RH advocates call for national day of the Purple Ribbon

Reproductive Health (RH) supporters all over the country are calling for a series of nationally coordinated mass actions to ask Congress to finally put the RH bill into vote. Starting September 7, the RH Consortium, together with its allies and partners in the different regions, will organize a monthly “Day of the Purple Ribbon for RH”with various activities ranging from motorcades, candle and torch parades, purple ribbon tying and stickering, rallies and cultural presentations.

Hundreds of RH supporters from grassroots organizations, local government units, arts and entertainment industry, interfaith groups, academe, business and national government agencies are expected to join the mass actions. Likewise, the organizers are calling the public to participate in these activities and to wear purple clothes, tie purple ribbons in their homes and cars and to light a candle at exactly 6PM during that day.

The major staging areas for the September 7 purple ribbon events are the cities of Baguio, Iloilo, Davao and at the Senate grounds in Pasay City.  The Baguio Day of the Purple Ribbon will feature street performances, an RH forum, a candle parade at 5PM and a concert at the UP Baguio starting at 7PM.  In Iloilo City, the whole day event will start with the early morning tying of purple ribbons in major thoroughfares, memorial march and cultural program in the afternoon at the Jaro Plaza.

In Davao City, a motorcade in the morning will launch the purple ribbon campaign, followed by a photo exhibit and a rally at the people’s park.  In Pasay City, women’s groups will hold a cultural rally at the Senate grounds to draw attention to the daily deaths of mothers. The rally will coincide with the plenary debate on the RH bill in the Senate.  A candle lighting ceremony at exactly 6PM will be the common feature for all the activities on September 7 to remember women who died needlessly due to pregnancy and childbirth complications.

The other dates and venues for the National Day of the Purple Ribbon for RH are on October 7 in Pampanga, Legaspi, Cagayan de Oro, and Zamboanga and on November 15 in Tugegarao,  Tacloban and Quezon City.