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TACLOBAN CITY, Leyte ? The Department of Health officials in Eastern Visayas are standing by their embattled secretary who has been heavily chastised by Catholic bishops for the DOH condom distribution program.
The region's health officials agree with Health Secretary Esperanza Cabral that the distribution of condoms has been primarily intended to fight the increasing number of cases of HIV-AIDS in the country and not as a means to gain more adherents to birth control, health assistant regional director Dr. Minerva Molon stressed yesterday.
"(We) are supporting the campaign of our secretary. The DOH is very strong on this campaign even to the point of being criticized by the Church," Molon said.
She said the regional office here has not received any communication from the DOH central office about a possible distribution of condoms in the region. Molon said the regional health office had no supply of condoms of its own but would distribute them if they were provided with condoms.
The DOH records show 4,400 HIV cases throughout the country since 1984, when the DOH started monitoring cases. Eighteen of them are in Eastern Visayas.
Of the 18 HIV cases in the region, three of the sufferers hav developed full-blown AIDS (acquired immune deficiency syndrome), according to Molon.
