Palanca Award-winning and best-selling author Segundo Matias Jr. has released his newest work, Stigma: Batang Poz 2, the highly anticipated sequel to his groundbreaking 2018 novel, Mga Batang Poz. His latest release deepens the conversation about HIV awareness and the stigma still faced by young Filipinos living with the virus.
In Stigma: Batang Poz 2, fifteen-year-old Melody joins a group chat called “Pete’s Corner,” a digital refuge for young people like her, teenagers living with HIV. As her pregnancy becomes more visible, she must face the weight of stigma while finding strength in the stories of other poz youth, including the familiar characters from the first book. The follow-up explores survival, solidarity, connection, and the search for hope in the midst of the HIV-AIDS crisis in the Philippines.
Matias adds, “Melody, the new character, is especially important to me. If her story reaches video, there is so much within her journey that viewers can learn from. Through Melody’s experiences, the novel discusses both teenage pregnancy and living with HIV.”
A sequel that challenges as it confronts
As the first young adult novel about HIV-AIDS in the Philippines, Stigma: Batang Poz 2 has been hailed as a landmark contribution to both literature and public health, one that challenges prejudice and calls for compassion in the age of social media and digital connection. The first Batang Poz novel received critical acclaim for its courageous and truthful portrayal of living with HIV, later inspiring a powerful 2019 iWant miniseries starring Paolo Gumabao, Mark Neumann, and Awra Briguela. The sequel seeks not only to shed light on the lived experiences of People Living with HIV-AIDS (PLHIV) but also to remind us of the importance of empathy, understanding, and solidarity in combating discrimination.
Stigma: Batang Poz 2 also delivers engaging and practical information on sexual health and empowerment. “The discussions in this book are deeper and more technical,” shares Matias. “In Stigma, I made it a point to provide clear guidance on staying safe. I want to highlight the importance of PrEP and consistently advocating condom use for protection. While the first book conveyed the horrors surrounding HIV, the second installment focuses on empowerment and dismantling stigma.”
Early praise for Stigma: Batang Poz 2
The novel has garnered advanced praise from notable critics, writers, and advocates in the Philippines.
Internationally acclaimed essayist and winner of the Curt Johnson Prose Award for Nonfiction, Wifredo Pascual commends Matias’ masterful craftmanship, noting his skill in crafting “solid and meaningful” scenes. “His sharp eye in choosing the most telling detail is critical in bringing this to light. It’s urgent. And it’s a question worth asking ourselves as readers. How far are we willing to go to get to the source of our discomfort and denial?”
Multi-awarded poet, scholar, and teacher Charlie Samuya-Veric, celebrates Matias’ commitment to making “courageous writing contagious.” He explains, “With Stigma: Batang Poz 2, Segundo Matias, Jr. departs completely from the fantastical concerns of Moymoy Lulumboy and takes his readers close to what they would otherwise deny: their deepest fears and most unacknowledged prejudices. Matias’s courage is enabling. He provides his audience with a different experience and creates a new horizon for YA writers who may not yet have the will, or wherewithal, to explode social taboos.”
Mark Angeles, award-winning author of Gagambeks, also praises the book for widening the conversations around subjects often deemed controversial and taboo. “Binuksan sa atin ng Mga Batang Poz ang makulay na mundo ng mga alter—isang produkto ng immersion ng awtor sa internet subculture na ito.”
Matias hopes the sequel will empower readers, especially young adults, to face the world’s challenges with courage and clarity. “Health hubs have told me that more people are getting tested because they read Mga Batang Poz,” shares Matias. “That alone makes me happy. For a writer like me, being able to convey a meaningful message through one’s work is already a victory.”
Segundo Matias, Jr.’s Stigma: Batang Poz will be available soon.
