Richard B. Hayag
President
(2021 Year End GM Meeting)
Moving forward amid the pandemic, GM Bicol continued to complement the government-led HIV initiatives. Recognizing the shift of our country's healthcare system to COVID-19 response, as a community-based organization, we did our best to fill in the gaps in the pandemic-impacted HIV programs and services: by bringing community-based HIV screening closer to the people and continued SRH and HIV advocacy.
Representing the entire GM Family, I am pleased to share our achievements this 2021. This year, we are able to achieve a vision the organization had since it started, which is to open a community center. With the help of a World Health Organization (WHO) project through the Family Planning Organization of the Philippines (FPOP) - Iloilo Chapter, GM Bicol was able to set up a community center in Daraga, Albay. This allowed GM to provide SHR and HIV education and HIV screening to more individuals. The project support we received from FPOP - Iloilo Chapter was implemented from March to September 2021.
Moving forward, GM Bicol is able to sustain its community center with project support from the AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF). This started in October 2021 which will allow the organization to continue its services being offered in the community center for another year.
The most important element of our 2021 success is our admirable volunteer members and partners from the private and public sectors... Dios Mabalos po!