The Philippines Catholic Church is focusing its HIV and AIDS awareness campaign on the “high risk” groups of youth and migrants, a priest involved in the campaign today said.

“The age group affected by AIDS is getting younger. Ten years ago, the age bracket would be around 25-35. But for the past three years, the number is increasing among teenagers,” said Camillian Father Rodolfo “Dan” Cancino, regional coordinator of Southeast Asia HIV and AIDS Catholic Network.

He added that migrant Filipinos are also at risk of infection because of their activities away from home and “some of them are leaving the country without any knowledge about HIV/AIDS.”

On the eve of international World AIDS Day today, the health department announced that the number of new HIV cases in the Philippines continues to rise even as the annual number of new HIV infections worldwide declined.

Treatment, care and support of those already suffering from HIV/AIDS is another area of the network’s efforts, said Fr Cancino, a doctor.

“The Catholic Church performs a very important role in lobbying funds for the treatment of HIV/AIDS,” he said.

Government should provide the medication but “HIV is not a priority here in the Philippines,” the priest said. He said Congress must increase the budget of the Department of Health for the treatment of HIV and AIDS.

Reports of a drop in global new cases of HIV infection show condom use may have helped, he conceded, but insisted “rubber is not the solution” in the Philippines. For him the answer is change in behavior, including abstinence and strict monogamous relationships.