Sad Truths Behind the Smiles - Cebu

Written By: Hannie T.

Beautiful Cebu

When I was offered a job here in Cebu City I accepted it without hesitation. This is a city where work and pleasure lives so close together. Just a few hours drive from your busy life lies wonderful beaches accessible anytime you need to relax and destress. But more beautiful than the places Cebu has to offer are the people living here. People filled with warmth, happiness and hope.

When you ask people about Cebu, they are usually quick to point out just how beautiful it is here or how fast our economy is growing. And it all seems wonderful... unfortunately it's not the whole truth. Behind all the smiles are more serious concerns that we never hear about. The media feeds us fairytales yet fails to inform us on our very concerning health crisis.

The Truth

The truth is... Cebu City is slowly dying from a deadly disease that we keep ignoring. Did you know that Cebu claims the top spot of the country’s list of cities with the highest reported cases of HIV/AIDS? While the Philippines belong to the top 3 countries with highest HIV/AIDS reported cases in Asia Pacific Region. This doesn’t include unreported cases. This literally puts us in the worst possible position compared to the rest of the world. Now STOP and think about this for a minute. This isn't historical data, this is happening now and is only getting worse every day.

My cousin got infected with the virus while working here and died last year of AIDS which they now call “hard-core pneumonia”. He was only in his late twenties. A young professional who had his dreams and hopes shattered by his decisions which led him to his disease. Many won't talk or even think about it for a lot of reasons. Shame and disgust are one of them. I didn’t like to talk about it even after my cousin died just two years after one of my uncles also died of the same cause. Until my professor told me about the youngest who got tested positive with HIV in Cebu being only 12 years old transmitted via sexual contact. He now encourages us to raise awareness particularly to teenagers, who are the most likely to have insufficient knowledge about HIV/AIDS, prevention, symptoms and treatments. 

Hope through awareness

This may sound a little shocking but it’s just one of the many real issues the city is facing today. I think it’s time for us to be more aware of what is really happening around us. We may not think much about it now but we should care as we are part of it somehow. I think we are all so valuable and we deserve to informed about this epidemic. 

Although life doesn’t end after knowing our status (whether positive with HIV/AIDS or not), we all must have the courage to protect ourselves and our loved ones by being properly educated about the disease. We can help by sharing what we know to others and encouraging people to be more aware. 

After all, Cebu is way more than just nice beaches and a fast growing economy... it is the people that make this place truly wonderful.

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