From Risk to Resilience: Experiences of Gay and Men Having Sex with Men Using Pre–Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) in Baguio and Benguet Province
Article Sidebar
Published
Dec 26, 2025
Main Article Content
Abstract
The development of Pre-exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) represents a major advancement in HIV prevention, particularly among Gay and Bisexual Men Having Sex with Men (gbMSM). Despite growing access, the lived experiences of gbMSM PrEP users in local Philippine contexts remain underexplored. This qualitative descriptive study examined the personal, social, and behavioral experiences of gbMSM using PrEP in Baguio City and Benguet Province—areas with rising HIV incidence and significant LGBTQIA+ populations. Ten gbMSM PrEP users were recruited through referral sampling and interviewed using semi-structured, face-to-face interviews. Participants were residents for at least six months and active PrEP users. Data were analyzed using Reflexive Thematic Analysis. Three major themes emerged: (1) Transforming Actions for Wellness, reflecting improved sexual practices and health awareness; (2) Turn of Events, describing transitions from fear and stigma to acceptance and empowerment; and (3) Harmony Within, highlighting enhanced psychological well-being and self-identity. Participants’ PrEP uptake was influenced by perceived HIV risk, health literacy, social support, and access to LGBTQIA+-affirming services such as Balay Marvi and Baguio General Hospital. Persistent challenges included stigma, fear of judgment, and limited provider availability. The study recommends strengthening PrEP education, expanding affirming healthcare training, enforcing anti-discrimination policies, and promoting combined HIV prevention strategies. These findings inform context-specific interventions and support inclusive, holistic care for gbMSM.
Article Details
Section
Articles
References
Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2006). Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 3(2), 77–101. https://doi.org/10.1191/1478088706qp063oa
Chan, C., Fraser, D., Schmidt, H.M.A., Green, K.E., Cassell, M.M., Ong, J.J., Tieosapjaroen, W., Phanuphak, N., Suwandi, N., Boonyapisomparn, H., Poonkasetawattana, M., Zhang, L., Tang, W., & Bavinton, B.R. (2023). PrEP Product Awareness, Preferences, and Past Experiences among Transgender Women and Men Who Have Sex with Men in Asia and Australia: The PrEP APPEAL Study Report. Kirby Institute, UNSW Sydney: Sydney, Australia. http://doi.org/10.26190/9bd4-w424
Devarajan, S., Sales, J.M., Hunt, M., & Comeau, D.L. (2020). PrEP and sexual well-being: A qualitative study on PrEP, sexuality of MSM, and patientprovider relationships. AIDS Care, 32(3): 386-393. https://doi.org/10.1080/09540121.2019.1695734
Department of Education. (2018). DepEd ORDER No. 31, s. 2018: POLICY GUIDELINES ON THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE COMPREHENSIVE SEXUALITY EDUCATION. https://www.deped.gov.ph/2018/07/13/do-31-s-2018-policyguidelines-on-the-implementation-of-the-comprehensive-sexuality-education/
Department of Health. (2023, June 16). Summary of newly diagnosed cases. HIV/AIDS & ART Registry of the Philippines. https://doh.gov.ph/sites/default/files/statistics/HARP-Report_ January-AIDSreg2023_withAdvisory.pdf
Dubov, A., Altice, F., Reisner, S., & Radix, A. (2018). Stigma and shame experiences by MSM who take PrEP for HIV prevention: A qualitative study. American Journal of Men’s Health, 12(6): 18431854. https://doi.org/10.1177/1557988318797437
Garcia, J.R., Reiber, C., Massey, S.G., & Merriwether, A.M. (2012). Sexual hookup culture: A review. Review of General Psychology, 16(2): 161-176. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0027911
Garg, R., & Volerman, A. (2020). A national analysis of state policies on lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning/queer inclusive sex education. Journal of School Health, 91(2): 164175. https://doi.org/10.1111/josh.12987
Grov, C., Westmoreland, D.A., D’Angelo, A.B., & Pantalone, D.W. (2021). How has HIV preexposure prophylaxis (PrEP) changed sex? A review of research in a new era of bio-behavioural HIV prevention. The Journal of Sex Research, 58(7): 891-913. https://doi.org/10.1080/00224499.2021.1936440CUNYISPH+2PMC+2
Hayes, R., Nutland, W., Rayment, M., Wayal, S., Apea, V., Clarke, A., McOwan, A., Sullivan, A., Desai, M., Jajja, A., Rice, B., Horne, R., McCormack, S., & Gafos, M. (2023). "Sex without fear": exploring the psychosocial impact of oral HIV preexposure prophylaxis on gay men in England. AIDS Res Ther., 20(1): 81. 10.1186/s12981-02300568-2
Harrington, S. (2020). “Get up, Brush Teeth, take PrEP:” A qualitative study of the experiences of London-based MSM using PrEP. HIV Nursing, 20(3). https://hivnursing.net/index.php/hiv/article/view/155
Heckathorn, D.D. (2016). Respondent-driven sampling II: Deriving valid population estimates from chain referral samples of hidden populations. Social Problems, 49(1): 11-42.
Heredia, C., & Goldklank, J. (2021). The relevance of pre-exposure prophylaxis in gay men’s lives and their motivations to use it: A qualitative study. BMC Public Health. BioMed Central. https://bmcpublichealth.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12889-021-11863-w
Jackson-Gibson, M., Ezema, A.U., Orero, W., Were, I., Ohiomoba, R.O., Mbullo, P.O., Hirschhorn, L.R. (2021). Facilitators and barriers to HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) uptake through a community-based intervention strategy among adolescent girls and young women in Seme SubCounty, Kisumu, Kenya. BMC Public Health, 21(1): 1284. 10.1186/s12889-021-11335-1
Lea, T., Kolstee, J., Murphy, D., Ellard, J., Schmidt, H., Crawford, D., de Wit, J., & Holt, M. (2017). Changing attitudes to and engagement with biomedical HIV prevention by gay and bisexual men: key findings from the PrEPARE Project 2017. Sydney: Centre for Social Research in Health, UNSW Sydney. http://doi.org/10.4225/53/5a791a59a65e4
Marshall, C. (2016). Face-to-face interviews – advantages and disadvantages. LinkedIn. https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/face-toface-interviews-advantages-disadvantagescharlie-marshall#:~:text=Face%2Dto%2face
McCombes, S. (2022). Descriptive research design Definition, methods & examples. Scribbr. https://www.scribbr.co.uk/research-methods/descriptive-research-design/
McCormack, S., Dunn, D.T., Desai, M., Dolling, D.I., Gafos, M., Gilson, R., Sullivan, A.K., Clarke, A., Reeves, I., Schembri, G., Mackie, N., Bowman, C., Lacey, C.J., Apea, V., Brady, M., Fox, J., Taylor, S., Antonucci, S., Khoo, S. H., Rooney, J., … Gill, O.N. (2016). Pre-exposure prophylaxis to prevent the acquisition of HIV-1 infection (PROUD): effectiveness results from the pilot phase of a pragmatic open-label randomised trial. Lancet (London, England), 387(10013), 53–60. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(15)00056-2
Oregon Health Authority. (2019). PrEP & PEP: HIV prevention: State of Oregon. Oregon Health Authority. https://www.oregon.gov/oha/ph/diseasesconditions/hivstdviralhepatitis/hivprevention/pages/prep-pep.aspx
Pound, P., Denford, S., Shucksmith, J., Tanton, C., Johnson, A.M., Owen, J., Hutten, R., Mohan, L., Bonell, C., Abraham, C., & Campbell, R. (2017). What is best practice in sex and relationship education? A synthesis of evidence, including stakeholders' views. BMJ open, 7(5), e014791. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2016-014791
Prestage, G., Maher, L., Grulich, A., Bourne, A., Hammoud, M., Vaccher, S., Bavinton, B., Holt, M., & Jin, F. (2019). Brief Report: Changes in Behavior After PrEP Initiation Among Australian Gay and Bisexual Men. Journal of acquired immune deficiency syndromes (1999), 81(1), 52–56. https://doi.org/10.1097/QAI.0000000000001976
Restar, A., Surace, A., Adia, A., Goedel, W., Ogunbajo, A., Jin, H., Edeza, A., Hernandez, L., Cu-Uvin, S., & Operario, D. (2022). Characterizing Awareness of Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis for HIV Prevention in Manila and Cebu, Philippines: Web-Based Survey of Filipino Cisgender Men Who Have Sex With Men. Journal of medical Internet research, 24(1), e24126. https://doi.org/10.2196/24126
Restar, A.J., Adia, A., Cu-Uvin, S., & Operario, D. (2020). Characterizing PrEP Awareness and Interest Among Filipina Transgender Women. AIDS education and prevention : official publication of the International Society for AIDS Education, 32(3), 212–228. https://doi.org/10.1521/aeap.2020.32.3.212
Rojas Castro, D., Delabre, R.M., & Molina, J.M. (2019). Give PrEP a chance: moving on from the "risk compensation" concept. Journal of the International AIDS Society, 22 Suppl 6, e25351. https://doi.org/10.1002/jia2.25351
Sawyer, A.N., Smith, E.R., & Benotsch, E.G. (2018). Dating application use and sexual risk behavior among young adults. Sexuality Research & Social Policy: A Journal of the NSRC, 15(2), 183–191. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13178-017-0297-6
Siytangco, V. (2019, August 23). DepEd mulls inclusion of separate sex-education subject in basic curriculum. Manila Bulletin. https://mb.com.ph/2019/08/23/deped-muls-inclusion-ofseparate-sex-education-subject-in-basic-curri culum/
Watson, R.J., Snapp, S., & Wang, S. (2017). What we know and where we go from here: A review of lesbian, gay, and bisexual youth hookup literature. Sex Roles: A Journal of Research, 77 (11-12), 801–811. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11199-017-0831-2
Chan, C., Fraser, D., Schmidt, H.M.A., Green, K.E., Cassell, M.M., Ong, J.J., Tieosapjaroen, W., Phanuphak, N., Suwandi, N., Boonyapisomparn, H., Poonkasetawattana, M., Zhang, L., Tang, W., & Bavinton, B.R. (2023). PrEP Product Awareness, Preferences, and Past Experiences among Transgender Women and Men Who Have Sex with Men in Asia and Australia: The PrEP APPEAL Study Report. Kirby Institute, UNSW Sydney: Sydney, Australia. http://doi.org/10.26190/9bd4-w424
Devarajan, S., Sales, J.M., Hunt, M., & Comeau, D.L. (2020). PrEP and sexual well-being: A qualitative study on PrEP, sexuality of MSM, and patientprovider relationships. AIDS Care, 32(3): 386-393. https://doi.org/10.1080/09540121.2019.1695734
Department of Education. (2018). DepEd ORDER No. 31, s. 2018: POLICY GUIDELINES ON THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE COMPREHENSIVE SEXUALITY EDUCATION. https://www.deped.gov.ph/2018/07/13/do-31-s-2018-policyguidelines-on-the-implementation-of-the-comprehensive-sexuality-education/
Department of Health. (2023, June 16). Summary of newly diagnosed cases. HIV/AIDS & ART Registry of the Philippines. https://doh.gov.ph/sites/default/files/statistics/HARP-Report_ January-AIDSreg2023_withAdvisory.pdf
Dubov, A., Altice, F., Reisner, S., & Radix, A. (2018). Stigma and shame experiences by MSM who take PrEP for HIV prevention: A qualitative study. American Journal of Men’s Health, 12(6): 18431854. https://doi.org/10.1177/1557988318797437
Garcia, J.R., Reiber, C., Massey, S.G., & Merriwether, A.M. (2012). Sexual hookup culture: A review. Review of General Psychology, 16(2): 161-176. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0027911
Garg, R., & Volerman, A. (2020). A national analysis of state policies on lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning/queer inclusive sex education. Journal of School Health, 91(2): 164175. https://doi.org/10.1111/josh.12987
Grov, C., Westmoreland, D.A., D’Angelo, A.B., & Pantalone, D.W. (2021). How has HIV preexposure prophylaxis (PrEP) changed sex? A review of research in a new era of bio-behavioural HIV prevention. The Journal of Sex Research, 58(7): 891-913. https://doi.org/10.1080/00224499.2021.1936440CUNYISPH+2PMC+2
Hayes, R., Nutland, W., Rayment, M., Wayal, S., Apea, V., Clarke, A., McOwan, A., Sullivan, A., Desai, M., Jajja, A., Rice, B., Horne, R., McCormack, S., & Gafos, M. (2023). "Sex without fear": exploring the psychosocial impact of oral HIV preexposure prophylaxis on gay men in England. AIDS Res Ther., 20(1): 81. 10.1186/s12981-02300568-2
Harrington, S. (2020). “Get up, Brush Teeth, take PrEP:” A qualitative study of the experiences of London-based MSM using PrEP. HIV Nursing, 20(3). https://hivnursing.net/index.php/hiv/article/view/155
Heckathorn, D.D. (2016). Respondent-driven sampling II: Deriving valid population estimates from chain referral samples of hidden populations. Social Problems, 49(1): 11-42.
Heredia, C., & Goldklank, J. (2021). The relevance of pre-exposure prophylaxis in gay men’s lives and their motivations to use it: A qualitative study. BMC Public Health. BioMed Central. https://bmcpublichealth.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12889-021-11863-w
Jackson-Gibson, M., Ezema, A.U., Orero, W., Were, I., Ohiomoba, R.O., Mbullo, P.O., Hirschhorn, L.R. (2021). Facilitators and barriers to HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) uptake through a community-based intervention strategy among adolescent girls and young women in Seme SubCounty, Kisumu, Kenya. BMC Public Health, 21(1): 1284. 10.1186/s12889-021-11335-1
Lea, T., Kolstee, J., Murphy, D., Ellard, J., Schmidt, H., Crawford, D., de Wit, J., & Holt, M. (2017). Changing attitudes to and engagement with biomedical HIV prevention by gay and bisexual men: key findings from the PrEPARE Project 2017. Sydney: Centre for Social Research in Health, UNSW Sydney. http://doi.org/10.4225/53/5a791a59a65e4
Marshall, C. (2016). Face-to-face interviews – advantages and disadvantages. LinkedIn. https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/face-toface-interviews-advantages-disadvantagescharlie-marshall#:~:text=Face%2Dto%2face
McCombes, S. (2022). Descriptive research design Definition, methods & examples. Scribbr. https://www.scribbr.co.uk/research-methods/descriptive-research-design/
McCormack, S., Dunn, D.T., Desai, M., Dolling, D.I., Gafos, M., Gilson, R., Sullivan, A.K., Clarke, A., Reeves, I., Schembri, G., Mackie, N., Bowman, C., Lacey, C.J., Apea, V., Brady, M., Fox, J., Taylor, S., Antonucci, S., Khoo, S. H., Rooney, J., … Gill, O.N. (2016). Pre-exposure prophylaxis to prevent the acquisition of HIV-1 infection (PROUD): effectiveness results from the pilot phase of a pragmatic open-label randomised trial. Lancet (London, England), 387(10013), 53–60. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(15)00056-2
Oregon Health Authority. (2019). PrEP & PEP: HIV prevention: State of Oregon. Oregon Health Authority. https://www.oregon.gov/oha/ph/diseasesconditions/hivstdviralhepatitis/hivprevention/pages/prep-pep.aspx
Pound, P., Denford, S., Shucksmith, J., Tanton, C., Johnson, A.M., Owen, J., Hutten, R., Mohan, L., Bonell, C., Abraham, C., & Campbell, R. (2017). What is best practice in sex and relationship education? A synthesis of evidence, including stakeholders' views. BMJ open, 7(5), e014791. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2016-014791
Prestage, G., Maher, L., Grulich, A., Bourne, A., Hammoud, M., Vaccher, S., Bavinton, B., Holt, M., & Jin, F. (2019). Brief Report: Changes in Behavior After PrEP Initiation Among Australian Gay and Bisexual Men. Journal of acquired immune deficiency syndromes (1999), 81(1), 52–56. https://doi.org/10.1097/QAI.0000000000001976
Restar, A., Surace, A., Adia, A., Goedel, W., Ogunbajo, A., Jin, H., Edeza, A., Hernandez, L., Cu-Uvin, S., & Operario, D. (2022). Characterizing Awareness of Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis for HIV Prevention in Manila and Cebu, Philippines: Web-Based Survey of Filipino Cisgender Men Who Have Sex With Men. Journal of medical Internet research, 24(1), e24126. https://doi.org/10.2196/24126
Restar, A.J., Adia, A., Cu-Uvin, S., & Operario, D. (2020). Characterizing PrEP Awareness and Interest Among Filipina Transgender Women. AIDS education and prevention : official publication of the International Society for AIDS Education, 32(3), 212–228. https://doi.org/10.1521/aeap.2020.32.3.212
Rojas Castro, D., Delabre, R.M., & Molina, J.M. (2019). Give PrEP a chance: moving on from the "risk compensation" concept. Journal of the International AIDS Society, 22 Suppl 6, e25351. https://doi.org/10.1002/jia2.25351
Sawyer, A.N., Smith, E.R., & Benotsch, E.G. (2018). Dating application use and sexual risk behavior among young adults. Sexuality Research & Social Policy: A Journal of the NSRC, 15(2), 183–191. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13178-017-0297-6
Siytangco, V. (2019, August 23). DepEd mulls inclusion of separate sex-education subject in basic curriculum. Manila Bulletin. https://mb.com.ph/2019/08/23/deped-muls-inclusion-ofseparate-sex-education-subject-in-basic-curri culum/
Watson, R.J., Snapp, S., & Wang, S. (2017). What we know and where we go from here: A review of lesbian, gay, and bisexual youth hookup literature. Sex Roles: A Journal of Research, 77 (11-12), 801–811. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11199-017-0831-2