In their introduction, Guerrero and Llaguno note that "although there have been legislative initiatives and programs to curb VAW [violence against women], given the magnitude of the problem and the cultural and historical roots of gender-based violence, the results have been extremely limited."

Among the case studies included is that of "Bantay Banay," a community-based approach to curbing VAWC that began in Cebu province and has since expanded to the rest of the country. I once talked with a group of urban poor women and asked how the establishment of a "Bantay Banay" unit in their "barangay" [village] has affected the health and safety of women and children in their locale. They told me that ever since abusers discovered that their neighbors were watching them closely and were not afraid to report them to authorities, incidents of violence against women and children subsided dramatically.

* * *

THIS made a lot of sense to me. VAWC, after all, flourishes mainly because perpetrators think they can get away with it. Abuse of women and children is not just tolerated in communities, with many neighbors preferring to turn a blind eye and deaf ear to its occurrence, but even encouraged, with abusers experiencing no social disapproval or legal punishment.

This is why I was so heartened by the news report, which I wrote of earlier this week, in which the abusive parents of two dead boys had been reported to police by neighbors, who willingly testified on the acts of violence that they had witnessed. I don't know if this signals a wave of community awareness and action against abuse in the home, and if a decade-long campaign has managed to "expose the myths and the untruths about the home and the family as the haven of love and support." What I hope will happen, though, is that national agencies and NGOs will build from this seed of action planted in that Pasig City neighborhood and replicate it systematically and thoroughly.

* * *

FOR "Break the Silence: Aid for AIDS," a benefit concert for the Remedios AIDS Foundation, Bong Austero, president of the Remedios Board of Trustees (BOT), was supposed to deliver the welcome remarks. But that day, the Remedios staff called me, as the BOT vice president, to ask if I could speak in Bong's behalf. Later, Bong himself would call to explain that the bank, where he heads the human resources department, was celebrating its anniversary and, of course, he had to be present there.

I scribbled some notes, but because some concertgoers asked for a copy of my talk, here's my attempt at making sense from the rough draft:

We have come here tonight not just to "break the silence" surrounding HIV and AIDS.

We have come here also to "break the ignorance." Outside, Remedios staff have been giving out materials on HIV/AIDS, VCT or voluntary counseling and testing, reproductive health and sexually transmitted infections, and I hope we all take time to read, study and comprehend the contents.

We have come here to "break the denial," with government agencies smugly declaring that the spread of AIDS in the Philippines is "low and slow," when in fact it is "hidden and growing," with Bong remarking that in fact the rates of HIV infection in the country have tripled over the last decade.

We have also come here to "break the indifference," which is evident in the drastic cuts in funding for both public and private efforts on HIV/AIDS, including care and support for people living with HIV/AIDS, research, education and counseling.

* * *

BUT we have come also to build up. We are here to build up our spirits and our resolve, to build up our awareness, knowledge and sense of activism on the issue of HIV/AIDS. We have come here to build up our community -- our rapidly dwindling community of AIDS activists and service providers, as well the rapidly expanding community of people living with HIV/AIDS, including those who have tested positive for HIV as well as their friends, families and loved ones.

At this point, I would like to acknowledge everyone who lent their support to this concert: our major sponsors Amkor Technology, and the Family Planning Organization of the Philippines; row sponsors PHANSup, the Philippine Center for Population and Development, Pollo Negro, and Bayer; marketing partners Coca-Cola, One White Tea and TicketWorld; our media partners Manila Bulletin, the Philippine Daily Inquirer, The Manila Times, Magic 89.9, Business Mirror, Icon, and FHM; and our event partner, Thinking Cap Inc., whose staff labored these past months to conceptualize this event and work with tonight's performers. A special note of thanks to all the artists who donated their time, talent, energy and compassion to stage the show.

Tonight, we hope to give you inspiration and hope, and, despite the daunting obstacles we face, a sense of the possible. Together, we will be able to see a world not free from AIDS, for that will not happen in the foreseeable future, even if a positive finding of HIV infection is no longer the "death sentence" it once was. Rather, we hope to create a world free from bigotry, from homophobia, from judgmental attitudes on sex and sexuality, from ignorance, and free from the casual cruelty of those who lash out at everything they do not understand or have not experienced.

Together, let us all work for that world!