Various brands and organizations open booths, offering treats and activities, at the Pride Expo in Quezon Memorial Circle during the "Love Laban 2 Everyone!" Pride Festival on June 22, 2024. April Benjamin, ABS-CBN News

(UPDATED) Organizers cancelled the remaining program of Pride March 2024 in Quezon City on Saturday amid heavy rains.

Around 6:00 p.m., organizers led by Pride PH and the Quezon City government decided to take a pause hoping that the rain would stop.

Some electrical and sound equipment were compromised, making the organizers end the event around 8:00 p.m.

As of 6:00 p.m., around 70,000 estimated people joined this year's Pride March in Quezon City.

Performances from BINI, Gloc 9, Vice Ganda, Marina Summers, Juan Karlos, and many more acts were expected the crowd for the Pride Night event.

The QC gov't reminded the public on how the battle for LGBT rights is a daily struggle. 

"We are proud of our community along with the many allies that have joined us dahil ipinakita natin ang ating good behaviour and also our resolve. We will need more of this show of force and love letter to national leaders in the crucial 6 months na kakailanganin natin ang lakas at suporta ng isa't isa para sa SOGIE Equality Bill at para makamit ang pangarap nating lipunang may pag-ibig at pagkakapantay-pantay," the local government said. 

"Hindi po ito ang pagtatapos ng ating laban. Ang Pride ay pang-araw-araw, at marami pang pagkakataon na tayo ay muling magsasama-sama. Maraming salamat sa inyong pang-unawa. Muli, Happy Pride! Magandang gabi po."

Groups built a stronger unity in the fight against discrimination and violence against the LGBT community in this year's Pride March.

In a written response to ABS-CBN, Vince Liban, convenor of LGBT network Pride PH, said that discrimination and violence remain the biggest barriers for the queer community to achieve development with the absence of the an anti-discrimination law.

"Discrimination and violence remain as two of the biggest barriers for many LGBTIQ+ persons to achieving their full potential and contributing to economic development and nation-building," Liban told ABS-CBN News.

"With the absence of a national SOGIE Equality law, we and our families remain vulnerable to discrimination and violence, and are hindered from becoming happy and contributing to society," he added.

LGBT groups formed the Equality Alliance — the largest coalition of equality advocates —  to drumbeat the passage of the Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity, Expression and Sex Characteristics (SOGIESC) Equality Bill.

The Senate Committee on Women, Children, Family Relations and Gender Equality filed a consolidated SOGIESC Equality Bill in 2022 after committee hearings. Versions at the House have been transmitted to its Committee on Appropriations.

Opponents of the bill — including Sen. Joel Villanueva and his father, religious leader and CIBAC party-list Rep. Eddie Villanueva — worry that passage of the bill would create "special rights" for LGBTQIA+ people and threaten "social order."

Sen. Villanueva last year suggested a more "holistic" anti-discrimination bill to benefit all marginalized groups. —with a report from Andrea Taguines, ABS-CBN News