Filipina AIDS activist
Ma. Dolzura Cortez (died 1992) was a Filipino AIDS victim. She was the first Filipino with AIDS to publicly discuss her life and her experience living with HIV/AIDS. Cortez responded to a newspaper ad looking for a person living with HIV/AIDS who was willing to have their life serialized in print and later developed into a movie.
Her life story was made into the 1993 Filipino film "Dahil Mahal Kita" (English "Because I Love You: The Dolzura Cortez Story"), directed by Laurice Guillen, screenplay by Ricardo Lee, starring Vilma Santos, Christopher de Leon, Charito Solis, Maila Gumila, Mikee Villanueva, and Jackie Aquino.
Profile.
Born somewhere in Mindanao, Cortez, through a publicized newspaper story, revealed that at age 14, she first went into a relationship with an army corporal—a married man—"twice her age"; they had three children. She then migrated to Angeles City, Pampanga, where their relationship became complicated.
She later worked at decent jobs and with the help of an Australian businessman, she continued pursuing her education and started a business through a bar in Ermita, Manila. While managing a bar, she gave birth to two more children, each from her foreign contacts—a Qatari and a Bahraini—one of them believed infected her with HIV.
Her failure to seek refuge in her hometown later forced her to live her remaining days in San Lazaro Hospital in Manila. It was where Cortez, responding to a request by journalist Ceres Doyo of the "Philippine Daily Inquirer", shared her story with the public, becoming the first person with AIDS (PWA) to openly admit suffering from the disease.
Cortez died in the same hospital on October 12, 1992, at age 31. According to the Department of Health, she was the 50th person in the country to die with the disease.
Biographical film.
OctoArts Films bought the rights for her biographical film, a romance drama which later titled Dahil Mahal Kita (The Dolzura Cortez Story). Vilma Santos, as Cortez wanted in one of the latter's conversations, portrayed the title role. The film's theme song, revived from the eponymous single by the Boyfriends, was recorded by Ogie Alcasid.
The movie was released as an entry of the 1993 Manila Film Festival, which began on June 25.
The film was screened in the Singapore International Film Festival in 2004.
Overview.
The film mainly focuses on Cortez's love story since her teenage years, and recounts how she publicly appeared for the first time and raised consciousness about HIV/AIDS, with its intent to challenge the idea of distinguishing right and wrong.
According to Guillen, the film mainly aimed to make teenagers aware of and have understanding of the disease.
Accolades.
In 1994, the film won awards in the 12th Annual Academy Awards of the Film Academy of the Philippines, and in the annual Gawad Urian Awards.
References.
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