Dutch Ambassador leads Freedom Bike Ride against Human Trafficking

His Excellency Ambassador Ton Boon von Ochssee and Mrs. Martine Boon von Ochssee of the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands shall lead the Freedom Bike Ride against Human Trafficking on March 9, 2013 (Saturday) at the Venice Piazza, McKinley Hill, Taguig.

Organized by the artist collective Dakila in partnership with the Manila Fixed Gear and We FXD, the Freedom Bike Ride is the launch of the “Stop, Look, Listen” campaign against human trafficking. The Department of Justice Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking (DOJ-IACAT) and the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands support the campaign.

According to musician and cycling enthusiast Nityalila Saulo, who is an advocate of the campaign, “The Stop, Look, and Listen campaign sends an important message to the public that in order to Stop Human Trafficking, we must always be aware of the signs to avoid being trafficked and listen to the stories of those who were trafficked and most vulnerable to trafficking so that we may learn from it and contribute on ways to help combat trafficking. “

Joining the Dutch Ambassador on the ride are Czech ambassador His Excellency Josef Rychtar, members of the diplomatic community, and representatives of Dutch companies in the Philippines such as Philips Electronics and Control Union Philippines. Government officials of member agencies of the IACAT; personalities and artist advocates of the campaign like sports and lifestyle host Reema Chanco, restaurateur Erik Waldie, tour guide and performance artist Carlos Celdran, actor Albert Martinez, social entrepreneur Illac Diaz, and spoken word artist Miko Pepito shall also be joining the ride.

Dakila Vice President and celebrated musician Noel Cabangon said, “Human Trafficking is modern day slavery. Every year around 300,000 to 400,000 Filipinos fall prey to human trafficking in our own country and abroad. We must do everything to stop this. We are grateful that combatting human trafficking is an important pillar of the Dutch foreign policy and for their support in this campaign. The participation of the Dutch Ambassador, the diplomatic community, officials of the IACAT, civil society, the cycling community and artists in the Freedom Ride only show that there are concerted efforts being done to stop human trafficking. We encourage everyone to join in the fight.”

The Freedom Ride will start at 7:30 AM on March 9, 2013 at the Venice Piazza, McKinley Hill, Taguig. Cyclists wearing shirts printed with 1343 Anti-Trafficking hotline shall bike around the cities of Taguig, Manila, Pasay and Makati to spread awareness on human trafficking.

The Freedom Ride is part of the Project Freedom Campaign of Dakila, which calls on the public to “Stop, Look and Listen” to raise public awareness on Human Trafficking and empower citizens to contribute in the fight to stop it.

The Freedom Ride is open to the public and will start at the Venice Piazza Fountain Area, McKinley Hill, Taguig. Assembly is at 7:00 am and ride out is at 7:30 am. For more information, visit http://dakila.org.ph/freedomproject/.

Press Release
4 March 2013
DAKILA – Philippine Collective for Modern Heroism
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