Bacolod City Mayor Evelio Leonardia recently signed an executive order creating a local council focused on preventing the spread of sexually transmitted infections (STIs), the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), and acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) amid recent data suggesting sexually transmitted diseases are on the rise in the city.

Based on data from the Corazon Locsin Montelibano Memorial Regional Hospital (CLMMRH) HIV and AIDS Core Team (HACT), between 2007 and October 2017, Bacolod City recorded a total 304 HIV/AIDS cases, the second highest in the Western Visayas.

The council will operate as an advisory, planning, and policy-making body on the prevention and control of HIV/AIDS.

Leonardia added, the city will do its part in disseminating information about the disease./NC, W