Nico De Castro

He started singing in a boy band in the Philippines, 

now he begins a new chapter in his life as an advocate.  

Nico welcomes us into his life for a brief moment. 

Here is what he wanted to share.

Video : Nico De Castro

Take a closer look into Nico’s story as he shares with us his strength and how his family’s support impacted his life.  Nico was diagnosed HIV positive after being tested for the first time when he was twenty-one years old.   As we continue to tell his story, we are reminded of the many lives that are affected by this epidemic, both here and in the Philippines.

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Special Edition : APAIT (Asian Pacific AIDS Intervention Team) Health Center contributed a special article

Chris was living a normal life as a sexually active man. One day on a whim, a friend asked him for support and to go with her to get tested for HIV. He agreed to get tested with her. He was distraught when his results returned positive and learned that his ex-boyfriend of 2 years prior was the root of his infection. His ex-boyfriend was so scared to speak to Chris about it that he just let it pass. Chris was now in a position where he may have infected all others he was with sexually in those last 2 years.

This story is common among sexually active individuals. Among Asian and Pacific Islanders (APIs), Filipinos are the most infected community.  One of the scariest things about HIV/AIDS is that no one talks about it. It’s a taboo in a lot of API communities and this stigma creates a silence that allows HIV/AIDS to spread. You might think that HIV/AIDS isn’t a big deal in our communities but the statistics show otherwise. Consider the following:

• New HIV infections more than doubled for young API men who have sex with men (2001-2006)
• Annual percentage increase in new HIV infections for API men and women was higher than any other racial and ethnic group (14.3% for women and 8.1% for men of all ages, 2001-2004)
• Between 2001 and 2008, APIs showed the only increase in the rate of new HIV infections while the infection rate went down for all other racial/ethnic groups

Because our communities refuse to discuss HIV/AIDS, we Asians and Pacific Islanders are led to believe that HIV/AIDS isn’t in our community.  This false sense of security further aggravates one of our biggest challenges: testing.

• Over 2/3rds of Asians and over 1/2 of Pacific Islanders have never been tested
• APIs have the lowest HIV testing rate of any racial/ethnic group
• An estimated 1/5 people living with HIV/AIDS do not know their HIV status
• An estimated 13,000 people in Los Angeles County are living with HIV while unaware of their status

So as long as our community remains silent about HIV/AIDS, the disease will continue to spread among our family and friends. People living with HIV/AIDS can lead healthy lives, but only if they get tested and matriculate into treatment. That’s why campaigns like The Malaya Project, Barangay Los Angeles’ awareness campaign, are essential. It helps raise awareness in our communities in an empowering way. There are several ways you can get involved in the fight against HIV/AIDS. APAIT Health Center, a long-time community partner of Barangay Los Angeles, offers a number of services and opportunities.

• Get tested, or help a friend get tested. APAIT Health Center offers free, 20 minutes HIV tests from 10AM – 6PM, Monday – Friday
• Volunteer with either Barangay Los Angeles, or with community based organizations such as APAIT Health Center
• If you’re living with HIV, seek treatment. APAIT Health Center offers a number of services, such as case management, mental health services, counseling and substance abuse programs

If you’re ready to protect yourself and your loved ones from HIV/AIDS, speak up about this ever-growing issue. For more information, please visit Barangay LA (www.BarangayLA.org), or APAIT Health Center (1730 W. Olympic Blvd. Suite 150, Los Angeles, CA 90015) (www.apaitonline.org) 

Sneak Peek - Nico De Castro

It was a spring night in May when Barangay Los Angeles held their annual singing competition, Barangay Idol. One by one, young vocalists took to the stage to entertain a theater packed audience and judges in hopes to win the grand prize. A young male vocalist named Nico De Castro walked onto the stage with more than hope in mind. As the audience waited in anticipation, the twenty-two year old explained the significance of his performance; he saw it as his “second chance."

Unbeknownst to many, he shared with the crowd the biggest challenge of his life; he is HIV positive.  That night, we were reminded of the realities of our community, the fight against HIV is truer today as it was nearly 30 years ago and the fact Filipinos still have the highest infection rates among Asians and Pacific Islanders in Los Angeles. 

As grim as it may seem, Nico De Castro also reminded us the innate strength, we as Filipinos have to persevere in times of hardships and adversity. This month Nico shares his life with The Malaya Project revealing the source of his strength and insight to lessons he learned along the way.

Allison Santos

With her family's help and support,
Allison is free to be who she is.
Free to be an artist, to be creative, to be queer.