𝗥𝗼𝗼𝘁𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗣𝗿𝗶𝗱𝗲: 𝗔 𝗕𝗮𝗺𝗯𝗼𝗼 𝗣𝗹𝗮𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗔𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗶𝘁

In the gentle dawn of June 11, 2025, the Polytechnic University of the Philippines, Mulanay Campus, in and with the Local Government Unit of Mulanay, convened beneath rustling leaves to plant fifty slender shoots of Thai bamboo, each destined to rise as silent sentinels of unity and resolve. Under the careful orchestration of Rose Mary Ann Perez, Nurse Bevvy Stefanie “Paninay” Tan uttered words that resonated through the gathered hearts captured her thoughts “Love is love ngayong Pride Month… equally human, bisexual, gay, asexual, and etc.” an echo of Pride’s unwavering affirmation of every shade of humanity. Academic voices, from Luisito Asia through Jovertson Atienza, wove together the twin imperatives of ecological care and LGBTQ+ solidarity, while Joelda Tadeja instructed the laborers how to anchor each propagule deeply into the earth, ensuring that this living testament to resilience would take root.

A solemn hush fell as Mayor Aristotle “Kuya Aris” Aguirre joined in, lending the authority of civic stewardship to the ceremony. In careful ceremony, the gathered leaders from civic, academic, and student alike placed their signatures beneath a formal Pledge of Commitment, binding themselves to sustain this bamboo endeavour in perpetuity. Thus, the grove became not merely a planting, but a covenant: a promise etched upon leaf and shoot to nurture environmental growth as fervently as we cultivate equality. With seated hands now at work, each bamboo planted and tendered became a hymn to hope and endurance, symbolic of a community’s pledge to foster both nature and nurture in equal measure.

This act of planting resonates within a rich historical tapestry: Pride Month itself traces its origins to the Stonewall Uprising of June 1969 that create a spontaneous act of resistance that sowed the seeds of a global movement for LGBTQ+ visibility and rights. The first marches of June 1970, known as Christopher Street Liberation Day, rang with demands for dignity and recognition.

Just as bamboo symbolizes flexibility and latent strength, so too has Pride endured and expanded its roots gathered in protest, its shoots now rising in celebration across continents . In planting these stalwart stalks, PUP Mulanay honors not only local solidarity but also an enduring legacy of collective liberation where environmental care and human dignity grow intertwined, reaching ever skyward in shared purpose.