MANILA — A "stronger" Pride March in the Philippines was held on Saturday with groups hoping for the passage of the Sexual Orientation Gender Identity and Expression (SOGIE) Equality Bill.

Members and allies of the LGBT community marched in Quezon City and Makati, as well as Baguio City and Cebu. A march is also scheduled in Laguna on Sunday.

"What makes this Pride event different is there's been a lifting of pandemic-related restrictions. We're freer to come together, protest as one, celebrate as one," Metro Manila Pride over-all co-coordinator Loreen Ordoño told ABS-CBN News in an interview.

"There's not just one Pride (events) in Metro Metro, there's different Pride (events) ouside of Metro Manila, it's a great testament to say that we're here and that our voices deserve to be heard," she added.

Bahaghari chairperson Reyna Valmores said that the passage of the SOGIE Equality Bill to a law remains to be a challenge amid its recent approval in the House committee level.

"Kine-carry natin ang build-up ng napakaraming taon na pinaglalaban ito ng LGBT community, kahit na pinipigilan siya, hindi maide-deny na maingay ang SOGIE Equality Bill dahil kailangan ito ng LGBT community," Valmores said.

"The fact remains na mayroon pa rin tayong mga staunch na enemies of equality at 'yun pa rin po ang naging hurdle natin ngayon," she added.

Ordoño echoed Valmores, noting how discrimination against the LGBT community still persists in the country.

"It's been languishing for the past how many years already and apart from the non-passage of the SOGIE Equality Bill there's lot of systemic work needed to be done. Because why they say that the Philippines is LGBT-friendly, in a sense it's true, we've done a lot of great strides for the past few years," Ordono said.

"However, there are still different kinds of oppression that the community faces such as anti-trans school policies, microaggressions at work, parents disowning LGBT kids. The work really doesn't stop unless all of us have a safe space to live," she added.

Valmores said that the passage of the SOGIE Equality Bill has concrete measures to uphold equality regardless of your gender.

"Ang basic na laman lang po nito ay mapo-protektahan ang lahat ng Pilipino against discrimination, wala pong sobra roon at wala pong masama sa pagkakaroon ng Pilipinas na pantay-pantay po tayong lahat," Valmores said.

"Ang SOGIE Equality Bill may concrete measures po siya pagdating sa discrimination, sa pagtatrabaho, hindo po porket babae ka, bakla ka, lesbiyana ka ay mas mababa ang sahod mo o hindi ka tatanggapin sa trabaho," she added.

"May concrete measures po ito pagdating sa child abuse na hindi porket isa kang bata ay wala kang karapatan ipahayag ang sarili. Ito ay ilan lang sa mga napakaraming mga provisions na nagpo-protect sa Filipinos against discrimination on the basis ng kanilang kasarian."

With the SOGIE Equality Bill still in limbo, Ordoño vowed to continue to hold activities that would amplify the call against discrimination.

"Passing the SOGIE Equality Bill into law, it's just the first step, there's a lot of systemic work that needs to be done, a lot of cultural work that needs to be done, to truly really create change for us all," she said.

"It's important for us to hold these safe spaces as a protest to the oppression and discrimination the community continuously faces and of course, along with that protest is a celebration of our true selves, of our identities, and honestly joy in itself is resistance, so this is how were resist."

Valmores hopes that one day a kid would dream to reach for their dreams regardless of the gender.

"Ang equality ay basic, fundamental na basis para masabi natin na mabubuhay ka nang may dignidad sa isang lipunan. Nakakapanlumo naman if you continue to live in a society na ikaw dahil babae ka, ikaw dahil tomboy, ikaw dahil bakla ka, ikaw dahil trans ka, mas mababa ang tingin sa'yo," she said.

"Hindi po totoo na walang kakayahan o hindi kapakipakinabang, o hindi nade-deserve ng respeto ang mga miyembro ng LGBT, 'yun ang gusto natin tanggalin dahil sa totoo lang kung meron tayong bansa na bawat Pilipino anuman ang gender, anuman ang kanilang SOGIE, kaya nilang makamit 'yung mga pangarap, napakaganda po at malalaman natin na every child could dream and reach their dreams."

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