By Lia Atienza and Noriko Yamamoto

On Friday, October 10, the Ateneo Senior High School’s (ASHS) Sandigan Lakambini led the Ateneo High School’s (AHS) participation in the opening night of the One Big Pride (OBP) 2025 celebration, an annual university-wide pride celebration within the Ateneo de Manila University (ADMU) community, themed “Tahanan sa Tanan.”

This year’s OBP featured a university-wide march and concert prepared by various ADMU organizations and partner groups such as the Ateneo Debate Society, Ateneo Psyche, League of Atenean Historians, School of Social Sciences Sanggunian, Spaces for Women’s Arts and Narratives, and Touyou no Shinjou.

Other collaborators within the ADMU community also include the Association of Lifters and Bodybuilders, League of Filipino Students – Katipunan, and Mokoa Animation Studio.

The program for the AHS community began with an educational talk led by Sandigan Lakambini, which discussed the history of pride from international, national, and Ateneo perspectives.Afterward, the AHS participants began their march from the ASHS Main Building through the Loyola Schools grounds to the Red Brick Road, where speeches on pride and inclusivity were delivered.It concluded at the Bellarmine Field where performances by artists such as Sassa Gurl, Leanne & Naara, NAIA Black, Savvy, Gabriela She-lang, Home for the Golden Gays, and the Blue Symphony Orchestra were held.

It concluded at the Bellarmine Field where performances by artists such as Sassa Gurl, Leanne & Naara, NAIA Black, Savvy, Gabriela She-lang, Home for the Golden Gays, and the Blue Symphony Orchestra were held.

The program, hosted by Trisha Alberto and Lawrence Viesca, formally opened with an educational talk on the history of pride from international, national, and Ateneo perspectives.

Featuring eight different speakers, the event also advocated for gender equality, land reform, labor rights, safe spaces, support for Palestine, and the empowerment of marginalized communities.

Within the ASHS, the “Makibahagi sa Bahaghari” initiative featured different activities and projects like the mirror board, a collaboration with Ateneo Publicity and Communications Organization’s (APCO) Seniors on Air, and queer-themed songs played over the public address (PA) system during recess.

Upcoming ASHS initiatives for October include pride-themed stair decorations and the social media campaign on safe spaces, a collaboration between Mayari — an organization that addresses gender-based violence — and Sandigan Lakambini.

Meanwhile, Meg Cruz Lopez, Punong Lakambini of the ASHS Sandigan Lakambini, said that the event uplifted ASHS voices by showing that both students and faculty care deeply about building safe spaces and standing together for LGBTQIA+ equality.

“It uplifts the voices of ASHS students specifically because it shows that within our own school community, there are people who genuinely care,” Lopez said.

She explained, “Events like these empower the entire student body [and] emphasize the importance of showing up for pride, and marching with the ASHS community shows the people that we are here to address the concerns of everyone [in regard] to unsafe spaces.”

“We go as one collective, united as one with our same plight of SOGIE equality and safe spaces,” she added.

In her speech, Lopez also stated, “Safety should never be a privilege. It should be a right,” emphasizing that every person deserves safety and that the LGBTQIA+ community should not be deprived of it.

Moreover, Sandigan Lakambini Projects Head Joshua Tan affirmed that Ateneo’s Pride event is significant because “Ateneo has a really privileged and famed point of view, so it’s a voice that people will listen to.”

He also explained that when Ateneo supports Pride, “it really elevates this in the perception of the whole nation,” encouraging others to take it seriously as well.

Tan added that the event reflects the university’s values, saying “Ateneo de Manila really puts the importance on inclusivity and gender responsiveness. This activity allows the people of the ASHS to really march together [and] to stand for what they believe in.”

Furthermore, Dev Barrantes, a participant from 12-Gonzales, said that OBP reflects ADMU’s commitment to holistic development and its core values rooted in human dignity.

“It just makes sense for Ateneo to hold its own pride event … Because pride, at its core, is something so deep and so rooted in something so basic — like the fight for basic human rights.” she said. 

Barrantes also noted that the university’s progressive Ignatian principles align with pride’s advocacy, fostering a space for free speech and collective action. 

She also added that joining the march embodies the Atenean call to be “persons-for-and-with-others,” sharing that witnessing the march’s solidarity and passion allowed her to see that she is growing alongside a supportive community.

As the opening night concludes, more activities for OBP are scheduled until October 28, including queer talks, a three-day exposition, free HIV and syphilis testing, storytelling sessions, film screenings, and a queer sports fest.

The month-long celebration will officially end on October 28 with the culminating event entitled, “Community Night: Homecoming.”