Sort of a Book Review | Mga Batang Poz by Segundo Matias Jr.

HIV remains a taboo in the Philippines. Often, this is conversed with hushed and/or seriously grim faces; sometimes, with disgust. Because of this, not everyone knows the truth about the infection. That is why Segundo Matias Jr.’s 2018 young adult novel Mga Batang Poz is both essential and urgent. Instead of talking about the taboo in secret, he wrote about it and shocked the world. But the more important aspect of the book is that its target audience are the ones who need to hear the truth the most: the youth.

Mga Batang Poz is about four teenage boys who had been diagnosed with HIV. Luis, Enzo, Gab, and Chuchay came from all sorts of background that mirrors the diversity of life in the country. Each protagonist is given a segment for their lives to be explored. Matias brought the readers inside the grandiose house of a Filipino-Chinese businessman and his family, to the middle-class’ quiet and idle homes in sleepy towns, and lastly, to the cemetery where a poverty-stricken family stays. Every character is alive. Every story as interesting or even more so than its preceding. It was entertaining from start to finish and will subject its readers to a roller coaster of emotions.

The book is actually an HIV awareness guide disguised as a young adult novel. That is a smart move from Matias as it made the whole thing much easier to digest. But despite being in such a format, the truth remains as cold and as real. Matias did not halt when a gay sex scene began. He did not choose different, much friendlier words to replace the taboo ones. He did not shy away from actually talking about HIV and how it affects a person, physically, mentally, and emotionally. But most importantly, unlike most, he emphasized the facts about the infection and how easily these information can be accessed, if we only spare the time to do so.

To keep the Matias spirit alive, here are the facts he emphasized in the book and that everyone should remember:

1. Being HIV positive is not a death sentence. It is possible to live a long time if taken the proper medication. That is why it is important to test for HIV.
2. The infection cannot be transferred through saliva or skin contact. HIV can be transmitted through blood transfusion, injection, or anything that relates to the exchange of blood and through sexual intercourse.
3. Help is available. Local clinics offer confidential and safe HIV test kits for those who want to be tested. Medication is also available and given freely. 

The book is not accessible to everyone. When I purchased the book, it was one out of two copies that is available in National Book Store branches across four towns here in Laguna. However, it is fortunate that the book is being adapted for television, as I think the novel was written for. Through this, awareness can be spread to a wider scale to a much larger audience.

Right now, HIV is still wrapped with stigma. But that’s because people are uneducated about it. With this novel, and its TV series adaptation, we can only hope that awareness brought by Matias’ stories about these four boys can ultimately break the taboo.