KINONDENA ng Miss Universe 2016 Pia Wurtzbach ang ginawang pag-i-expose ng Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) sa isang nahuli sa buy-bust operation sa isang hotel sa BGC, Taguig City nang malamang positibo ito sa HIV.
Lumabas ang pangalan, mugshots at HIV status ng isa sa kanila sa media.
“Was this really necessary? I understand that what the men were supposedly doing was illegal and they should face the consequences But there was absolutely no need to expose and publicly shame them.
“It is illegal to publicly announce one’s HIV status (RA8504). What has been done has not only traumatized the men that were involved, it has also worsened the HIV situation in the Philippines.
“We’re working so hard in educating the people properly on HIV/AIDS, on taking away the stigma.
Because of what PDEA and the news outlet have done, some people are now associating drugs and immorality with being gay. It’s ridiculous.
“The whole point of this drug raid was to arrest the men for their supposed crime,which was selling/distributing and using illegal narcotics, Being gay is not crime. Living with HIV is not a punishment!
“To PDEA and the news outlets, take steps to amend the situation. Sa aking mga kababayan, wag po tayong maging judgmental. Hindi immoral ang maging bakla. Hindi dapat ituring na kaparusahan ang HIV. At lalong hindi ito biro na dapat pagpyestahan at pagtawanan. To my beloved LGBT stay strong. We’ll win this,” post ni Pia sa kanyang Instagram.
Strong supporter si Pia sa pagpapalaganap ng awareness tungkol sa HIV/AIDS kaya masakit sa kanya ang ginawa sa taong ‘yon.