Headline ‘Mga Batang Poz’ sheds light on reality of HIV-positive teens

MediaTitle Manila Times(manilatimes.net)

Date 26 Jul 2019

Section NEWS
Order Rank 1
Language English
Journalist N/A
Frequency Daily

‘Mga Batang Poz’ sheds light on reality of HIV-positive teens

Six-episode advocacy series streams today, calls for parental guidance
How can people with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) or “poz” move forward and live
normal, productive lives amidst the burden of stigma and isolation? What can families and friends
do for a loved one who has HIV?
To shed light on HIV and give hope to HIV-positive individuals and their loved ones, streaming
service iWant begins streaming the advocacy series “Mga Batang Poz” today, a story of four HIV-
positive teenagers on the iWant app and iwant.ph website.
Based on the best-selling young adult novel by Palanca-winning author Segundo Matias Jr., Mga
Batang Poz stars Mark Nuemann, Fino Herrera, Paolo Gumabao, and Awra Briguela. The six-
episode series is helmed by critically acclaimed writer-director Chris Martinez of the “Babae sa
Septic Tank” fame.
At its media launch on Wednesday, the book author and series director related how the show will
expose viewers on the reality that HIV-positive teenagers from different backgrounds face every
day. They question what it means to live after being diagnosed, manage the disease via antiretroviral
medications, and brave the judgment of family, friends and society.

A story of four HIV-positive teenagers, the series wishes to heighten on HIV awareness and give
hope to individuals and their loved ones.
Neumann plays Gab, a 16-year-old bisexual who gets entangled in a passionate love affair with his
long-term girlfriend and guy best friend, while Herrera portrays Luis, a 15-year-old Filipino-Chinese
teenager who explores his sexuality, loses his virginity to an older guy, and eventually becomes
addicted to unprotected sex.
Former comedic child star Briguela is surprisingly cast too to bring to life Chuchay, 15, an
optimistic boy who grows up in a poor household and resorts to using sex for money. Gumabao
finally depicts 16-year-old Enzo, a Wattpad writer neglected by his parents who sacrifices his health
for a man who promises him love and commitment.
These four young males eventually meet each other in a social media support group for poz’s using
their online alter egos, Gab, Luis, Enzo, and Chuchay. They set up an eyeball and from there form a
bond and go on a road trip together to search for hope, overcome their despair and uncertainties, and
accept their present situation in order to move forward and fulfill their dreams.
According to data from the Department of Health (DOH), the Philippines now has the fastest-
growing HIV epidemic in the Asia-Pacific region, which occurs mostly in young men aged 15 to 24.
While Martinez guaranteed that the most sensitive scenes in the series were not interpreted with the
aim of gratifying audiences precisely because the project advocating HIV awareness, he conceded
there may be quarters who will find the material highly suggestive.
All the same, he declared, “But I want the young people to watch it because this is really for them.
This is not an adult film disguised as an advocacy. Hindi ito something na malaswa or dapat ikahiya
panoorin because this is really done to save [the youth], inform them and make them aware of
what’s happening around them.”
All the same, iWant executives made sure to practice self-regulation across the free streaming app’s
programs [online productions are not covered by MTRCB regulations], and specifically for Mga
Bata Poz will require viewers to be 16 years old to watch it. This means the user will have to plug in
their birthdate for access to the episodes, which in turn should serve as a warning for parents to
monitor younger children’s online activities as they can easily register as older users.