The Purple Parade 2025
When Community Meets Purpose: Bringing SG60, inclusion, and Filipino tradition to The Purple Parade 2025
Participating in The Purple Parade 2025 was never just about showing up. For Espesyal Pinoy, it was a journey rooted in purpose, community, and advocacy.
The journey began with a simple but meaningful question. How do we align SG60, The Purple Parade’s message of inclusion, and our own identity as a Filipino community that champions persons with disabilities? From there, conversations flowed, ideas were exchanged, and a clear direction slowly emerged. We chose to anchor our concept on a Filipino tradition that reflects unity, bayanihan, resilience, and shared responsibility values that resonate deeply with both SG60 and The Purple Parade’s vision.
Conceptualizing the theme was only the beginning. Turning it into reality required patience, creativity, and collective effort. True to the spirit of inclusivity and sustainability, the team committed to a green approach. Members collected tissue rolls over many months, donated scrap materials, reused items that would otherwise go to waste, and contributed whatever resources they could. Nothing was too small. Every roll, every piece of fabric, every recycled material mattered.
What made this journey truly special was the people behind it. Parents, volunteers, and members generously shared their personal time after work, on weekends, and amidst their own responsibilities. Some helped with planning and coordination. Others focused on crafting, assembling, and testing ideas repeatedly until everything came together. Many stepped in quietly, without recognition, simply because they believed in the cause.
This collective effort culminated at The Purple Parade 2025, where Espesyal Pinoy was honored with the Best SG60 Award and the Most Creative Award. These awards are not just trophies or titles. They are a reflection of what a community can achieve when passion, inclusion, and teamwork come together with a clear purpose.
More than the recognition, this journey reaffirmed why spaces like The Purple Parade matter. They provide a platform to advocate for persons with disabilities in ways that are visible, joyful, creative, and impactful. They remind us that advocacy does not always have to be loud to be powerful, and that it can be done in ways that are inclusive, respectful, and environmentally conscious.
As we move forward, we hope this experience encourages more people to take opportunities like this not just to participate, but to advocate. To speak up for inclusion. To design with accessibility in mind. To choose greener, more sustainable ways of doing things. And most importantly, to walk alongside persons with disabilities as allies in building a society where everyone truly belongs.
This journey belongs to everyone who believed, contributed, and showed up. Thank you for being part of it.