WELCOME REMARKS at the Research Dissemination Forum, FIGHTING HIV/AIDS IN ASIA AND THE PACIFIC  –SUBPROJECT 5: STRENGTHENING COUNTRY RESPONSE TO HIV/AIDS AMONG HIGH-RISK GROUPS (RETA 6321),
Linden Suites, Ortigas Center, Pasig City
10 April 2008

Dr. Jessie Fantone, OIC Director, Philippine National AIDS Council (PNAC), DOH
Ms. Barbara Lochmann, Social Sector Specialist, ADB
Dr. Vicente Salas, Team Leader, PRIMEX
Distinguished Guests, Friends, Ladies and Gentlemen:

On behalf of ACHIEVE and Remedios AIDS Foundation (RAF), our two NGO associates, I welcome you to this Research Dissemination Forum under Component 2 (the OFW Component) of the ADB Regional Technical Assistance for Fighting HIV/AIDS in Asia and the Pacific – Subproject 5: Strengthening Country Response to HIV/AIDS among High-Risk Groups (otherwise known as RETA 6321).

I am pleased that you were able to take time out of your busy work schedules to join us at today’s Forum to listen to the findings of the different studies carried out by our Team under the auspices of this ADB-supported project, and provide comments and additional inputs, share experiences and information to enhance the study reports, and discuss identified issues and recommendations for action in the second phase of our Project.

We wish to acknowledge the presence of Assistant Ma. Teresa Soriano of the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) as well as the representatives of the other government agencies concerned with the welfare of our overseas Filipino workers, particularly the seafarers. These agencies include POEA, OWWA, DFA (through the Office of the Undersecretary for Migrant Workers’ Affairs or OUMWA), DSWD, and even the Commission on Filipinos Overseas (CFO). As an aside, my father was the recipient of a Presidential Award for being a Distinguished Overseas Filipino from the CFO in 2005 and delivered the response on behalf of the awardees. I think that was because he was the oldest among the awardees at 84!

Anyway, back to what I was saying…In addition to the Philippine Government representatives I mentioned, we are also fortunate to have in our group senior representatives from UNAIDS, UNFPA, and the International Maritime Organization (IMO) and the Maritime Training Council, as well as the NGO sector – PNGOC (the Philippine NGO Council on Population, Health, and Welfare), TDF, HAIN (Health Action Information Network), the Institute for Migration and Development Issues and the UP Center for Women Studies. We also have representatives from the Pinoy Plus Association and from the seafarers’ associations. 

Those of you who were with us when we launched this Project in July 2007 at the Astoria Plaza, would recall that this Project commenced in June 2007 and is to end in November this year. This project is actually Subproject No. 5 of RETA 6321, which has 11 subprojects. Its aim is to improve the effectiveness of the national and local response to the HIV and AIDS epidemic among intravenous drug users (IDUs) (under Component 1) and overseas Filipino workers (under Component 2) and provide support to DOH in developing more feasible approaches and/or interventions for these groups at risk.

This Workshop is intended to present the highlights of our Team’s findings from their analysis of the HIV/AIDS and OFW situation, and seek your views and insights on the priority issues which our Team identified in the course of their situation analysis. Ms. Malu Marin, our Deputy Team Leader, will provide you with a brief overview and update on progress of work under the OFW Component of the Project prior to the presentation of the highlights of the different studies conducted by separate sub-teams by the concerned specialists. The workshop kits which were given to you on registration this morning contain the executive summary of our Situation Analysis and Response (SAR) Report as well as the highlights of the studies and other presentations for your reference.

Allow me to thank you all for the excellent cooperation and support that you have provided our Team during the conduct of the different studies. We thank DOH, DOLE, OWWA, POEA, DFA, IMO, the seafarers’ associations, the seafarers themselves, and the Top 20 manning agencies which allowed us to conduct interviews with their seafarers within their premises and with the assistance of their staff. Last, but not the least, I would like to thank and congratulate Malu Marin and her team of study investigators, researchers, research assistants, interviewers, and data encoders and managers for their tenacity, persistence, perseverance, and the countless long and sleepless nights spent in putting the SAR Report together.

The last several months were not easy. There were logistic difficulties, resource constraints, and numerous challenges that had to be confronted, almost on a daily basis, till the completion of our SAR Report during Holy Week. But, I am sure that our Team will  agree with me that all those are nothing compared to the physical, emotional, and mental hardships experienced by our OFWs, whom we now rightly call our “modern-day heroes,” in their quest for a better future for themselves, their families and communities, and the country as a whole.

Mabuhay at magandang umaga po sa inyong lahat!