City offers opportunities for sex workers

LOILO CITY – The City Government is providing more opportunities to commercial sex workers to improve their lives and discourage prostitution as a means of livelihood.

“I am not in favor or encouraging the legalization of prostitution so as to regulate the practice but we are providing opportunities for them to become better members of society,” Mayor Jed Patrick Mabilog said in answer to queries whether to legalize prostitution.

He said the city is providing the alternative learning system (ALS) with the Department of Education (DepEd) for the out-of-school youths to pass the examination and proceed to higher level of education.

Some commercial sex workers who failed to study in a regular school classroom already availed of the ALS in order to pursue their high school or college education, according to the mayor.

The City Government is encouraging sex workers to undergo medical examination in order to qualify for a pink card issued by the city social hygiene clinic, Mabilog said.

The pink card will show the health state of the card bearer to work without fear of sexually transmitted diseases.

The City Government is also providing Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) cards to everyone including the commercial sex workers to help them avail of medical treatment in the hospital, Mabilog said. (Lydia C. Pendon)