WATCH: Pia Wurtzbach Angrily Calls Out to PDEA and the Media!

Miss Universe 2015 winner Pia Wurtzbach voices out on Instagram and calls out Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) special operatives on how they bungled an investigation by releasing very private information regarding a suspect to the general public. She posted a black photo with heavy words from her heavy heart about the incident.

PDEA received a tip that there will be something drug related happening at a very prominent and high end hotel located in Bonifacio Global City. When they performed the buy-bust, it led them to the hotel and when they raided the room, they found 11 men, all appear to be in the middle of a drug-fueled orgy.

Director General Aaron Aquino revealed that not only are all 11 suspects are gay, but one of them is HIV positive. This in turn got the attention and backlash from Miss Universe 2016 winner, Pia Wurtzbach who is a known advocate for a lot of causes. Miss Wurtzbach called out both PDEA and media for both exposing and demonizing one of the suspects to be HIV positive and how it was a breach of Republic Act 8504, saying it is illegal to publicly announce one’s HIV status.

Read the full text can be read in her instagram here:

Universe, listen to this. A few days ago a drug bust happened in a high scale hotel in Manila Philippines involving 11 supposedly gay men. Two of them were suspected of selling/distributing drugs. During the operation, the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) found out that one of of them was HIV positive. PDEA and local news outlets decided to expose the identities of these men to the media. Their mugshots, names, and the HIV status of one of them were released. Was this really necessary? I understand that what the men were supposedly doing was illegal and they should face legal consequences. But there was absolutely no need to expose and publicly shame them. It’s illegal to publicly announce one’s HIV status (RA8504). What has been done has not only traumatized the men that were involved; it has also worsened the HIV situation in the Philippines. We’re working so hard in educating the people properly on HIV/AIDS, on taking away the stigma. Because of what PDEA and the news outlet have done, some people are now associating drugs and immorality with being gay. It’s ridiculous. The whole point of this drug raid was to arrest the men for their supposed crime, which was selling/distributing and using illegal narcotics. Being gay is not a crime! Living with HIV is not a punishment! Come on, Philippines. We are already taking small steps forward to improve acceptance, tolerance and understanding. We cannot take big steps back. To PDEA and the news outlets, take steps to mend the situation. Sa aking mga kababayan, wag po tayo maging judgmental. Hindi immoral ang maging bakla, hindi dapat ituring na kaparusahan ang HIV. At lalong hindi ito biro na dapat pag-pyestahan at pagtawanan. To my beloved LGBT community, stay strong. We’ll win this.

A post shared by Pia Wurtzbach | Miss Universe (@piawurtzbach) on Nov 28, 2017 at 5:31pm PST

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