The Whistleblowers: Sound the alarm with The Red Whistle

The Philippines may have a low HIV prevalence compared to other countries, but the steady rise in numbers in several aspects is concerning.

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The Philippine National AIDS Council (PNAC) recorded 748 new HIV cases in May 2015, bringing the total number of reported cases since January 1984 up to 25,684. These cases are found mainly in individuals age 25 to 34; and 83 percent of these mostly asymptomatic cases have been reported within the past five years. Only 415 of the new cases have already started on anti-retroviral therapy (ART), with the aggregate now at 10,207.10

MSM (unprotected sexual contact between homosexuals and bisexuals) remains the top mode of transmission, and the National Capital Region has the highest number of reported cases. Unprotected heterosexual sex, needle-sharing by drug users, and transactional sex also contribute to the rising numbers. In May 2015, 29 people have succumbed to HIV, bringing the total deaths figure to 1,214.

While these statistics are alarming (and a clear indication of the failure to meet the UN Millennium Development Goals 6A and 6B), they also show us two things: that more people in the country are getting tested for HIV, and that thousands of positive cases have access to anti-retroviral drugs. General awareness is growing along with the knowledge that the disease can be managed with regular medication and professional consultations.

However, there’s still a lot to be done, particularly with the stigma that comes with being HIV-positive. The fear that comes with getting tested (and possibly being outed) and the myriad misconceptions about how HIV is acquired and spread. Also consider that we’re just talking about reported cases—there are still countless more youths and adults who may be contributing to the running tally unknowingly.

These are the people and issues targeted by The Red Whistle, an organization co-founded in 2011 by photographer and artist Niccolo Cosme. “[The Red Whistle] was created because of the situation during that time, na maraming namamatay,” he said. “So we thought we needed a stronger campaign.”

Prior to The Red Whistle, Cosme has been doing his own HIV awareness campaigns since 2008, most notably via Project Headshot Clinic. Like in previous efforts, The Red Whistle’s early years underscored how important awareness and education are. “[We had] a guerrilla approach, where we were giving out whistles during parties,” Cosme recalled. And when people learned what the whistles signified, their initial reaction was to become hesitant and back away.

Four years on, its initiatives (numbering three to four annually) have gained traction. The Red Whistle was registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) a few months ago, formalizing their operations. It has also forged a partnership with the Sustained Health Initiatives of the Philippines (SHIP) Foundation; gained event sponsorships with brands like Bench, Belvedere Vodka, and KKK Coffee; worked with the Makati Medical Center, the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM), and The Medical City on past campaigns; and acquired support from the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), Network to Stop AIDS Philippines (NSAP), and the LoveYourself Project.

Part of the shift in reception is The Red Whistle’s work with top celebrities and pop-culture mainstays. Cosme and The Red Whistle’s Administrative Head Evan Tan explained that their main criteria for ambassadors are that they’re willing to talk openly about sex, and are pushing for a body-positive view. Piolo Pascual, Rico Blanco, Gretchen Barretto, Boy Abunda, Carlos Celdran, Joey Mead King, and politicians Risa Hontiveros and Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago have all repped on behalf of the organization. “When people see that the celebrities are wearing the whistles [and being vocal about the advocacy], they clamor to be a part of it,” Cosme said.

The most recent campaign was the #SaveSexy Lifeguards Laboracay Race in Boracay over this year’s Labor Day weekend. Solenn Heussaff, Tom Rodriguez, and Dominic Roque were tapped for promotional duty as the #SaveSexy “lifeguards,” and 18 contestants went around Boracay’s Stations 1 to 3 distributing event shirts and waterproof kits carrying condoms and lube. The Boracay event had 300 people joining the race and ±1,000 beachgoers approached by volunteers to learn more about HIV and AIDS. It also garnered good media coverage and online publicity—it got a reach of 1.76 million and 2.6 million impressions as of May 5, with the demographic split to an almost even half.

Unlike other groups, The Red Whistle works solely on health issue awareness. According to Tan, “We’re more focused on the awareness side, and raising funds for our partner organizations. We also do our projects, but these are in coordination with our implementing partners. At the same time, we work with brands and sponsors to get them in the whole advocacy, for them to be able to contribute.”

And in contrast to the usual campaign playbook, The Red Whistle doesn’t resort to fear-mongering; its long-term goals are to spark meaningful conversations, instigate behavioral change, and impart correct information about HIV, goals that can be achieved with a pragmatic approach.

“You’ll see that in our communications and messaging, we don’t use fear anymore. We think the youth isn’t receptive to scare tactics,” Tan said. “We try to educate them, [we say that] ‘you can do it, but know what will happen next, these are the risks and possibilities.’ We basically encourage them to practice safer sex, not scare them into not having sex.”

Cosme and Tan also feel strongly about making their campaigns orientation-neutral and sector-neutral—they’re not looking to help out just the LGBTQI community or those working in call centers (as the assumptions go), but every youth segment.

“We don’t want it to be a gay issue, because it gives a false sense of security among everyone,” Evan said. “[It’s not just] about gay people, or about straight people. It’s about all of us. Whether you’re gay or straight, you have to get tested. That’s it.”

The Red Whistle has big plans for the rest of the year, and in the coming ones. It’s busy building what the two call The Red Whistle Army, a group of regular volunteers that will help run the organization’s activities, spearhead their own campaigns under The Red Whistle banner, and eventually take over operations (from administration to creative executions and sponsorships). Tan noted that within the span of a month, they’ve had 150 volunteers sign up through their Facebook group. The first meetup on July 18 gathered around 30 volunteers; more meetups are planned in the coming months.

Another goal is to donate a percentage of The Red Whistle’s funding to those who can’t afford HIV testing, medication, and treatment. Procedures like viral load tests and CD4 count are done every few months, which can quickly get expensive and may not be continued by patients in need.

There’s also Project Oplan Kalusugan Quezon City (Project OKQC), a pilot program that will take testing and wellness services directly to the youth. This campaign won’t just put the spotlight on HIV; it will also take on other diseases like tuberculosis and Hepatitis B, and include sex education and personal development.

“We want to make the youth understand that HIV testing is just one of the many tests that you have to undergo,” Tan explained. The hope is that by packaging HIV testing as just part of a suite of health tests for everyone, the stigma and discrimination associated with it will decrease.

For this caravan, The Red Whistle is teaming up with UNAIDS and the Quezon City Health Department, and is planning to talk to the National Youth Commission and the Department of Education to bring it to schools in other cities.

“I think that in the long term, this can actually effect behavioral change,” Cosme said. That’s meant not just for the youth, but also for people in other age groups, and potential campaign partners. This kind of change is a long game, but The Red Whistle is ready to make as much noise as it can. We say it’s best to listen.