Couples at a speed-dating event at Rafa's in a 2009 contributed photo.

MANILA, Philippines - With Valentine's day coming up this month, the government is warning young singles to be cautious when having sex with strangers from so-called "speed-dating" events.

Speed-dating, said to have begun in Beverly Hills around 1998, is a way for men and women to meet potential dating partners in a quick round-robin system.

Filipino events company Masterminds Events is one such company that hosts speed-dating events in Manila.

Interested singles can sign up on their website and pay a P1,000 registration fee to join.

"It's an event where you get to meet new people, a lot of people," says JV Mendoza, an organizer at Masterminds Events. "Usually we have 20 to 30 [couples] in one night."

Participants will be paired up for several minutes before moving on to meet with the next participant. Each participant will rate how much they liked a particular person they met on a scorecard.

At the end of the session, speed-dating organizers will see which couples shared a mutual attraction or compatibility based on the scorecards.

Compatible couples can be given each other's contact information so they can arrange romantic dates.

For security purposes, Masterminds Events prohibits speed-dating participants from exchanging contact information without permission during the event. They also prohibit lewd comments.

Picking dates

Organizers from Masterminds Events told ABS-CBN News that their most recent speed-dating match attracted 21 pairs of men and women, most of whom were single and aged 21 to 29 years old.

Usually, those who join speed-dating events are young professionals who have little time to meet potential mates.

Trish Ealdama, a media planner, says she joins speed-dating events because they speed up the process of meeting eligible bachelors. It is also a convenient way to "shop" for potential dates.

"You meet lots of people in one sitting. Unlike dating, it's like you're obliged to stay the whole night, through dinner," she says.

However, the Department of Health (DOH) also cautioned that events like these could hasten the spread of HIV by making it easier for youth to meet and engage in casual sex.

Though speed-dating or picking up sex partners online does not directly cause HIV, the ease by which people can link up with casual sex partners through these avenues may be contributing factors.

Casual sex

In casual sex, partners usually do not know each other's sexual history, and thus cannot be guaranteed whether their casual sex partner is an HIV carrier or not.

Masterminds Events organizers admit that speed-dating rules have their limits.

Organizers have no control over what individual participants decide to do (like have sex) after they meet at a speed-dating event.

Dr. Eric Tayag of the National Epidemiology Center (NEC), an attached agency of the DOH, said the crux of the matter is that the youth should practice safe sex.

"The best thing to do is, if you will engage in sex, is to protect yourself. Because you can still do something about it. Of course, if you can abstain from sex, it's better," he said.

The DOH estimates that there are now 4,424 HIV/ AIDS cases in the Philippines.

This is higher than the 3,911 total reported HIV/AIDS cases from 1984 to 2009, according to a data sheet by the National Epidemiology Center (NEC) issued last year.

HIV cases among the youth, including young urban professionals and call center agents, have risen in the past 10 months.

A majority of these cases were transferred through sexual contact.

According to the same NEC data sheet, as of 2009, 60% of HIV/AIDS were transferred through heterosexual contact, 27% through homosexual contact, and 13% through bisexual contact. Report by Maricar Bautista, ABS-CBN News. With reports from abs-cbnNEWS.com/Newsbreak.