As more canceled events pile up this year, it’s no surprise that most of our awaited get-togethers won’t see the light of day, at least in physical form. One of which is the annual Metro Manila Pride March and Festival, which is officially canceled this year—fortunately, though, it’s coming back online.

Metro Manila Pride shared the statement on a Facebook post, revealing that the march and festival originally slated for Jun. 27 will have to be called off due to the pandemic and the gathering restrictions of the city.

“The scale of our annual gathering can bring unnecessary risks to public health and might further burden our healthcare system and other frontline services that are already struggling to respond to the effects of this pandemic,” the post reads. “In addition to this, our tentative host city (Pasay City) and our potential venue partner (the Cultural Center of the Philippines) are both unable to accommodate us this year due to the current health crisis.”

"Whether on the streets or in our homes, Pride must live on in each of us and in our solidarity within and outside the LGBTQI+ sector."

Full statement on the Metro Manila Pride March and Festival 2020 in thread below.#Pride #Pride2020 #PrideMonth

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— ?Metro Manila Pride (@mmprideorg) May 11, 2020

However, Metro Manila Pride insists that the festivities aren’t necessarily out of the equation. Like most events nowadays, it will just have to shift to the online sphere.

“We may not fill the streets but we will still be as loud and as proud in as many digital channels as possible. We invite everyone to tune in to our social media pages and our website in the next few weeks as we announce the online events and activities we have lined up for you,” the statement reads. “Our next community meeting will also be a platform for the community to suggest ways to make a more meaningful Pride celebration online.”

At the end of the post, Metro Manila Pride reminds us that in crises like this, marginalized sectors like the LGBTQ+ community are “the most vulnerable of human rights violations.”

“As injustices happen around us in the name of peace and order, we urge everyone to stand in solidarity with other sectors as well as with our own.”

While Pride’s off the streets this year, the community will stay loud and proud in the virtual space. For more info, keep an eye out on their Facebook and Twitter page.

Photo by Stavrialena Gontzou on Unsplash