Moore Aid for AIDS
Pop Princess leads MTV Music Summit
Mandy Moore is giving the war on AIDS a big push.
Proclaiming she fully supports the fight against HIV/AIDS, including the use of condoms to stem its spread, the Princess of Pop led a galaxy of entertainment stars in the first-ever MTV Music Summit for AIDS held November 21 at the Fort Bonifacio Grounds in Makati. She was joined by co- MTV star Donita Rose and local band sensation Parokya ni Edgar in the program intended to drum up public awareness about the menacing epidemic, eradicate myths, and empower the youth to make responsible choices.
With more than 50 percent of new HIV/AIDS infections occurring in people between the ages of 15 to 25, MTV saw the need to reach out to young people and actively engage them in the fight against the disease.
Surveys show that 60 percent of Filipinos 15 to 24 years old think they are immune to HIV/AIDS and 23 percent believe that AIDS is curable.
MTV, which has a potential audience of one billion people in 166 countries, has been involved in HIV/AIDS awareness since its launch in 1981. Over the last five years, it has been in partnership with UNAIDS, the joint United Nations program on HIV/AIDS.
MTV's Staying Alive campaign, for instance, aims to inform young people about the virus, promote safe lifestyle choices, provide information about local organizations involved in the campaign against AIDS, mobilize youth to overcome the stigma and discrimination surrounding the disease, and fight for an end to the spread of the virus. The project is supported by the Department of Health.
In a press conference together with the MTV star November 19, health secretary Manuel Dayrit called on the media to help "spread the message, not the virus," particularly to the youth to give them the right information so they could make the right choices.
The message, the ABCD of HIV/AIDS-A for Awareness of the problem and Acceptance of responsibility, B for Belief in yourself and the future, C for Commitment and Choice to do something about it for taking Control of your life, and D for making a Difference.
MTV's Francis Lumen said the network is harnessing its capacity to reach a wide audience and "influence young people." He said MTV will "use its marketing and media muscle to create awareness about HIV/AIDS, remove stigma the attached to it, and help prevention the spread of the disease."
Aside from providing entertainment, the summit showcased the youth and adolescent services being offered by the United Nations, the government, and nongovernment organizations.
Miles Dumalagan
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