Minors may now volunteer for HIV testing under new law

MANILA, Philippines — Minors may now volunteer for Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) testing without the need for  parental consent under certain conditions and bases stipulated by the HIV-AIDS Policy Act which has lapsed into law.

The HIV-AIDS Policy Act was sent to President Rodrigo Duterte last November 26 for his signature. Bills that are neither signed nor vetoed by the President would lapse into law after 30 days, according to the Constitution.

Kabayan Rep. Ron P. Salo, one of the principal authors and a member of the Congressional bicameral conference committee that reconciled House Bill No. 6617 and Senate Bill No. 1370, noted that 2,470 of all diagnosed cases from January 1984 to October 2018 were below 20 years of age.

Salo said teenagers aged 15 to below 18 could now volunteer for HIV testing, while those below 15 who are pregnant or who engage in high-risk behavior making them open to infection, could also choose to be tested but with the assistance of a licensed social worker or health worker.

A minor may also agree to be tested for HIV when the parents or legal guardian cannot be located or has refused to give consent, Salo said. In cases where the parents of guardian has refused for give their consent for the testing, consent would be obtained from a licensed social worker or health worker.

“We await now the implementing rules and regulations so that these provisions for the welfare of minors and all the other parts of the new law can be carried out sooner rather than later,” he added.  /muf

Read the bicam report on the HIV-AIDS Policy Act here: BICAM-Report-HIV-AIDS