‘PRIDE IS A PROTEST’: Iloilo Pride March Calls for Rights, Sovereignty, SOGIE Bill

By Juliane Judilla

More than 100 advocates and allies filled the streets of Iloilo City’s Arevalo District in vibrant rainbow colors on June 28 for the city’s annual Pride March.

The event, led by the Iloilo Pride Team (IPT), began at Joe III Garden and called for equal rights, the passage of the Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity and Expression (SOGIE) Bill, and the termination of the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) with the United States.

Marchers linked the VFA to the 2014 killing of trans woman Jennifer Laude by U.S. Marine Joseph Pemberton, highlighting what they view as continued impunity under the agreement.

“Pride is first and foremost, a protest,” said Thea Dayata, Kabataan Party-list Panay chairperson, referencing the 1969 Stonewall Riots in New York that ignited the modern LGBTQ rights movement.

“The very first Pride celebration in the history of the world was a riot, a protest—and it still is,” Dayata added.

League of Filipino Students Panay spokesperson Sol Ariaga echoed that Pride must be intersectional, tied not just to identity but broader national and social issues.

“As one community, we are not just tied to fighting for identity,” Ariaga said, “but we should rally behind the call for increased wages, genuine agrarian reform, student rights, protection of our waters, and the defense of national sovereignty.”

“We are not ‘just’ gays, lesbians, or queers—we have the capacity to build a society that upholds our rights,” they added.

Miles Estimar of La Villa Pride and the Iloilo Pride Team emphasized the urgent need for the SOGIE Bill, pointing to continued discrimination faced by LGBTQ Filipinos in schools, workplaces, and public spaces.

“We are here to call not just for tolerance, but for absolute acceptance,” Estimar said.

The Pride March in Iloilo is part of the nationwide Pride Month observance every June, honoring LGBTQ history, resistance, and advocacy.

Amid colorful flags, chants, and collective calls for justice, Iloilo’s Pride March highlighted the community’s growing demand for legislative protection, national dignity, and authentic inclusion.

Organizers said the turnout demonstrated how LGBTQIA+ Filipinos are not only fighting for identity-based rights but are deeply engaged in broader movements for systemic change.