BAGUIO CITY, Dec. 1 -- People seeking confidential, stigma-free HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) services now have a new after-hours facility designed to meet them where they are.

The city on Monday opened the NAMNaMa (Nurturing Awareness, Mobilizing Networks and Advocating to Mitigate the Actual Impact of AIDS) Convergence Center and Clinic at Baguio Convention Center, the first government-funded facility of its kind in the Cordillera offering discreet HIV testing, counselling and access to prevention supplies beyond regular clinic hours.

Namnama is also the Ilocano word for hope.

"We wanted a center that will cater to the needs of more persons who have difficulty in beating the time to meet the office hours of testing centers or wa...