CITY OF SAN FERNANDO, Pampanga (PIA) -- Philippine Information Agency (PIA) asked Kapampangan youth leaders to join the fight against human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and tuberculosis (TB).
 
During the first leg of the Kilos Kabataan Kontra HIV at TB webinar, PIA Regional Director William Beltran stressed the crucial role of the youth in the battle against these two illnesses.
 
“We believe our youth can do so much in this campaign. You’ve been very active in a lot of platforms and in a lot of advocacies. We’ve seen our youth capitalize in taking advantage of the good the internet or the social media can provide us. Please use that platform responsibly to your advantage and use it to empower other people through accurate, timely, and relevant information that could save other people’s lives,” he said.
 
Beltran added that while the government is doing its best to the respond to different healthcare problems amid the pandemic, it needs support in addressing the present situation.
 
“The government sees our young people as driving forces in at least mitigating all of these challenges. A lot of people have been assisting already our government in terms of responding to Covid-19 in its efforts and initiatives to reopen economy. But we need more, especially our youth, because our youth can really help us continue our battle with other health concerns like HIV-AIDS and TB, which remain threats to our people’s health,” Beltran said.
 
For her part, Pampanga Youth Development Office Staff Murffy Gopez emphasized the role of the youth in information dissemination, which is crucial in proper and guided decision-making.

“The youth must interfere, participate, and contribute to the extent of their knowledge, especially in issues we are facing now. Let us use our voice to raise awareness about TB and HIV not only to our fellow youth, but also to the generations before us, and the generations to come,” Gopez said.
 
Meanwhile, Miss Philippines-Earth 2019 and #EndTB Ambassador Janelle Tee challenged the youth to be instruments to share facts and provide deeper awareness of TB and HIV.
 
“Young as you are, you can actually make a difference and you can also help all of us because we all cannot do it by ourselves. But with all concerted efforts, we can do what needs to be done in order to combat these diseases,” she said.
 
About 40 Kapampangan youth leaders participated in the activity which included discussions on the HIV situation in Central Luzon, as well as government and non-government initiatives to address HIV and TB cases in the country.
 
Kilos Kabataan Kontra HIV at TB is a series of webinars co-organized by PIA and United States Agency for International Development TB Platforms in partnership with Department of Health and the Sangguniang Kabataan Federations of Central Luzon. (CLJD/MJSC-PIA 3)