pn: Male prostitution rise noted in Albay
Balita News
LEGAZPI CITY, Feb. 01(PNA) -- Some male Albayanos has recently
joined the commercial sex industry catering to both the opposite sex and
those of the same gender in Albay province.
Worse, not only among gay customers, but anal sex have also been
noted between two macho men which local health authorities has termed as
"M and M (Male having sex with another male) relationship.
Worst, some married men have also been noted to have tried "M
and M".
These were bared by Dr. Ferchito Avelino, Department of Health
(DOH) Bicol regional medical specialist and coordinator of sexually
transmitted diseases (STD) program along with the clarifications that
Albay's situation could also be true among other Bicol provinces.
He said that the DOH study has only been limited to Albay, the
province having the highest number of STD cases in Bicol recorded last
year while a similar study are also set for the other areas in the
region.
Another reason for the preferential attention to Albay, "is the
fact that STD surveillance systems, equipment and preventive procedures
are far better than in other areas in the region", Avelino said.
The DOH report, however, declined to show the exact figures
recorded during the study.
The report has been made public by the DOH Bicol office during a
multi-agency STD-HIV forum Monday.
The report also contained the health authorities' difficulty in
locating the freelancer male community sex workers both for counselling
and medication purposes.
"Our data were purely based on the rise in STD cases and rectal
tags among males with some of them narrating the cause of either
illnesses", Avelino said.
A teener victim, who suspected himself having the dreaded HIV
virus, was first to open up on the recent trend in the commercial sex
trade in Albay including his gay clients and his flings with macho men
through an "M and M", he said.
The teener was found out negative with HIV but his statements
were later noted to coincide with the names of some male STD victims who
sought medications from private and government hospitals and health
centers.
"We learned in a series of 'poseur deals' in local pubhouses and
gay hang outs that the demand is already there and, of course, the
supply will follow", he said.
Local health authorities are set to come up with a plan to
require gays to undergo regular medical check up to monitor and minimize
the spread of STD among male sex workers and their clients.( PNA )
BFM/wpt/FLV/ /tma
PNA 02011213