A chastity and true love campaign is coming to the Dangwa flower market in Manila on Feb. 14 to serenade and give free candy to last-minute Valentine’s Day shoppers.
“With this initiative, we hope to promote the beauty of love, family, and marriage because they are gifts from God that should be cherished,” said Angelique Cabrieto, the main organizer for this year’s Valentine’s Day candy-giving initiative.
Since last year, young Catholics from various organizations such as CFC-Singles for Christ, Prolife Philippines, and LEAP, among others, have continued the Valentine’s Day tradition of distributing free candy with messages promoting chaste love and marriage.
The initiative, initially started by the pro-life group Filipinos for Life, will feature a busker this year, who will serenade Dangwa customers with love songs, along with the distribution of free roses, chocolate, and candy carrying the usual anti-pornography and pro-purity messages.
According to Cabrieto, the goal of the activity is “to inspire these people to a love which is pure, chaste, patient, committed, long-lasting, and faithful.”
She noted that many issues affecting Filipino society could be addressed if more Filipinos lived out the virtues of chastity and purity.
Specifically, Cabrieto cited the detrimental impact of the hook-up culture, attributing it to the spread of STDs and HIV, as well as the rise in children growing up in broken homes.
“We believe that committing oneself faithfully to one partner in marriage should still be the ideal norm for those called to marriage,” she explained.
“There is also a growing concern to protect the Filipino family since more than half of the total registered live births in 2021 were born out of wedlock,” Cabrieto added.
According to the Philippine Statistics Authority, 57.1% of babies in the Philippines are born to unmarried parents, increasing their vulnerability and the inherent instability of their environments.
Contrary to the conventional wisdom of contraception, Cabrieto and her friends believe abstinence and waiting for true, mature love is the best way, especially for the youth.
“It is important to promote purity and chastity, especially among the Filipino youth in order for them to avoid getting pregnant while not being equipped to raise children. They might also be tempted to consider abortion or leave school at a young age to raise their children,” she said.
