MANILA, PHILIPPINES — In celebration of Pride Month, the Philippine Information Agency, together with partner brands and organizations, rolled out the Rainbow Care Caravan: Ang Araw na Itech ay Para Sayis in Intramuros Manila last June 20. Through the event, the primary beneficiary communities of Golden Gays and Golden Beks, and the public, were able to access government services and partake in the festivities such as performances, free merchandise, and bazaar.
Among the services offered were legal consultation, police clearance application, HIV testing, medical and dental check-ups — addressing the challenge for healthcare and inclusion especially for members of the LGBTQIA+ community. While there are efforts from local government units (LGUs) and insurance brands to enable same-sex couples to make medical decisions on behalf of their partners, elderly in the community are still faced with scarce resources and declining societal involvement.
From the private sector, Globe, Lalamove Philippines, and Yamang Bukid supported the event with activations and assistance in logistics. Lalamove Philippines also supplied 20 wheelchairs to raffle off to the beneficiary organizations: Golden Bekis, an organization for gay men above 55 and Golden Gays, a non-profit organization providing care and support for LGBTQIA+ individuals. Furthering its aim to empower the community, the company also sponsored PHP 60,000 worth of the organizations’ merchandise given to Butterboy and Sebastian’s Ice Cream for their Pride Month promos and event.
“Malaking pasasalamat sa tulong at tiwala na binigay ng partners, tulad ng Lalamove sa selebrasyon ng Pride Month. Proud din kami na ma-share ang Golden Bekis merchandise sa iba ring LGBT-owned businesses. Sana magkaroon pa ng mas malaki ang mas impactful na partnership na makakatulong para sa kabuuan ng ating komunidad,” said Kyle Mendrez, a representative from the Golden Bekis. (We are grateful for the support and trust of our partners such as Lalamove. We are proud to share Golden Bekis merchandise to LGBT-owned businesses and we hope for a bigger and more impactful partnership that can benefit our entire community.)
The event was also geared towards educating the public and championing rights for LGBTQIA+ persons though the long-standing and turtle-paced Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Expression (SOGIE) bill whose substitute passed the Committee on Women and gender equality of the House of Representatives May last year.
Calling for its expedition, Transman actor and musician Ice Seguerra said, “Habang isinusulong pa rin ‘to, sana tayo mismo, kaya nating magkapwa-tao, kaya nating maging mabait sa bawat isa.” (While we are pushing for the [SOGIE Bill], I hope we can treat each other with humanity. I hope we can be kind by ourselves.)
He further encouraged decency as a basic human right needless of a special law, posing the question “Kailangan ba natin ng batas para i-respeto ‘yung mga kagaya naming iba sa inyo?” (Do we need a law in order to respect those who are different?)
Intramuros Administrator Atty. Joan Padilla said, “We believe in inclusivity and equal rights for all. It’s evident that everyone deserves equal opportunities and respect regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity.”
The SOGIE Bill is currently excluded from the bills prioritized for passage in Congress.
The Rainbow Care Caravan was open to the public and featured drag performances from the Golden Gays.
For Ice, he expressed that support and celebration to the community should go beyond just the Pride month.
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“I hope it doesn’t stop at Pride month kasi sana sa araw-araw ng buong taon, maramdaman nating lahat that we are safe.” (I hope it doesn’t stop at Pride month because we should feel safe every day for the rest of the year.)
