A smiling 57-year-old Lito displayed a sheepish smile as he approached a booth in Sampaloc, Manila that handed out a free pack of condoms from anti-HIV advocates Saturday.

Admitting an active sex life, Lito could not hide his naughty smile as he received his coupon for condoms.

Noting that the love month is the best time to promote the use of condom to protect one’s self from HIV, health leaders took the anti-HIV education Saturday to the streets of Dangwa flower market in Sampaloc, Manila, handing out “free gift” coupons to flower shoppers.

Adult shoppers were given coupons for a free pack of condoms while teenaged shoppers were given candies.

“We mounted this condom campaign to give options to the young people who have no option but to use condom. But we would like to stress that we are supporting what the other sectors want, which is to abstain from sex,” Dr. Eric Tayag, director of the National Epidemiology Center (NEC) said.

Tayag cited a previous Department of Health (DoH) study revealing that males usually consume an average of five condoms in every sexual encounter.

Health officials said they are aware and even expecting to receive stern reactions from conservative sectors, the church in particular, in Saturday’s event.

But they did not fret knowing the need for creative strategies that would make ordinary folk understand the disease.