Man living with HIV for decades recalls struggle with stigma

MANILA, Philippines — In his first anonymous media interviews back in the 1990s, Roberto Ruiz preferred to be called “Fernando” in sharing his story as a person living with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), since he was afraid of being ridiculed because of his medical condition.

“The Inquirer Magazine had an article about me. I kept a copy,” he said. Ruiz is one of the longest-living persons living with HIV (PLHIV) in the Philippines. He was in his 20s in 1993 when he was first diagnosed with his condition, and he would experience the side effects of the first medicines made available globally to slow down the progression of HIV into acquired immune deficiency syndrome or AIDS, the end stage of the infection.

Today, at almost 60, Ruiz said the culture of stigma and discrimination toward people like him has changed—but only slightly—because many PLHIVs still face scorn and are still reluctant to seek medical advice and treatment.

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