KALEL, 15 Shows On Theaters Today

Fresh from their win at the Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival for Best Director, the film Kalel, 15 will be shown on theaters today on theaters nationwide. Elijah Canlas is the young lead actor for this project and yes, he has gotten the admiration of several members of the jury and the audience during their premiere night at the same festival. The story revolves around a 15 year old student who is  a Son of a priest and is HIV positive. 

“Working with a large cast of mostly very young actors he has made a film which feels deeply -rooted in the everyday lives of its characters. His film pulls away from the sticking-plaster from the wound of the AIDS epidemic among young people of the Philippines and exposes the terror and violence that this crisis imposes on them. It’s a passionate and concerned film about lives we never see in the West.” – Jury comment, Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival

They let us in on some things that happened during the shoot, Elijah shared “The production made an alter account for me and it had tons of followers the next day. It had my body shots but it had stickers so it didn’t show me. I had to lose weight, no abs, just an ordinary boy. I had to eat two apples for two or three weeks. If the scrip calls for it and I trust the director, I will do anything. If Direk Jun is shooting it, I am good. I just finished “He who is without sin” with Enzo Pineda and that will show soon. I am thankful Ms Jaclyn has been so good to me, also Tito Eddie Garcia. They are on a different league and caliber, it was just an honor to have been able to work with him. He advised me to always be early, learn the script and always be kind to everyone on set. It’s what I do now as an actor, I will forever be grateful for that advise.”

Director Jun Robles Lana also shared some of his future plans and adds “We are talking about a movie, perhaps a modern version of macho dancers. For now there are no plans yet, maybe with the same cast and a different script. We’ll have to see how it materializes soon. I am so honored to have been able to win the Best Director award in Estonia. I hope this resonates with people, but it was an entirely different audience and I was so surprised about their reaction. You would need to understand the reaction of his parents, his community and how society accepts him. He will tell his story, his secrets, if it comes out or not. I am grateful to have the honor of working with Eddie Garcia, I have had many opportunities to work with him and I haven’t seen anyone of his caliber.”

He adds "From the time I presented this project at the 2014 Hong Kong-Asia Film Financing Forum, the story has evolved into a more complex narrative.  After years of research and interviews, what started out as a mere tale of secrets and scandal became an examination of youth culture, particularly young people in peril, and a society that cares so little about them… On the surface, the movie is about a young boy’s struggle to belong and embrace life’s complications. But on a deeper level, it is about all of us, our search for meaning in a world where the very institutions we’re supposed to look up to are weighed down with hypocrisy, dishonesty and deception.”

Here’s a short interview we did a few days ago.

Kalel, 15 will interest you about the plight of teens with HIV, their lives and the stigma attached to the condition. It is something that teens should watch, to educate, hopefully even the generations who still think and take things lightly. Go watch it on theaters today December 18. This is under Cignal Entertainment, Octobertrain Films and The IdeaFirst Company. Cast also includes Elora Españo, Cedrick Juan, Sue Prado and Gabby Padilla. Go see it for its merits!

Free HIV Counselling, Testing and Treatment at QC's Klinika Bernardo

It's alarming, it's not a joke and it's time we put it to stop. I've joined several causes for HIV and it's good that there is an effort at least, but still the rate of increase is something to worry about. Unfortunately, Quezon City has the highest registered number of cases, and in the Philippines 77% of the total new cases come from NCR. It has increased up to 25 percent and estimates say that in 2015 we might get to 45,000 no joke. I am distraught at the numbers, but more importantly depressed at what could happen, the person beside you might be a carrier and we don't even know it. 

Danton Remoto says "Mind you, we've got 1.5 Million people already who died from for AIDS/HIV cases and since I'm from "laglag" now and not from "ladlad", I'm helping the Quezon City government with efforts to address these issues." 

"The state of HIV in the Philippines has rapidly changed in the last 5 years, and it's growing. The number of HIV infections is now 1 new case every 1 hour and 15 minutes, which is about 17 cases per day. There is now 21,000 diagnosed since then. Sexual contact is still the number 1 way of getting it and sharing needles is next. Filipino males are the highest, it also stems from unprotected sex. What's alarming is 15-24 years old comprise 30 percent of this number. We might have less smoking, drugs and vices but have increased sexual adventurism. Thank you to USAID for their invaluable assistance to this effort. We hope all government units follow suit." says Assistant Secretary Pauline Urial of DOH. 

Senior Public Advisor in USAID Dr. Milton Amayun adds "In the Philippines when we talk about HIV we often think of bad news, but really the threat is real. Out of the total number of HIV cases, 93 percent is male. This requires focus, and would you believe there is 812% growth since 2008. We congratulate the QC Government for we encourage everyone, just like Vice Mayor Joy Belmonte here to get tested. The US Government is supporting the Philippine government efforts, and piloting things like this one in Quezon City is impressive. I hope others follow suit. We are very please to partner with them in fighting AIDS/HIV with the objective to have 0% increase, 0 discrimination and reaching out to more people in need." 

Vice Mayor Joy Belmonte says "The first step in making a solution in this problem is accepting that there is a problem. We proactively partner in Government and NGO's to set up places like Klinika Bernardo and ensure the health services are given to them. The change will make it conducive to people and we will make additional clinics in other parts of Quezon City. This is part of our continued support to the youth so they have somewhere to seek advice from, especially health concerns. We are progressive, we are going to move forward and will also put up a specialized one for women at the Quezon City General Hospital. We have a gender sensitive anti discrimination ordinance that includes the LGBT sector, they now have equal rights in services. To know is to live, we recognize it is our responsibility to address this issue." 

Mayor Herbert Bautista proudly says "The officers of our health department are professional career officers. They are the ones who are really running the government. To be able to continue programs and implement policies, our thrust is heavily relied by bureaucracy. We come up with the policies and have a progressive council that knows that this issue should be dealt with. We do not condone, but we accept facts and reality. Klinika Bernardo is only a small investment and we hope it gets done in other cities especially in highly urbanized ones. The impact of this is very strong, we thank USAID when they first presented it to me. It was impressive, the purpose is to make the HIV council to monitor on a regular basis. We are very fortunate to be lower than some ASEAN countries but we do know this contribution is important and we will annually do this in our programs without compromising their privacy. We will also launch more communications plans, and perhaps build homes or shelters for people with HIV too. USAID has been our partner in TB and other diseases and I hope we continue to do this with Department of Health and our Vice Mayor for this, and the other issues that have been addressed with that. We just have to let them know that there's government presence, a government that will take care of them too." 

Klinika Bernardo is the first male sexual and reproductive facility in the country. The sooner you get tested, the sooner you can get treatment. This is why Klinika Bernardo had a facelift, it is now conducive to go back for testing and counseling. Their clinic is just behind Ramon Magsaysay High School in Cubao, Quezon City. It's easy to see and spot, just look for the leaf symbols on the street and on the building!

For more information about their cause:

klinika.bernardo

Like them on Facebook


Visit their official website

https://www.facebook.com/KlinikaBernardo

Project Headshot Clinic: COMMIT - Take the Test! I just did!

There are causes that I believe in and this is one of them. Have you ever got tested for HIV? Do you know people who actually have it? Would you go through all the drama of getting tested? Do you know what AIDS is? How do you get it? Are you REALLY safe? You probably would answer NO to most of these questions and don't even know who has it. Truth is, you will never know who has HIV because you can never tell just by looking at the person.

Stolen shot of Celebrity Photographer cum activist Niccolo Cosme. He and his team has been working so hard with the Government sectors and Non Governmental Organizations to put up things like The Red Whistle Project - Project Headshot Clinic (to use his talent in Photography), to blow harder and get the cause to be known because the HIV/AIDS rate is alarming already in this country.


He told me a couple of months ago that you wouldn't really know about it until one of your closest friends (like he did) actually have it. That IT IS REAL. He COMMITS to wage war against HIV/AIDS now to prevent the spread of the disease and warn everyone who think this is nothing to be worried about.


What if you know someone who has it? What if you had it? Do you even know the risks involved in unprotected S*X? Those are some of the questions I got answered this weekend. You should take an active role in educating yourself and your loved ones about this disease because it is alarming. Did you even know that an average of 8 people everyday are getting it in the Philippines? Yes, just imagine how much people get it in a month, in a year, in a decade. This alarming rate is not a hoax, nor is it just made to scare you. This is the truth. What's worse is that this would even only account those who would only get through registered cases with the government. What about those who chose to stay in anonymity? What about those who don't even know that they have it? Imagine how much more would get it if they continue to do it with other partners, even their loved ones. How can you just stand there and wait for this to spread!? What would you do to help!?

I'm a single guy, but yeah being single doesn't actually exempt me from actually be in danger of acquiring this virus. I date a lot and together with those dates are some things in between if you know what I mean. This includes weather you are the one doing or receiving the act. That means that it's the same with anyone, its the same with YOU too. Even people who are married get this. Unfortunately, even kids can get it. I'm not here to scare you or anything but it can happen to anyone, any place, anytime!

If you have an active S*X life and go through times where you forget to wear a condom and just go commando on anyone; then you are at HIGH RISK of getting HIV. To make the long story short; I didn't know how this test works in order for me to educate people. So I gladly went through the process of doing it for the benefit of those who are afraid to do it. It's actually quite easy but make sure you never skip any details... it can save your life after all.

Education Versus HIV and AIDS

Before we started talking about the stats, most of us guys probably know how to use a condom right? But what about girls? In our society why does it seem to be so taboo to even talk about it. That's the part the I really hate. This should be taught to us by our folks, or maybe anatomy class or maybe catechism. Adults should gauge the right time to discuss the birds and the bees with their children. They educated us the proper way to do it and also got some tips on how to keep the condom stocks replenished/refreshed so you're sure the lubricant's enough, no holes on it either.




For more information about health seminars/Education about fighting HIV/AIDS check out http://www.facebook.com/takethetest. For those who would want to get tested and keep it confidential, you can simply call +639175844878 and +639998844878. Rest assured these people can help you.

Take the Test

Of course I don't just want to tell you these things without going through it myself. Since I have no particular way of knowing how this would go for those who are afraid of taking the test, it would be more educational to actually be involved in it. I know I don't have the virus, well that's what I know. You probably have the same predicament too, but ARE YOU REALLY SURE?!

Briefing

Part of the test is a really thorough briefing. You muse answer a set of questions truthfully and have to go through a series of interviews to be tested. You have to be READY to accept what the results are. Yes, they have actually seen some come out having the virus in random tests. During the Holy Week period in Puerto Galera, out of a 100+ people who went through the simple test, 24 actually came out positive. They referred them to proper hospitals and agencies who can help them live a normal life. Some of them are helping in the cause too. These people are quite noble. They help other people in getting informed about the cause and the virus. Bodily Fluids through intercourse, Blood Transfusion and heredity can get you infected. To be EDUCATED about the infection and KNOWING the ways of preventing it would be a great start to fight this. Taking the Test is next!

Taking The Test!

I just had an executive checkup a couple of days ago (hence the bruise on my arm due to hematoma) so I was a bit hesitant at first to actually get tested. There might be some rules against it or something, I was afraid about too much blood or lard they're getting out of me! Nyahah! But they said it wouldn't be a whole liter that they need to do this so we proceeded to get blood samples. It was about a test tube much like the normal ones they have for blood tests. Then after that they left a few drops and put it on this contraption below.

This is the kit. It's 99.9% accurate. The digital one is 100% accurate. If you see the blood they got from me they got some of it on that small hole on the front. Then it oozed out of the strip. Once it got out there we had to wait for 15 minutes. After that they showed it to me and I saw a red line on the part where it says "C", they said I was "NR" or Non-reactive. It means that I'm 100% free of the virus. Filipinos/Asians if found positive would usually get a line on number 1 which means HIV 1. Some European countries or in the US would get HIV 2. Aside from the fact that I knew I didn't have HIV, I was more glad that I GOT TESTED. Now who says that was hard?! Make sure you call the numbers I posted above and get tested, it's easy fast and kept VERY confidential. Call them, they can help.

It's not about the result, it's about getting tested! Make sure you do your part and take the test!

For those who would like to volunteer and help spreading the information call +639175844878 and +639998844878. They've got certifications for those who would like to do undergo training to educate even more people. You can be part of the third batch on December 4, 2011.

If you've got friends who need help, who needs to get tested make sure you refer them to the numbers I mentioned above. It's one thing to make them realize that there are people out there who would genuinely go all out of their way to help another human being. Thank you so much to the people behind The Red Whistle, Take the Test, Project Headshot Clinic and its sponsors. Without your help this wouldn't have been possible and free!

Take the Test! You owe it to yourself!

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Take The Test Project

The Red Whistle

Project Headshot Clinic