Over coffee, about 50 other people huddled around Wanggo Gallaga and Jerico Parterno as they shared what their life has been like since they were diagnosed HIV+.

It may sound a bit disconcerting to answer personal questions about living with a sexually transmitted infection like HIV, but discussing it over coffee provided just the right atmosphere of intimacy for a free-flowing thought provoking conversation.

“Let’s meet up for coffee”

Coffee has now become a bonding ritual. Much like its “inuman” predecessor, coffee drinking sessions are often filled with deep and intense conversations that can go on for hours.

It is this exact insight that sparked Starbucks to come up with “Dialogues at Starbucks“,  a global responsibility initiative that combines corporate social responsibility, networking and consumer education. Held in various Starbucks outlets, each Dialogues session features invited personalities who give 60-minute talks aimed at engaging participants toward their varied causes over cups of coffee and snacks.

Since 2008, “Dialogues” has become a platform for advocacy in the Philippines.

Zarah Perez, manager for Global Responsibility, calls them “moments well spent.’’ “We promise you these – at least one hour, inspiring characters, unique perspectives, and cups of free coffee and snacks,” she enthuses. Previous dialogues were about the environment and volunteerism and now, HIV/AIDS awareness. The topic is a timely one as the DOH recently confirmed that STI/HIV cases are on an unprecedented rise. Two years ago, there were only two HIV cases reported for every three days. Last year, there were two HIV cases reported a day.

There were 835 HIV cases reported in 2009, compared to 528 in 2008. It was also noted that HIV patients are also getting younger and younger with 454 of the reported cases last year coming from the 15 to 29 age group.

It is within this age group that Wanggo and Jerico fall.

Wanggo Gallaga, the (un)official HIV Ambassador in "Dare to Bare" World AIDS Day 2009

In 2008, Wanggo Gallaga, 30, disclosed his HIV status on national television. Immediately, he was deluged with questions about STD and HIV on his multiply site, which he says he continues to get until now.

“I still receive emails, messages, and this means we don’t have a society that is open about talking about these things. In terms of HIV awareness, the best thing to do is to let people know that it’s here in the country. You could be educated, you could be as careful as you want, you could be smart, but if you sleep with just one person without protection, everything will change,” he says.

Looking back on what he calls his “wilder” days, Wanggo reflects: “A very common line is, I don’t like using condoms. I didn’t realize that I have the right to say no. No condoms, nothing. We don’t know our sexual rights. We have got to be a little more open talking about these things. The more that we talk about it, the more that we find more information, and pass along that information to everybody else,” he shares.

Wanggo has tirelessly been telling and re-telling his story and has somewhat become the “ambassador” of HIV rallying for awareness. For World AIDS Day 2009, Wanggo participated in the Sex and Sensiibilities trademark campaign“Dare to Bare” where was photographed wearing nothing but the AIDS ribbon. “Friends were amazed at how far I would go to promote the cause.”, says Wanggo.

Jerico Paterno speaks out on migrant worker rights for "Dare to Bare" World AIDS Day 2009

Like Wanggo, Jerico was also part of the World AIDS Day “Dare to Bare” campaign.

Jerico Paterno, 35, was in Dubai when he found out that he was HIV positive. He had to undergo a test as part of a pre-employment requirement. He was immediately quarantined and deported to the Philippines.

While mandatory testing is strictly forbidden in the Philippines, laws vary in different countries and sometimes, a destination country may mandate it as part of a pre-employment requirement.

Jerico had never known signs of being sick and was devastated. Being able to work in Dubai was a dream come true for him. Like many migrant workers, Jercico wanted to help make a better life for his family and was hoping to find proverbial greener pastures overseas.

But more than that, Jerico was realized how little he knew about HIV. “I was frightened. I confused HIV with AIDS. I thought I was going to die soon,” he recalls.

The issue of mandatory HIV testing among migrant workers as a condition for their entry, living, or employment in their destination countries has been the subject of debate in the international community who have labelled the practice “discriminatory, dehumanizing and violates migrants’ rights.”

Jerico himself has played an active role in advocating migrant workers’ rights as area coordinator of Pinoy Plus Association. Like Wanggo, Jerico has been sharing his story with various audiences. Jerico was a guest speaker in a World Health Organization (WHO) conference in Switzerland and at the recently held ICAAP9 (International Conference on AIDS in Asia and the Pacific held in Bali, Indonesia last August 2009.

After the stories were shared and the questions on safer sex were answered, the audience broke out into smaller groups talking to Wanggo, introducing themselves to Jerico; giving each of them their support. Others, chatted among themselves.