Baguio to join World Aids Day commemoration

The city will be joining the global commemoration of World AIDS Day on Monday, December 1, 2025 with a simple but meaningful program to be held at the Baguio Convention Center (BCC) at around 1 pm.

The event will start with a program inside the convention facility which will be followed by a candle lighting ceremony and the launching of the Baguio City NAMNaMa Center at the former triage area located at the side of the BCC.

Mayor Benjamin B. Magalong and Councilor Elmer Datuin, Chairperson of the City Council Committee on Health, Sanitation and Ecology, will be sharing their messages of support to the city’s aggressive interventions to combat the unabated increase of human immune virus – Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (HIV-AIDS) – while City Health Officer Dr. Celiaflor Brillantes will provide the overview of the city government’s programs and initiatives to combat the proliferation of cases in the city.

Dr. Amelita M. Pangilinan, regional director of the Cordillera office of the Department of Health (DOH-CAR), will also be providing the overview of the agency’s program on Nurturing Awareness, Mobilizing Networks and Advocating to Mitigate the Actual Impact of AIDS (NAMNaMa) which employs localized ad culturally sensitive strategies to combat HIV and sextually transmitted illnesses, including health promotion in schools and communities, online campaigns, free HIV testing and empowering local health leaders.

Earlier, the local government, through the City Health Services office (CHSO) social hygiene clinic, identified the former triage area at the compound of the BCC as a sundown testing center where interested individuals can undergo the desired HIV screening that runs from 7 am to 11 pm.

Members of the Baguio AIDS Watch Council called on city officials and residents who will be joining the commemoration to wear red which symbolizes the verdant desire of the local government and health officials to combat HIV-AIDS in the city and provide opportunities for HIV-affected people to be provided with the necessary interventions for their treatment. – Dexter A. See