EVERY so often we hear alarming reports of the increasing number of Filipinos who contracted the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). A staggering majority of those diagnosed are young men who have unprotected sex with other men. And despite government and private-sector efforts to raise awareness and promote safe sex, more and more people are still being tested positive for HIV — 1,047 new ones in August alone, according to one report in October.
It is such disturbing data that prompted Palanca award-winning author and publisher Segundo “Jun” Matias Jr. to write the young adult novel Mga Batang Poz (The Poz Boys) and have it published under Lampara Publishing House Inc., a major producer of children’s books.
Launched at the Precious Events Center in Quezon City in late September, Mga Batang Poz — “poz” is slang for (HIV-)positive — is described as “an emotionally gripping account of four teenagers afflicted with HIV-AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome)”— Luis, Enzo, Gab and Chuchay — who find “solace in each other’s harrowing experiences” and ultimately “realize the beauty of life and friendship underneath the suffering.”
“Nilalayon ng proyektong ito na makatulong upang unawain ang kultura ng kabataang miyembro ng LGBT, wakasan ang homophobia at itigil ang stigma sa mga positibo sa HIV (This book aims to help people understand the culture of LGBT [lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender] youth, end homophobia and erase the stigma against HIV-positive people,” Matias said in a release.
“Pangunahing nilalayon nito ang makatulong sa kamulatan hinggil sa HIV at AIDS, sang-ayon sa mga bagong pananaliksik at estadistika ng Department of Health (Its main goal is to help raise awareness about HIV at AIDS in accordance with new Department of Health research and statistics),” he added.
Matias wrote Mga Batang Poz as his masteral thesis at the University of the Philippines in Diliman, and it was published within months after he successfully defended it — something that his adviser, 2009 Palanca Hall of Fame inductee and professor Eugene Y. Evasco, marveled at.
“Ang nobelang ito ay isang silip, hindi lamang sa kulturang kabataang bakla, kundi rin sa “alter” culture (This novel offers a peek, not only into the gay youth culture, but also the “alter” or alternative culture),” Evasco said in his speech at the launch, referring to a gay subculture on social media, especially Twitter, where men post photos and videos of their experiences, including intimate ones.
“Ito (Mga Batang Poz) ang pinakamatapang, pinakamasining, pinakamakabuluhang akda sa mga nalathala ngayong taon (Mga Batang Poz is the most courageous, artistic and important work among those published this year), “ he added.
Evasco was not the only one who praised the novel. Matias’ mentor, celebrated screenwriter and fictionist Ricky Lee, said in the release that “bawat pahina ng Batang Poz ay patalim na humihiwa sa ating kamalayan, ginigising tayo sa katotohanan na sa tuwing may kabataang nagkakaroon ng HIV o namamatay, kasangkot tayo (every page of Mga Batang Poz is a knife that slices into our awareness, waking us up to the truth that for every child who contracts or dies from HIV, we are implicated).”
Prize-winning playwright and filmmaker Chris Martinez said “masakit na masarap basahin ang nobelang ito (this novel is painful yet delightful to read).”
For his part, Palanca award-winning essayist Wilfredo Pascual called Matias a “bold writer,” saying that “in confronting the alarming rate of HIV infection in the country, he zeroes in on youth and social media, young lives about to break into pieces.”
“He lays bare the various shadings of recklessness, the unexpected comfort, the terror, the rage, and the desire to find true connections and real bliss,” he added.
Mga Batang Poz costs P299.75 and is available in Precious Pages retail outlets and leading bookstores nationwide. For inquiries, email lamparapublishinghouse@gmail.com.
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