Poverty and Illiteracy and HIV

It was 8:00 P.M. as I walked on the hot night at the Junquera extension. I saw many foreigners mostly old American man in their retirement age. I saw a lady-pimp walking near one of the foreigners and with her was a young girl maybe around 18 or 19. I stood there looking at them as some young men behind me were sniffing rugby. They were talking about something and within a few minutes the deal was done, the lady-pimp gave her pet to the costumer. Then I started thinking, what causes the rampant HIV infection in the streets of Metro Cebu?
Could it be the promiscuity of the Cebuano citizen? Partially yes, because promiscuity leads to an obsession of sex but this obsession can be diverted by self discipline and zealous industry to turn sexual urge into productive works.

Could it be because of poverty? Yes, for a woman can give up her dignity to feed her hungry children. A boy can give up his manhood to feed his empty stomach or to pay for his school. Poverty can force anyone to do things against their will, even at the cost of life itself. HIV, STD and AIDS are the effects of the scourge of poverty. Sadly we cannot control the trade of flesh, for the trade of flesh is both easy money and fun, especially if you are given a free intravenous drug before the sex. For the trade of flesh is, both on the history and in literature, the only way to obtain temporary fortune and satisfaction.

The scourge of poverty has extended its shadows to the children of poor men, and its curse have turn its eyes to the flesh young girls and boys on the street. And poverty have thought these young minds the value of selling their young body for survival, to forlorn the worries of malady that can be contracted during the process of sexual intercourse. We can never prevent poverty, we can never control it as it casts its shadows amongst us all.

And poverty has his ally, an ally which have dwell in every man's mind since the dawn of time, people call him by many names, but I call him Illiteracy, he who praises the taboos of the fool, he who worship the false knowledge of the quack doctors of the street and he who takes glee of the wrong information and the wrong standards that sets the social norms. Illiteracy has the power to make men wage war against his fellow men, he creates anger, envy and jealousy. He enjoys troubling men with falsity and he takes pride as dying men died because of him.

I am not a man of great minds nor a man of great strength, I am not a man of great fortunes yet I know one thing, I know how to have the greatest of hope that someday a champion will rise amongst these people that is stricken with poverty, a champion that will change the course of war against HIV, Poverty and Illiteracy. A champion that will lead our armies to defeat the scourge of poverty and Illiteracy and fully stop the spread of HIV...But for now I have wage war at the grass root level and not until I can find that champion, I will not set my hands down below the table......