Youth and students to lead national day of the purple ribbon for RH

Youth RH campaigners in several cities are calling for a national day of the purple ribbon on Friday, October 7 to ask Congress to vote on the RH bill. The nationally coordinated event is expected to mobilize thousands of supporters from community-based youth organizations, students, health workers and professionals, business and interfaith groups and local government units.

In Zamboanga City, a luncheon-press conference will be held in Sky Park Hotel, German Tower Tomas Claudio cor. Antonio Orendain St. to be followed by a “March for RH” at the Western Mindanao State University where a multi-sectoral assembly will also be held in the afternoon. In Legaspi City, RH advocates will hold a parade at the Penaranda Park as early as 6:30 a.m. The group will then motorcade to Naga City where a forum with city officials and RH supporters will be held in the afternoon. Another motorcade around Naga city will be organized after the forum. In Cebu City, a multi-sectoral forum and a motorcade will be organized in the afternoon on the same day.

Meanwhile, advocates in Central Luzon will converge in Angeles City for the Purple Ribbon March and a rally in Henson St., at 4:00 PM. At the National Capital Region, student councils from top universities in Metro Manila will join more than 300 youth from different communities at the AS steps, University of the Philippines in Diliman, Quezon City at 5PM. A simultaneous candle lighting ceremony will take placeat 6PM in all the areas to highlight reproductive health issues of young people and the importance of the passage of the RH bill on the future of the Filipino youth.

Last September 7, the nationally coordinated purple ribbon for RH event was held in the Senate gate and in the cities of Baguio, Davao, and Iloilo where thousands participated in various mass actions for the RH bill.RH advocates are calling on Congress to act on the RH bill now since the debate on the controversial bill has already taken more than a decade and 11 mothers continue to die of pregnancy and childbirth complications daily due to lack of comprehensive services on maternal health and family planning. Eden R. Divinagracia, PNGOC