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS).
Rodgil Flores, head of the Kagandahang Flores beauty camp, and former Miss International 2016 Kylie Verzosa, of the Aces and Queens camp, led the launch of the new pageant dubbed "LHIVE FREE Redvocates, The Search for HIV/AIDS Advocacy Ambassadors," in Quezon City last Aug. 2.
In the Philippines, the two prestigious beauty camps train girls who want to join beauty pageants. Both training camps have already produced international winners in popular pageants such as Miss Universe, Miss World, Miss International, and Miss Earth.
Asked why he joined the project, Flores said: "When it was offered to me, I readily said yes. We all know that the Filipinos are the No. 1 pageant fans. Of course with the help of the pageant fans, we can carry our message to support the anti-AIDS campaign of our ambassadors. This is one-of-a-kind and it's very exciting."
"It is an opportunity to speak or to lend a voice to certain causes like HIV which is very relevant now. It will bring awareness so that more people will know about it," says Verzosa, ambassador of the project.
Flores says that the three-way pageant will have 30 contestants: 10 men, 10 women and 10 transgenders. It is open to all individuals aged 20-26 years old who have good communication skills, and are passionate about the campaign cause.
Organizers say that it is still early to tell if they could sustain the pageant on an annual basis. "The dream is to have this localized later on. So we will influence the local government units (LGUs) for them to individually identify among themselves at the grassroots level," says Dr. Gerald Belimac, director, Philippine National AIDS Council, DoH.
He adds: "So parang mino-model lang natin ito at the national level in the hope that the LGUs will copy the project. Maybe annual kung gagawin siya ng mga LGUs. But for the central office, we still need to look at the effectiveness of the campaign."
The finals night will be held on September 28 wherein the winners will be crowned. The winners also take home cash prizes and join the DoH and Verzosa in a series of promotional activities that will dispel wrong information and negative stigma associated with HIV and AIDS.
Health authorities say that the average number of new HIV cases in the Philippines has grown from one per day to 31 per day in the last 10 years.
In addition, the Philippines has the highest percent of increase of new HIV cases in the Asia and Pacific Region from 2010 to 2016, at 133 percent, the DoH adds.
Health Secretary Francisco T. Duque has urged the public to get tested. "We want people to stop being afraid to get tested. There is hope, and there is a very big chance to live a normal life even if you are HIV positive. There are solutions that the government is making available for everyone." - ROBERT REQUINTINA
*With images by Noli Berioso and Joy Arguil
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