Celebrity hairstylist and makeup artist Ricky Reyes allegedly fired an employee after testing positive for Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV).
According to Rene Nocos, he was terminated by Reyes as hairdresser at the Ricky Superstyle Color Salon on February last year after learning that he has HIV. Nocos was working with Reyes since 2003.
“I have committed wrong choices in the past and suffered heavily for it. My entire family has disowned me. My friends have abandoned me. My coworkers have condemned me,’’ he said.
“Despite all these, I need my life back. But I can’t rebuild my life because I was laid off from my job just because I have HIV. I want to put the pieces back together but my employer, Ricky Reyes, denied me of my social protection through SSS (Social Security System) and PhilHealth.”
The 47-year-old employee said he tried to avail the free outpatient HIV/AIDS treatment through PhilHealth, “but I discovered only last year that my employer was not making any payment at all. So I confronted him (Reyes). He then fired me after learning that I have HIV right there and then.”
Meanwhile, Gerard Seno, executive vice president of the Associated Labor Unions (ALU) is appealing to the NLRC, SSS and Philhealth to immediately act on Nocos’ case.
Republic Act No. 8504 or the Philippine AIDS Prevention and Control Act of 1998 protect individuals with HIV/AIDS against discrimination in the workplace.