About me

I am a gay man, a person living with HIV, a lawyer, an artist, a baker, a cyclist, a writer, a storyteller, hopelessly romantic, and a part-time lover.

Since 2013, I have been engaged with the regional HIV advocacy in Asia-Pacific. My employment is an integral part of and constitutes the quality of the life I live. This realisation have enabled me to strongly advocate for the inclusion of employment and socio-economic wellbeing in defining PLHIV’s quality of life.

Although theoretical and scientific knowledge directed my work, my personal and lived experiences remain to be the guiding compass of my regional advocacy.

I Am Here.

Throughout our journey in life, we are blessed with moments of happiness and tested through challenges. Yet, how often do we pause to truly reflect on our purpose? I cannot even begin to count the times I have found myself lost in thoughts about the purpose of life after HIV diagnosis.

But I am certain about one thing: I am here to live fully, create, own and share my story. I am here to paint a tale of inspiration and resilience, painstakingly pieced together from failures and successes. A story that reveals my true self, with all its vulnerabilities, fears, and love. A story that is uniquely mine.

My current and previous engagements

I am currently working with APCOM as Programmes and Advocacy Unit Head and HIV Portfolio Manager. My work includes strengthening regional and global advocacy, key population, and community engagements and programs. These programs include creating legal environments, technical assistance to key population networks, capacity building, community monitoring, and country program review, among others.

In 2021, I served as the Community Expert Consultant for UNAIDS Asia-Pacific to assess community-led mechanisms in eight (8) countries and provide recommendations for more meaningful community leadership in CLM programs.

Affiliations

I am a member of U=U Global Community Board. The UGCB will works closely with the Prevention Access Campaign,  a US-based international organisation, to integrate U=U into national and global HIV/AIDS responses to greatly improve the lives of people living with HIV.

I am a member of MPact Global Action’s Board of Directors. MPact is an international organisation based in California, USA, which advocates for equitable access to effective HIV prevention, care, treatment, and support services for gay men and bisexual men, including those living with HIV, while promoting their health and human rights worldwide.

Technical Outputs

In 2020, I developed APCOM’s Community Guide to Implement Community-Based Monitoring  for the Global Fund-supported multi-country program called Sustainability of HIV services for key populations in Asia (SKPA). 

On the same year, I led the creation of #coronaAPCOMpassion, an emergency funding mechanism to address the key populations’ immediate needs caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

I initiated a regional initiative in contextualizing the messages of U=U in Asian countries.

In 2021 and 2022, I spearheaded the community engagements in the processes within PEPFAR’s Country Operational Plans/Regional Operational Plans (COP/ROP). These initiatives were called #KeyPopAsiaCOP21 and #KeyPopAsiaCOP22. 

I co-produced Get. PrEP. Done. : PrEP Demand Generation Toolkit., a resource guide community organizations looking to generate demand for PrEP among their communities, with technical support from World Health Organization (WHO) and The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS).

I Am Creating.

I am creating possibilities and opportunities. My HIV status does not define me or my abilities. It will not hold me back from reaching my full potential. As a valuable member of the workforce, I am fulfilling my career aspirations and professional goals.

I am capable of achieving anything.