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The 42
04-07-2025
- Sport
- The 42
'It's great because you can get caught up in hurling and nearly drive yourself demented'
LEINSTER HURLING SHOWDOWNS on the pitch dominated Billy Ryan's weekends from April to June, before he had to steel himself for the Monday morning interrogations. In St Patrick's De La Salle in Kilkenny where Ryan teaches second class, the pundits are straight talkers. In a school where Brian Cody is a former principal, hurling dominates the agenda. 'It's actually fantastic. If you play well on the Sunday, they'll bring you right back down. They'll humble you straight away. I love it. I genuinely love it. In fairness, the class I have as well, there's a lot of lads that love the hurling. 'We were playing Antrim up in Belfast this year and a few of them went up to it. The support has been absolutely immense for me and I'm truly grateful for it. I have great people around me and the community as well where I'm from in Ballycallan, it's so supportive. It's a great school, in fairness. I love going in every morning. It's definitely something I enjoy.' Amidst the demands of trying to win Leinster and getting himself set for big days like Sunday's All-Ireland semi-final with Tipperary, Ryan finds the day job a grounding experience. Advertisement 'It's great because you can get caught up in the hurling thing and you can nearly drive yourself demented with hurling and what not. I just find teaching is great in the way it resets you and you can divide the man from the player in a way when you're going back into the working environment. You're trying to be a role model for these children and show them the way of how to go about their day-to-day stuff.' Billy Ryan in action for Kilkenny. James Crombie / INPHO James Crombie / INPHO / INPHO If there's a been a below-par display in Kilkenny colours, Ryan will be informed soon by his students. 'It's great. It brings you back down to earth. Look, children are children. They're so curious and fantastic in the way that they'll say it bluntly. They don't mean any harm in it. They just haven't learned the social skills yet. They're just speaking how it is. Sometimes it's actually a good thing.' Ryan trains the school hurling team and is dealing mostly with youngsters from city clubs James Stephens and O'Loughlin Gaels. His home club Graigue-Ballycallan is nearby on the western side of Kilkenny, hard up against the Tipperay border. The pulsating rivalry between the counties that spanned the 2009-19 period gripped his imagination. 'You had documentaries even being made about it, Sheedy versus Cody, they were incredible times. I was a young lad and you're immersed in that. It probably just drives a little bit of a hunger inside you when you're watching all of those.' He didn't have to look far for local heroes. 'I've been very, very lucky that I was immersed into a club in Graigue-Ballycallan that's steeped in history. So many really talented hurlers have gone through the club in years gone by. You look at John Hoyne, Eddie Brennan, James Ryall, we've been really, really lucky to have those lads. 'Being a forward, I suppose Eddie was the one I looked at and how I could model myself off his game. He was incredible. His hunger for goals and the way he was so fast, I tried to model myself off that. You had James Ryall there as well, I played with him for years with the club. He was absolutely immense for us as a club.' Ryan's personal form has spiked this year as he has tapped into a higher level of consistency – scoring 0-2 v Galway, 0-4 v Offaly, 2-3 v Dublin, and 0-3 v Galway in the Leinster final. Kilkenny's Billy Ryan celebrates after the Leinster hurling final. Bryan Keane / INPHO Bryan Keane / INPHO / INPHO 'At the start of the year, you're looking at what you want to achieve when you're setting out your goals. Definitely one of them for me was trying to get after consistency. You're just trying to build consistency in little habits daily and trying to be consistent in training. It's definitely a thing as an athlete and a sportsperson that it's no secret you have to win the days and all that kind of stuff in order to become a better player. 'I'd be a big sports fan anyway. I'd have interest in the NFL, soccer and you're looking at those players and you're looking at what are they doing that's making them better and can I model myself off things they're doing.' His calm and composed nature has helped the 28-year-old approach these marquee championship days. Related Reads 'You can't let your own individual feelings manifest itself in being grumpy, being bitchy' I hurl, therefore I am: Dublin's quiet hurling manager tearing up the script 'We keep everything in the circle... everything outside it is just irrelevant to us' 'I'd be a calm person anyway. I've a very kind of relaxed, easy-going nature. It could be your downfall too. It depends who you ask. I would be very laid-back, yeah. My dad is very laid-back too. I didn't pick it off the floor, I obviously got it from him. 'But didn't Kobe Bryant have his alter ego as well? For me personally, it's nearly a thing where you have to flick a switch. And you can't be laid-back on a hurling pitch. You're going to get eaten up and you have to be ready for the challenge head on. I can guarantee you if you're marking a Niall O'Leary, just because he's here behind me, he's going to take you to the cleaners if you're going to be laid-back. You have to be fully focused.' 'I've a very kind of relaxed, easy-going nature anyway. *****
San Francisco Chronicle
09-06-2025
- Sport
- San Francisco Chronicle
De La Salle pulls off another comeback win for CIF D1 NorCal baseball title
For the third time in four years, the top-seeded De La Salle Spartans of Concord (29-4) pulled off an improbable seventh-inning rally on Saturday, each against a different West Catholic Athletic League opponent to win a CIF Northern California Division 1 title, this one 5-4 at home over Serra. Niko Baumgartner, a scholarship football player headed to Fresno State, completed a three-run uprising with a two-out chopped infield single, scoring Antonio Castro who had doubled home Tyler Spangler, who had doubled home Ethan Sullivan, who started the rally with a one-out single. 2025 Final Chronicle Baseball and Softball Rankings Final 2025 Baseball Rankings Rank Team W-L Last Week 1. De La Salle 29-4 1 2. Serra 28-7 2 3. Valley Christian 25-8-1 3 4. Granada 22-6 4 5. Los Gatos 25-6 6 6. Foothill 21-8 5 7. St. Francis 22-11 9 8. St. Ignatius 17-10-2 7 9. Acalanes 18-11-1 NR 10. Bellarmine 17-14 NR 11. Menlo 24-8 NR 12. Santa Clara 29-4 NR 13. College Park 17-12 NR 14. Cardinal Newman 18-11 13 15. Rancho Cotate 19-13 NR Final 2025 Softball Rankings Rank Team W-L Last Week 1. St. Francis 28-4 1 2. Liberty 25-5 8 3. Hillsdale 21-9-1 NR 4. Casa Grande 22-7-1 2 5. King's Academy 22-8 NR 6. Cardinal Newman 24-7 NR 7. Capuchino 21-8 9 8. Valley Christian 21-7 3 9. Mills 21-4-1 5 10 Notre Dame-Belmont 20-5-1 7 11 Castro Valley 17-5 4 12. San Ramon Valley 16-8-2 10 13. California 19-9 11 14. Livermore 19-10 12 15. Saratoga 20-3 NR In the top of the seventh, Serra (28-7) had secured the insurance run it thought needed to go up 4-2 on a one-out RBI double from Evan Bradshaw, his third hit of the game. But right fielder Baumgartner set up his own heroics by throwing out Ian Josephson at the plate on Davis Minton's fly ball that appeared to be plenty deep enough. Josephson, nursing a sore hamstring, stumbled slightly and Baumgartner's throw and catcher Zach Tchejeyan's tag gave De La Salle all the momentum needed to continue the seventh-inning magic that occurred in 2022 to beat St. Francis 7-6 (scored four in the bottom half) and in 2023 to defeat Valley Christian 11-8 (scoring six in the top half). The Spartans were held scoreless and hitless for five straight frames by Riley Lim and reliever Minton before Saturday's latest blockbuster rally. After Baumgartner easily beat shortstop Josephson's throw to the bag, he just kept sprinting toward the right-field corner where his teammates sprinted after him and dog-piled in a wild celebration, a far cry from two painful defeats last season to Granada-Livermore in the NCS finals and NorCal semifinals. The speedy 6-foot-3, 195-pound Baumgartner, who plays linebacker on the football team, said he had never had either a walk-off hit or assist at the plate as a Spartan. 'Perfect timing,' Baumgartner said for the firsts. 'Best timing. … Walk-off. Last game. Tie game. That's the best it could get.' De La Salle center fielder Alec Blair, headed to Oklahoma on a baseball and basketball scholarship, said his team never flinched despite the early hole they found themselves in. 'We always find a way,' Blair said. 'I honestly wasn't worried. … How many times do you have to watch the same movie to know how it's going to end?' Sullivan, who led off the first with a double and scored immediately on a double by the Stanford-bound Spangler, said the late rally came down to something more basic. 'Honestly, it's because we're just playing for each other,' Sullivan said. 'We're a good team, we're talented and we work really hard, but our bond, our relationship, at the end of the day is what won us the game, why we weren't nervous. Everyone on our team knew we had it.' De La Salle coach David Jeans wasn't quite as sure, noting that Serra coach Mat Keplinger 'has been in big games at USF and San Jose State, and he knows the emotions of it. And they play with emotion and fire and grit. We just happened to get 'em this time.' Baseball title games roundup: Despite RBIs from Gino Cappellazzo and Henry Dommer, St. Francis (22-11) dropped a 3-2 Division 2 title matchup at No. 1 seed Yuba City of Sutter County (31-5), which won its 14th straight game. Both teams scored two runs in the first before Max Guth singled home the game-winner in the seventh. … In Division 3, Camden Henington and Jett Derammelaere combined on a two-hitter with seven strikeouts, leading third seed Rancho Cotate-Rohert Park (19-13) to a 2-1 win at top seed Roseville (23-11). Cotate advanced from the North Coast Section bracket as the 15th seed. … In Division 4, Ben Salama and Fletcher Cahill drove in runs in the fourth inning and four pitchers made it stand up as fifth seed Menlo School-Atherton (24-8) edged host and third seed Santa Clara, 2-1. Drew Diffenderfer's RBI single gave Santa Clara (29-4) a 1-0 lead, but the fourth-inning rally was all Menlo needed. Santa Clara's Jaxton Chao and John Kepner pitched well for Santa Clara, allowing just five hits and striking out five. Softball title games roundup: In Division 2, the hot-hitting Liberty-Brentwood Lions were cooled off by Salinas senior pitcher Abi Jones, who fired a three-hitter with 12 strikeouts in the Cowboys' 4-1 home win. Liberty had scored 31 runs in two NorCal playoff games, but could muster only an RBI single by Kelsie Skaggs in the third inning. But that time Salinas (21-8) had a 2-0 lead and would never trail thanks in part to a home run, double and single from Gigi Rossi. … In Division 3, Hillsdale-San Mateo sophomore Lola Jones (three-hitter, seven strikeouts, no walks) outdueled Cardinal Newman-Santa Rosa senior Callie Howard (two-hitter, eight strikeouts, two walks) in a 1-0 win in San Mateo. Taylor O'Mahoney's one-out RBI single scored Mia DeMartini who led off with a double to score the winning run in the seventh for the Knights (21-9-1), who won their second straight game with a walk-off. … In D4, Stevie Knight went 4-for-4 and pitched a one-hitter with eight strikeouts to lead top seed East Nicolaus (Sutter County) to a 4-0 win over San Leandro (23-9). CIF Northern California Baseball Championships Division 1: No. 1 De La Salle 5, No. 3 Serra 4 Division 2: No. 1 Yuba City 3, No. 2 St. Francis 2 Division 3: No. 3 Rancho Cotate 2, No. 1 Roseville 1 Division 4: No. 5 Menlo School 2, No. 3 Santa Clara 1 Division 5: No. 1 Etna 6, No. 2 Stevenson 5 CIF Northern California Softball Championships Division 1: No. 2 Del Oro 5, No. 1 Oak Ridge 3 Division 2: No. 2 Salinas 4, No. 4 Liberty-Brentwood 1 Division 3: No. 1 Hillsdale 1, No. 2 Cardinal Newman 0 Division 4: No. 1 East Nicolaus 4, No. 3 San Leandro 0 Division 5: No. 1 Biggs 4, No. 3 King City 2
San Francisco Chronicle
06-06-2025
- Sport
- San Francisco Chronicle
De La Salle's Alec Blair chasing one last title as two-sport star finishes legendary HS stint
Alec Blair said no matter what happens Saturday he'll likely shed a tear. The De La Salle-Concord center fielder, one of the Bay Area's best two-sport high school athletes ever, plays in his final prep sporting event when the top-seeded Spartans (28-4) host Serra (28-6) in a Northern California (CIF) Division 1 championship game. Both teams are coming off 3-0 home wins on Thursday, De La Salle over St. Mary's-Stockton and Serra beat Los Gatos. First pitch is scheduled for 4 p.m. CIF Northern California playoffs HIGH SCHOOL BASEBALL Division 1 Semifinals De La Salle 3, St. Mary's-Stockton 0 Serra 3, Los Gatos 0 Saturday's championship: No. 3 Serra (28-6) at No. 1 De La Salle (28-4), 4 p.m. Division 2 Semifinals No. 1 Yuba City 11, No. 5 Lodi 3 No. 2 St. Francis-Mountain View 2, No. 6 Acalanes 0 Saturday's championship: No. 2 St. Francis (22-10) at No. 1 Yuba City (30-5), 4 p.m. Division 3 semifinals No. 4 Fowler (29-3) at No. 1 Roseville (22-11), 4 p.m. (Friday) No. 3 Rancho Cotate at No. 2 Carmel (21-10), noon (Friday) Division 4 Semifinals No. 3 Santa Clara 6, No. 2 West Valley 0 No. 5 Menlo School (22-8) at No. 1 Woodland Christian (27-6), noon Friday Division 5 Semifinals No. 1 Etna 9, No. 4 Los Molinos 6 No. 2 Stevenson 6, No. 6 Lincoln-SF 0 Saturday's championship: No. 2 Stevenson (21-8) at No. 1 Etna (20-7), 2 p.m. HIGH SCHOOL SOFTBALL Division 1 Semifinals No. 1 Oak Ridge 7, No. 4 Whitney 0 No. 2 Del Oro 6, No. 3 St. Francis 5 Saturday's championship: No. 2 Del Oro (30-2) at No. 1 Oak Ridge (26-4), 10 a.m. Division 2 Semifinals No. 4 Liberty-Brentwood 17, No. 1 Vanden 10 No. 2 Salinas 1, No. 6 King's Academy 0 Saturday's championship: No. 4 Liberty (25-4) at No. 2 Salinas (20-8), 4 p.m. Division 3 Semifinals: No. 1 Hillsdale 3, No. 5 Liberty-Madera 2 No. 2 Cardinal Newman 1, No. 6 Pleasant Valley 0 Saturday's championship: No. 2 Cardinal Newman (24-6) at No. 1 Hillsdale (20-9-1), 4 p.m. Division 4 Semifinals No. 1 East Nicolaus 1, No. 4 Northgate 0 No. 7 Aptos (18-8) vs. No. 3 San Leandro (22-8) at Burrell Field, 6 p.m. Friday Saturday's championship: Aptos-San Leandro winner at No. 1 East Nicolaus (24-6), 4 p.m. Division 5 Semifinals No. 1 Biggs 11, No. 4 Miramonte 6 No. 3 King City 14, No. 7 Balboa 5 'Regardless of the outcome I'll be a little sad,' Blair said before flashing a big smile. 'I'll be a little happier though if we get it done. That would be legendary.' Which is how some would describe the 6-foot-7 senior's athletic career on the basketball and baseball teams. His teams have gone a combined 198-50 in that span, collected five North Coast Section and two Northern California titles. Blair has been a four-year All-Metro player in basketball and two years in baseball, with a third time also guaranteed with a team-leading .446 average heading into Saturday's game with 33 hits (14 for extra bases), 30 runs and 24 RBIs. The long and rangy outfielder is ranked among the top 50 recruits nationally in both sports, which is extremely rare. He plans to play both at the University of Oklahoma. His most vivid memory in four years he said 'is just growing up with all my guys, the brotherhood we've built. I'll never forget it.' What will he be thinking about heading into Saturday's game? 'Just winning. It's that simple. Score more runs than Serra and don't let them score.' That's what either winning pitcher Graham Schlicht (De La Salle) or Nate Hui (Serra) did Thursday in semifinal shutouts. Schlicht, a Stanford commit, walked a season-high four, but struck out nine and allowed just four hits. Hui scattered seven hits and struck out two. A pair of RBI singles from Antonio Castro — he tied De La Salle's single-season record with 44 RBIs — was all the offensive support Schlicht needed. 'He was phenomenal,' Blair said of Schlicht's performance. 'Not one ball was hit to me. I didn't have to do anything.' This will be the second time the teams have played this season — De La Salle won a 5-2 tournament game over Serra on April 16. Over the last two decades, the Spartans hold a 7-5 series lead, winning the last three meetings. Five Metro baseball teams and three softball will play for NorCal titles and two others have a chance Friday with semifinal wins. More baseball: In Division 2, Landon Kim fired a two-hitter with five strikeouts, lifting second-seeded St. Francis to a 2-0 home win over No. 6 Acalanes-Lafayette. Tanner Wall had two hits and an RBI for the Lancers (22-10), who now travel to Sutter County to face top seed Yuba City (30-5), which beat fifth-seeded Lodi, 11-3. The Honkers are 30-5. … In D4, No. 5 seed Menlo School-Atherton (23-8) moved into the finals Friday with a 15-11 win over Woodland Christian in a game suspended on Thursday due to darkness. Menlo (23-8) will travel to third-seed Santa Clara (29-3), a 6-0 winner over West Valley as Jaxton Chao had three hits and two RBIs and Drew Diffenderfer pitched a five-hitter with five strikeouts. … In D5, sixth-seeded Lincoln-San Francisco lost at No. 2 Stevenson-Pebble Beach (21-8) which received a combined three-hitter by Jacob Hall and Alex Wang. Softball: In D1, Ava Bulanti and May Meltz had two hits each, but St. Francis fell 6-5 at Del Oro-Loomis. The game see-sawed throughout with the Lancers (28-4) scoring twice in the first inning and Del Oro (30-2) answering with three in the bottom half. Del Oro blasted three home runs, from freshmen Emma Johnson and Caelyn Campos and sophomore Avyn Brower. … In D2, fourth-seeded Liberty-Brentwood (25-4) put on its hitting shoes with a 17-10 win over Vanden-Fairfield, scoring eight in the second inning to take control. Jewel Cooper led a 21-hit attack with four hits. The Lions now travel to Salinas (20-8), a 1-0 eight-inning winner over King's Academy-Sunnyvale behind a five-hitter and nine strikeouts from Abi Jones. King's Academy wasted a 16-strikeout, five-hit performance by junior Katia Nesper. … Second-seed Cardinal Newman-Santa Rosa (24-6) will travel to top-seed Hillsdale-San Mateo (20-9-1) after tight semifinal wins. Hillsdale pulled out a 3-2 home victory over fifth-seeded Liberty-Madera, pushing across a round in the bottom of the eighth. Sophia Shelton had two hits and an RBI as did Giuliana Brum, making a winner out of sophomore Lola Jones (five-hitter, nine strikeouts over eighth innings. Senior pitcher Callie Howard struck out eight and allowed five hits as Newman defeated Pleasant Valley-Chico, 1-0. … In D4, No. 4 seed Northgate-Walnut Creek dropped a 1-0 semifinal game at East Nicolaus, which will play the Friday winner between Aptos at San Leandro. … In D5, Miramonte-Orinda and Balboa had seasons end with semifinal losses.
Chicago Tribune
04-06-2025
- General
- Chicago Tribune
Northern Kentucky-bound Devlin Biggs makes huge plays as Marist rolls past Mount Carmel. ‘Variety and versatility.'
Not only can Devlin Biggs be a menace to opponents, he can be pretty troublesome for his Marist teammates, too. The senior outside hitter takes practices as seriously as he does matches. He doesn't ease up on anyone, according to teammate Nathen Toth. 'He's a very physical player,' Toth said of Biggs. 'It's great to have him on our side. 'If you go up against him in practice, he'll make your forearms hurt a little bit.' Biggs, Toth and the rest of the defending state champion RedHawks have been putting a big hurt on all of their opponents during the postseason. That includes Tuesday's 25-9, 25-13 win over Mount Carmel in the De La Salle Sectional final in Chicago. It's the seventh sectional title for Marist, which is seeking its fifth state championship. The MIT-bound Toth tallied 10 kills, three aces and five dig for Marist (36-2). Biggs added seven kills, while Griffin McElroy chipped in with five kills and two blocks. Rorey Donnelly made eight digs and Jacob Finley totaled 15 assists against the Caravan (17-11). Biggs, for one, has been a bright spot all season long for the RedHawks. 'He was really excited to step into a bigger role this year,' Marist coach Jordan Vidovic said. 'All things considered, he's just another perfect example of the senior class, how they go about it every day during the season and how they try to get better even when things are going well. 'And he's added a lot. He has more than just a power game. He's added variety and versatility, and that's big for us.' Marist takes on Lake Park (28-11) at 1 p.m. Friday in the state quarterfinals at Hoffman Estates. The Lancers beat Hersey 23-25, 25-17, 25-13 to win the Schaumburg Sectional. Biggs, a Northern Kentucky recruit, never imagined he would be a 6-foot-3 force for Marist, ranked second in the nation by the USA Today/American Volleyball Coaches Association. He was a 5-3 libero in seventh grade and wasn't really living up to his last name. But by the time he was a freshman, he grew to 6-1 and added two more inches after that. The progress is all recorded in pencil on a kitchen wall at his house. 'I had a massive growth spurt and after that, I started taking volleyball seriously,' Biggs said. 'I put in hours and hours of practice. I knew I was going to grow, but I didn't think I would be this tall.' While Biggs was getting some playing time here and there the last two seasons, he's really making his mark this spring as a senior. 'This is his first taste of being a high-impact option,' Vidovic said. 'He's really excited about the game aspect.' Biggs will have an interesting challenge ahead in college. Northern Kentucky will play its first season in 2026 under coach Jim Palilonis, who played on Marist's first team in 1992 and coached at St. Rita. Palilonis took an interest in Biggs early on. 'I've known him since seventh or eighth grade,' Briggs said of Palilonis. 'He coached at Purdue Fort Wayne and he recruited me for there. 'Then he ended up switching to Northern Kentucky and he recruited me there. It's brand-new team and he's bringing in five guys from Illinois.' That list includes Lincoln-Way West's Drew Kregul. No matter what happens this weekend, however, Briggs' high school career will be coming to an end. He said he will miss his teammates. 'The 10 seniors are 10 of my best friends,' Biggs said. 'Outside of volleyball, we're hanging out all of the time. They make practices so fun. 'This season is so sick. Playing with this team is so much fun, and we've been able to have fun and still be serious.'
Tatler Asia
03-06-2025
- Health
- Tatler Asia
500 per cent surge? A closer look at the fastest-growing HIV epidemic in the Western Pacific
Wanggo painted a clear picture of how HIV was treated at the time: information was scarce, there was little to no media coverage, and reliable literature was hard to find. So when he received the news that he was positive, he began preparing for death. 'My sister was there when I got home. She asked: 'How are you?' And I tried to find a way to answer the question without lying—I don't lie to my family,' he says. 'She looked at me because it took me forever to answer one question. I eventually told her the truth because I couldn't find a way to say I'm okay.' More from Tatler : How should I speak to my children about sex—and why is this important for their personal development? Above Wanggo Gallaga is a faculty instructor at the De La Salle -- College of St. Benilde (AB Film Department) 'What we do behind closed doors, as long as everything is consensual, is nobody else's business' - Wanggo Gallaga talks about sex rights and discrimination in the Philippines - Wanggo speaks candidly about his experiences to challenge the stigma surrounding the virus, including the circumstances of how he got it. He admits to living a rather promiscuous lifestyle. 'I slept around and didn't know about my sexual rights,' he says. 'That's how it happened. In 2025, I'm much older and realise the only thing wrong with my lifestyle was the recklessness—that I didn't approach it safely. A sense of disillusionment washed over Wanggo's perception of intimacy for quite some time. He confides that he refrained from any form of sexual activity for two and a half years. 'I was completely nonsexual, I thought everything about me was gross, yucky, icky. And I think that sort of thing happens when you learn you have HIV for the first time,' he says. 'I never saw myself as a sexual person anymore. Ultimately, I have come to terms with what happened to me. I accepted it and started to read more. I became more informed and am back to a normal sense of intimacy.' In many of his interviews, Wanggo emphasises that his case was a special one, given the supportive environment he had when he revealed he was living with HIV. 'Well, my dad was never conservative. He was a hippie who lived a free-spirited lifestyle. Yes, there were days when he did not talk to me. As a father, he was disappointed that I was not as smart as he thought I was. However, he eventually came around, and we were able to discuss it. He was not scared about it, and I guess it was a way for him to show that this is how a family should support each other.' Above Wanggo talks about his father, the late visionary Peque Gallaga (Photo: ABS-CBN Film Restoration) 'My dad was never conservative. He was a hippie who lived a free-spirited lifestyle' - Wanggo on his father, Peque Gallaga - In his professional life, Wanggo recalls that when he disclosed his condition, the only questions he received were, 'Are you okay? 'Will being here affect your health?' To which he replied, 'No.' They said, 'Then, fine, we're okay with it.' And with that, he kept his job. Wanggo reminds, however, that this is not the scene everyone faces when dealing with the virus. 'I know a lot of people who lost their jobs. Sometimes, I feel so ineffective as an advocate because I don't have most of the issues that the majority of people living with the virus go through. I had impostor syndrome. Related : The showrunner is a she: tales from Rod Singh's (drag) den Forgotten Narratives In 2008, news broke about a family who 'woke up to the blaze of fire' engulfing their modest hut in a remote village near Olongapo City. Their neighbours allegedly conspired to burn their home, driven by fear of contracting HIV, which one member was believed to carry. In 1996, a 17-year-old Filipina overseas worker was subjected to sexual abuse by her employer in Dubai. In 2000, after undergoing a medical examination at a hospital in Manila, she discovered that she had contracted HIV. Before she had even left the place where she should have felt the safest, she was confronted with a discriminatory question: 'How many men have you had sex with?' Above A sex worker sleeps outside a brothel in the slum area of Camagayan district April 14, 2004, in Cebu, Philippines. In many countries, a large portion of injecting drug users are also HIV positive. A million people in the Asia and Pacific region became infected with HIV in 2003, while more than half a million people died from AIDS-related causes. UNAIDS says that the appalling figures will be higher in 2004. (Photo:) Above A sex worker waits for a client outside a brothel room in the slum area of Camagayan district April 14, 2004 in Cebu, Philippines. Injectable drug use is a growing problem in the Asia and Pacific region, and in many countries, a large portion of injecting drug users are also HIV positive (Photo:) In another case, a Filipina gave birth to a daughter who was diagnosed as HIV-positive in 2004. Unaware of her status, she did not receive antiretroviral treatment during her pregnancy. All these cases, and many others, plagued the community as discrimination remained pervasive. This is why a new government law was enacted in the Philippines to address the issue. The Republic Act No. 11166 or Philippine HIV and AIDS Policy Act provides comprehensive protections for people living with HIV in the Philippines, including non-discrimination in healthcare, employment and education, access to free testing and antiretroviral treatment, confidentiality of HIV status, and support for affected families, while promoting education and awareness to combat stigma. See also : Highlighting queer stories by Filipino writers Fighting Misinformation Dr Edsel Salvana, who serves as a special adviser to the Secretary of Health for HIV and Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS), says that ignorance and bad information are among the biggest challenges for people with the disease. 'Solving starts with education,' Dr Salvana says. 'We teach our kids to cross the street so they don't get run over. We have to teach them about HIV and how they can protect themselves against a preventable infection that can kill them.' As of this writing, the Philippines is experiencing the fastest-growing HIV epidemic in the Western Pacific region, with a whopping 418 per cent and 535 per cent chance of new HIV infections and AIDS-related deaths from 2010 to 2022. The Department of Health (DOH) also reported an average of 55 individuals diagnosed with HIV every day. It also mentioned that out of the 122,255 people with HIV in the country, only 64 per cent, or 78,633 of them, are currently on antiretroviral therapy. In the Philippines, the majority of HIV cases are linked to sexual contact, particularly among men who have sex with men (MSM). Read also: The line between two anti-discrimination bills in the Philippines Above Dr Edsel Salvana talks about the rising number of HIV cases in the Philippines 'HIV is a disease, not God's punishment, and it happens due to bad luck' - Dr Edsel Salvana on HIV - The Philippine Council for Health Research and Development both indicate that unsafe sexual practices and drug injections among men are the main drivers of HIV transmission. This is further supported by research published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases Journal, which identified young, sexually active MSM as key to the spread of the HIV in the country 'A respectful conversation and a scientific discussion of how to properly use condoms and whether preexposure prophylaxis [Prep] is an option without any kind of judgment needs to be provided to everyone before they start having sex,' Dr Salvana says. He also warns that swollen lymph nodes, rash and sore throat are not reliable indications of recent HIV infection. 'It occurs about two to four weeks after infection, but as many as half of the people may not experience it at all.' HIV tests may not become positive until two to six weeks from infection if only HIV antibody is tested, 'and so we repeat the test six to eight weeks later if someone is suspected to have contracted HIV. Use of Prep can also delay seroconversion.' More from Tatler : It's Lukresia's world: meet the Filipino queer model who walked for Mugler's return to the runway HIV for 'Bad People'? Above Is HIV only for 'bad people'? () When asked if there was one myth or misconception about HIV he could erase instantly, Dr Salvana responds, 'That HIV only happens to 'bad people'. I don't understand how others can judge those living with it, as if they somehow brought it upon themselves or deserve it. That's just ridiculous. HIV is a disease, not God's punishment, and it happens due to bad luck.' He likens the disease to a dengue bite: all of us could get bitten, but some mosquitoes carry dengue and some don't. 'Does that make us bad people? People living with HIV already face numerous challenges because of their condition. Let's not add to their burden by stigmatising them,' Dr Salvana says. Above The Philippine Council for Health Research and Development both indicate that unsafe sexual practices and drug injections among men are the main drivers of HIV transmission. () As a science communicator, Dr Salvana makes information about HIV more accessible by posting on social media and delivering talks in schools across the Philippines. He has also organised caravans at colleges and secondary schools and collaborated with nonmedical professionals on outreach programmes. In 2017, he was among the researchers who published a study titled The Changing Molecular Epidemiology of HIV in the Philippines. The study found that one reason HIV in the country shifted from 'low to slow to fast and furious' was a change in the dominant HIV subtype: from subtype B (typically found in the US, Canada, Australia, and Western Europe) to a recombinant form known as CRF01_ AE, or simply AE, which is predominant in Thailand. This, combined with stigma, misinformation and limited access to testing, accelerated the spread of the virus and delayed effective public health responses. Above Dr Edsel Salvana and his team found that one reason HIV in the country shifted from 'low to slow to fast and furious' was a change in the dominant HIV subtype (Photo: Dr Edsel Salvana) 'First, you are not going to die. And second, this is not your fault' - Dr Edsel Salvana to people with HIV - 'This is similar to how variants of concern during the Covid-19 pandemic supplanted the less virulent lineages and led to spikes in transmission. We also found high rates of HIV drug resistance due to suboptimal monitoring of HIV viral loads and poor medication adherence.' In the same year, he did a TED talk on the dangerous evolution of HIV. 'The TED talk I did was an eye opener, I basically had to squeeze my usual 30- to 45-minute talk into five minutes, which helped me figure out which information was most essential,' he says. TED taught me that you don't have to present a scientific treatise with all the details at the outset; that'll intimidate the audience, and they won't engage. Instead, by boiling the information down to what is essential, you can start the conversation and have a wider reach and a more lasting impact.' The doctor, who also developed affordable tests for HIV drug resistance, says his invention is now undergoing clinical validation. He has two key messages for people living with the virus: 'First, you are not going to die. And second, this is not your fault.' Related: Love & Pride: Angie and Joey Mead King Speak About Their Marriage, Acceptance, and Breaking Barriers The Next Page It has been 17 years since Wanggo first heard the news that sank his heart. Now, he lives freely as an educator whose viral load is undetectable. While a cure is not available for HIV, there is a series of antiretroviral therapy (ARVS), which makes his condition not only manageable but also allows him to live almost like someone who has never contracted the virus at all. For him, a learnt society is more accepting. 'What we do behind closed doors, as long as everything is consensual, is nobody else's business. This is where I take issue with organised religion and any institution that seeks to regulate our freedoms. It wields power. Ideologies have tangible, real-world consequences. They shape policies that can empower some while oppressing others.' Above It has been 17 years since Wanggo first heard the news that sank his heart. Now, he lives freely as an educator whose viral load is undetectable () Today, Wanggo teaches film subjects at De La Salle College of Saint Benilde and writes reviews for media platforms in the Philippines. 'I am trying to write a new script. I want to get into directing—do something that involves sex positivity and is geared towards navigating the emotional and intellectual maze. I am all over the place, mostly involved in the arts.' Of course, he shares his story with whomever he can, wherever he goes. He still remembers the initial shock and doesn't want anyone to go through that. 'I love being able to share my experiences for people to learn from,' says the HIV awareness advocate. NOW READ The tale of child star Ice Seguerra
