The Philippines is grappling with an HIV epidemic, as the number of new infections keeps rising every year. As of January 2018, more than 30 new cases were being diagnosed every day. To help stem the rising HIV infection rates, a non-profit organization called Love Yourself and their army of volunteers has been giving away free condoms. CGTN's Barnaby Lo has the story.

Saturday afternoon but these young men are just as busy as they'd be on weekdays, when they're working in their respective offices as professionals. They're volunteers of the HIV awareness advocacy organization Love Yourself. And they've come to THIS office to pick up condoms and lubricants for distribution.

IOSEF CADELINASAFE SPACES PH PROGRAM OFFICER "We actually have weekly monitoring, refilling, and delivery of condoms to our partner establishments. We have a monitoring system wherein we give out 100 pieces of condoms and lubes per week to these establishments."

The project is called Safe Spaces PH as in literally, in small spaces and corners of partner establishments in Manila, condoms and lubricants can be picked up for free by anyone. In this case, a bathroom. An app helps locate partner establishments. For volunteers, however, the work doesn't end there.

BARNABY LO MANILA "So, Raph over there, I think, has just finished resupplying this location with condoms and lubricants, but I think his day is not done. He was telling me earlier that he still has somewhere to go, someone to meet. And this is part of the volunteer work that they do. Someone has just asked him for condoms and lubricants, so he's now off to the meeting place."

By making condoms more widely available and free, proponents of Safe Spaces PH hope to be able to help address one of the Philippines' most pressing health problems.

BARNABY LO MANILA "The Philippines now has the fastest-growing HIV epidemic in Asia. According to the Health Department, 33 Filipinos get infected with HIV every single day. One of the reasons for this is low condom use."

IOSEF CADELINASAFE SPACES PH PROGRAM OFFICER "There is a gap in the condom use in the country. And yes of course, you consider how the Philippines' background is being a Catholic country, being conservative. And one, using condom could be seen as something as being promiscuous. Even just buying condoms in convenience stores, you have to ask for it. It's not like in any other country where you can just get it from the counter and buy it from there."

And while the current HIV infection rate in the Philippines is higher among men who have sex with men, partner establishments cater to all genders and sexualities.

REGINA ABUYUANSAFE SPACES PH PARTNER "Men, straight men who are unaware, straight men who just need more education, straight men who just need more awareness, so it's not just the LGBT community. It's a widespread problem."

Here at Fred's Revolucion, a bar Regina Abuyuan manages, Safe Spaces PH's condoms and lubricants are as visible as they can be, and yet the bar's patrons take them like they're candies.

REGINA ABUYUANSAFE SPACES PH PARTNER "Oh they love it. My God, the first night they were taking handfuls, like we had to stop them. And I had to put out a post on Facebook telling them, 'You're not gonna get that lucky tonight, I don't think so. And then you can come back tomorrow for more.'"

That's exactly what Safe Spaces PH aims to achieve. It's for Filipinos to keep coming back – to their hubs or to stores or government health centers – for condoms, which have been proven to be effective in preventing the spread of HIV. Barnaby Lo, CGTN, Manila.