Run for the Pasig River 2012 Invades Quezon City

Quezon City Mayor Herbert Bautista, AFI Managing Director Gina Lopez (center) and Run for the Pasig River race directors and sponsors

This year, Quezon City will run for the Pasig River. Quezon Memorial Circle will serve as the start and finish line of the Pasig River Run on September 30, 2012.

At the press conference for “09.30.2012 Run for the Pasig River” this morning held at the EDSA Shangri-La Hotel, Quezon City Mayor Herbert Bautista thanked ABS-CBN Foundation managing director Gina Lopez for choosing Quezon City as the venue of this year’s race. He said that they have been working on relocating some families living near these rivers.”We don’t want them there because it’s not safe. Around 15,000 have been relocated to Rizal,” Bautista said. 

ABS-CBN Foundation’s Kapit Bisig Para sa Ilog Pasig (KBPIP) will be staging its fourth advocacy run to clamor for cleaner rivers and esteros in Metro Manila via “09.30.2012 Run for the Pasig River.”

Gina Lopez said  ”there’s no way we can clean the Pasig River unless we all work together.”

 Run for the Pasig River race directors and sponsors

Following the success of last year’s 11.20.2011 Run for the Pasig River, KBPIP is again urging groups and  individuals to join the eco foot-race, which will help raise awareness and funds for the rehabilitation of the waterways of Quezon City-San Juan-Mandaluyong Makati.

There will be three major event categories for the advocacy run: the 15K Ride & Roll with 4:00 a.m. gunstart; the 15K Commonwealth Challenge Run with 4:10 a.m. gunstart; and the 5K.

Morning Madness Run with 6:00 a.m. gunstart. This time, there will be one starting line in the Quezon City Memorial Circle (QCMC) going straight to Commonwealth Avenue then back again to QCMC for the finish.

ABS-CBN Foundation’s Kapit Bisig Para sa Ilog Pasig has a track-record of organizing three successful runs for the Pasig River. The 2009 Philippine International Marathon: A Run for the Pasig River, which had an estimated 23,000 participants, helped fund the initial phase of rehabilitation of Estero de Paco, a 2.9-kilometer tributary of the Pasig River in Manila. The historic 10.10.10 Run for the Pasig River, meanwhile, broke the Guinness World Record for the “most participants in a racing event” with 116,087 runners. It helped rehabilitate the second phase of the Estero de Paco clean-up.

Estero de Paco (Paco Market to Trece de Agosto section) - Before 2010

Estero de Paco (Paco Market to Trece de Agosto section) - Current 2011

Estero de Paco (Trece de Agosto to Apacible section) - Before 2010

Estero de Paco (Trece de Agosto to Apacible section) - Current 2011

Last year’s 11.20.2011 Run for the Pasig River was the largest foot race joined by 86,547 runners, are currently being used to rehabilitate Estero de San Miguel and four other esteros behind the Malacañang Palace.

Estero de San Miguel (Mendiola) - Current (taken on June 8 2012 by Faizza Tanggol)

Estero de San Miguel (Nepomuceno Bridge) - Before (taken on 19 July 2011 by Faizza Tanggol)

Estero de San Miguel (Mendiola) - Before (taken on July 14 2010)

Estero de San Miguel (Nepomuceno Bridge) - Current (taken on July 10 2012 by Faizza Tanggol)

KBPIP’s seven-year rehabilitation program involves cleaning up all the esteros that drain into the Pasig River in order to thoroughly clean it. To date, the project has resettled 1,216 families to Calauan, Laguna, introduced remediation technologies for water quality improvement, trained community volunteers for the River Warriors program and shared sound waste management practices with communities.

The 10.10.10 Run for the Pasig River won a Bronze Anvil and an Award of Excellence at the 45^th Anvil Awards given by the Public Relations Society of the Philippines, while the Estero de Paco clean-up earned an Award of Merit from the 2010 Philippine Quill Awards given by the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC) Philippines.

Registration for the 09.30.2012 Run for the Pasig River will open on July 16, 2012 in SM North EDSA, 2nd Floor Cinema C Lobby (near IMAX Theatre) and on July 20 in SM Mall of Asia, Lower Ground Level, Building A (near The Event Center and Food Court) and SM Megamall, Ground Floor Main Mall (near Music Hall and SM Bowling Center). Aside from the registration, there will also be merchandise available in the booths, in which part of the proceeds will also go to river rehab. For updates on this advocacy run, visit http://www.runforthepasigriver.com/.