In behalf of Bisdak Pride, Inc., I wish to extend my boundless joy and thanks for giving us the opportunity to unite for and because of the LGBT / MSM community for the past year.
As a human rights organization dedicated to uphold, advance and protect the rights and responsibilities of persons with different sexual orientation and gender identity in the Bisaya (hence, Bisdak Pride) speaking populace, it is of utmost importance to ensure and intensify urgent social concerns affecting our community (i.e., HIV/AIDS prevention, human rights violations etc.).
It is on this premise that we will continue our tradition of assisting the marginal voices of the communities we served in order to cherish and enjoy, reflect and discern the holiday season in good faith.
As
we remember the creation of Human Rights Day on 10 December, 63 years
ago this week of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, we pay
tribute and offer the highest honor and salute to all human rights
defenders who sacrificed their life and ask you to take part in the
arduous struggle for the genuine fulfillment of human rights for the
marginal voices.
This is why, we, the convenors of S.O.A.R
or Strenthening our Oneness, Advocating our Rights is organizing a
one-week educational caravan on “Promoting Human Rights in the Context
of HIV/AIDS, LGBT-Discrimination, Trafficking of Women and Children and
Students Rights and Welfare.”
The objective of the
activity is to popularize the principles of human rights and applying it
in different context like HIV and AIDS, discrimination based on sexual
orientation and gender identity (SOGI), trafficking of women and
children and students rights and welfare.
These topics
seem to be different and irrelevant from each other, however, from micro
and macro level, they are all interrelated, interdependent, and
inalienable. In other words, discussing the issues of students’ rights
and welfare hand-in-hand with the issues confronting the rapid increase
of HIV cases among young adolescents is more urgent than ever. It also
holds true with trafficking of women and children as an important
societal issue that should be addressed head-on by all sectors in our
society including students and the LGBT or Lesbians, Gays, Bisexuals,
and Transgender community.
As long as the majority of the
Filipino people are deprived of their right to own the land they till
or receive a just and living wage, fulfillment and realization of human
rights will remain far-fetched. The continued social deprivation of the
Filipino people from their basic right to life and living is a good
breeding ground for more victims of women and children trafficked and
deepening discrimination based on SOGI.
An unjustified
increase in tuition and other school fees will surely diminished the
hopes of every student from earning a degree; thus, exposing them to
issues like trafficking, commercial sex work, and HIV and AIDS.
On
the other hand, what is alarming is that, “The Philippines is a source
country and, to a much lesser extent, a destination and transit country
for men, women, and children who are subjected to sex trafficking and
forced labor. A significant number of Filipino men and women who migrate
abroad for work are subjected to conditions of involuntary servitude
worldwide.” (US Trafficking in Persons Report 2011: Philippines)
Hence,
the need to strengthen our oneness and advocate for the rights and
welfare of everyone because it is our inherent right to do so.
Strengthening our Oneness, Advocating Our Rights (S.O.A.R) A
collaborative effort of Bisdak Pride, Inc., Rotaract Club of Metro
Mandaue 2006 – SWU Chapter, Student Council Alliance of the Philippines –
Cebu, and Good Shepherd Welcome House.(rod)
To compliment
efforts to ensure our continuing contribution and passionate commitment to
prevent, reverse or to maintain it at its alarming condition (read: hidden and
growing) the spread of HIV/AIDS epidemic, Bisdak Pride Inc. (BPI) sponsored the
7.00pm and 9.30pm Cebu premiere of “Zombadings 1: Patayin sa shokot si
Remington” last 25 August 2011 at SM City Cebu Cinema 2.
The film was
produced, written and directed by an-all writers media group Origin8 Media Inc.
BPI, a non-stock non-profit gender
equality advocates since 2005, organized the premiere to ensure that the
activity will help boosts the film’s rating in time for its national regular
screening last 31 August.
This is part of
our commitment to support locally produced and exceptional films that tackles
the standard issues of the day. Zombadings is one film that stirs debate. It
lurks into our consciousness and mobilizes our thoughts, allowing us to
understand the film as it presents issues worthy of our support. No film, with
all its vigor and creativity that breaks ice – save Zombadings – can present
such ease and comfort.
All proceeds of
the film will go to our HIV/AIDS prevention campaign dubbed as “Pink Mobile Discussion
Group” a one-year internally-funded project which will be implemented to
various communities, schools, and workplaces.
The advance screening
coincided with the one-week conference on HIV/AIDS response organized by the
Local Government Academy (LGA). The one-week conference, was attended by local
government officials from the Department of Interior and Local Government
(DILG) and the Department of Health (DOH) nationwide and Men-Having-Sex-With-Men
and Transgender (MSM/TG) communities in the Visayas.
I am thankful
that some delegates attended the advanced screening. Thanks to Anastacio
Marasigan and Renier Bona of TLF Share Collective Inc., Philip Castro of UNDP
Philippines AIDS response, Glenn Cruz of the Philippine National AIDS Council
(PNAC), Jerson See and some Cebu Plus Inc. members and volunteers, Dr. Ilya
Abellanosa-Tac-an of the Cebu City Multi-Sectoral AIDS Council (CCMSAC) and
some staff, Ronnie Sab-a adviser of Self-Motivated Gays of Barangay Luz
(SEMGAB) together with some members, members of Gay Empowerment of Minglanilla
(GEM), the dashing Magdalena Robinson of COLORS together with some glittering
members, among others.
To Cebu’s academic community, our advocacy partners, thank
you for watching and appreciating the film.
To the following
sponsors whose passion and commitment to help the advocacy of BPI, were also
there giving their support and moving us an inch closer to sainthood. Thank
you!
To Dreamline
Productions Inc., Cebu’s premiere production
outfit for the tarpaulin, discounted tickets, for the photos and videos, thank
you. We cannot reminisce our beautiful smiles and moving acts without you guys.
Esteemed thanks to their president Mikio Makino Jr for all the support.
For plugging
daily the screening of Zombadings, many thanks to ASLE Resto Bar, owned by
Charina and Tony White for giving our staff and volunteers the dinner reception
they rightfully deserved. To the bands performing at ASLE’s thank you for
plugging Zombadings screenings everyday for a week. Such simple gestures really
help a lot.
Giving us a
taste of Cebu’s glorious Spanish delicacy
heritage, countless thanks to IPAR’s Spanish Restaurant. IPAR’s delighted not
only our empty stomachs but also our press conference due to its delicately and
well decorated restaurant. The press conference was attended by Cebu’s active bloggers and mainstream media, they give us
and the film a more fitting and appropriate space.
To my dearest
friend, Ferliza Contratesta, the host of SUGBO PAGPANGINLABOT, a daily
radio-magazine program aired live from 7:00pm-8:00pm on Bantay Radyo DYDD 1260
KHz for giving away free tickets to its loyal listeners, please accept my
boundless joy.
To Casa Escario
for the free lunch to the cast, thank you.
To Cebu Fair Trade Shop for selling tickets, many thanks.
To the Law
Students Leauge of Cebu, most especially to Jaime Tumulak, thank you for all
the support.
Finally, to the
Cebu City Legislative Council especially to Hon. Raul D. Alcoseba and Hon.
Alvin Dizon whose support for BPIs endeavors is exceptional. We hope to sustain
our collaboration in the years to come. (to
be continued)
Pain cannot suffice our sorrow over the death of Ellah Joy Pique, a six-year-old elementary pupil of Calajoan Elementary School in Calajoan, Minglanilla, Cebu. Abducted on her way home by a pedophile Caucasian male together with a Filipina counterpart, Ellah Joy was deceived and joined the death ride she never wished to happen to her.
Innocent as she was, the culprits succeeded. Her decomposed body was found 40 kms. away from their home a day after she was last seen. Naked and wrapped inside white blankets with three big rocks and tied with a cable, the innocent child was found below a cliff with brushes and contusions in her head and both arms.
One can only imagine a defenseless little girl being robbed off her right to breathe under the hands of individuals without mercy. The autopsy report added tremendous pain. It showed that the innocent little girl was struck in the head and had bruises on her shoulders, indicating a struggle. And a lacerated wound in the head causing her death.
A lot has been said over the death of Ellah Joy. The entire community is grieving. Our indescribable hatred to the culprits reached beyond we can imagine. Our pain diminishes us all. How can we assure ourselves that Ellah Joy will be the last? How can we assure that the community we are living will experience the kind of safety children like Ellah Joy need?
We asked. As if answers will comfort us. And hoping it will never happen again. But can comfort replace the death of an angel?
And then, a lot of Ellah Joy’s are dying each day too.
While her death is truly unimaginable and throwing the culprits into a cliff may not be sufficient to give justice to her untimely demise, why can’t we grieve also to those like her, innocent and young, literally dying in the midst of an un-mindful society? We ignore them, minding our own business. And grieve only when their death is reported and we begin to howl.
We are a society filled with children who are prone to inhumane conditions. In school, children attending classes with empty stomach suddenly collapsed before the flag ceremony. Child labor, as a product of an unjust social structure is rampant. Instead of going to school, children begin to work to help feed the family and their right to experience the beautiful life of childhood is taken away from them. Others are involved in a more disturbing and deeply saddening situation – sex work.
Those are material basis for culprits who abducted Ellah Joy is taking advantage of. Such is a grim reminder of our society filled with hypocrisy where children are easy targets.
Widespread poverty, corrupt justice system and ineffective bureaucracy are reason enough why demons like them used the Philippines and in particular the rural areas as their base to exploit the young and innocent. As long as our children will continue to live this way, more children are vulnerable to be the next Ellah Joy and bleed the headlines.
And our hearts will continue to melt in pain, grieving and dying each day in the midst of an environment that aided the death of Ellah Joy.
A few minutes before 12:00 midnight, as we welcome the first day of the first year of the second decade of the millennium, our dogs and all the animals that strived to co-exist with human beings painfully wondered how brutal we can be to them. Our actions directed as if we are solely the lone lodger of a decaying world. Our celebrations as we welcome the New Year with a bang are self-destructive that we haven’t foreseen it’s after effects. Perhaps, the most that we destroyed are the animals we claim to be our best friends whose ultra-sensitive senses we utterly destroyed. For how long should we realize that human beings are not the only sentient beings?
Today is a good day to renew one’s commitment for life after destroying or altering the life of animals.
As I promised last year, and I still do now, I should take good care of my decaying health. Though exposed to some of the physical exercises like swimming and walking on a regular basis, I still cannot deviate myself from unwanted and highly destructive practices which might lead to disastrous consequences, eating is one. However conscious and cautious, the denial of one’s rights started without understanding and access to the right to information. I should not deny myself the right to know, I promised.
Like what I am doing now, I am drinking decaffeinated coffee without sugar. I wanted to limit my sugar intake. Maybe, a day without sugar will do or, a day without salt too. Today, I ignored the meat and only ate fruits and bread. Perhaps that’s enough for a soul that wanted to limit itself to what is available? Not difficult to digest, everyday we see people begging just so a cent that we gave will fill the empty stomach they have. But begging is not good. Why should people beg when others are extravagant and lazy? And why should people beg when natural resources are for all. Truly, we should abhor unequal distribution of wealth.
For how often should we remember the things that should not happen at all. Given the full stomach of select few everyday, millions are wallowing and starving in their misery. Perhaps enough to concede and put a limit to ourselves. But conceding is not enough, never will be. It allows the millions more in their misery to be deprived of their right to life. Defeating misery will do.
For sure, going organic before it’s too late will help fighting misery? Making it a lifestyle now will not only improved one’s health and fitness. Not the commercialized organic, but the organic in our backyards and neighboring sari-sari stores. It also encourages maximizing limited area for backyard gardening. It means you are going green. Going organic is also hitting two birds (or several thereof) with a single stone. It protects our only planet; it discourages massive exploitation of our limited natural resources.
It mobilizes people to be contented with what they have as opposed to consumerist practices we are exposed to.
Today, I remember all these. And hope to remember them again in the next year or two to come.
