Close to 87,000 joins Pasig run

MANILA, Philippines—United by a noble cause, close to 87,000 runners showed up and turned the “11.20.2011 Run for the Pasig River” Sunday morning into the biggest footrace in the country this year.

Though the participants failed to match last year’s record of 116,000, Gina Lopez, the prime mover of the advocacy run, expressed delight over the turnout, saying it shows “the essence of what we (Filipinos) are as a people.”

“The fact that we have people here coming together for a cause is an achievement,” Lopez told the Inquirer. “It shows who we are as a people. The numbers don’t matter.”

The run aims to raise funds for the rehabilitation and cleanup of the Pasig River and its surrounding waterways.

Monchet Olives of the ABS-CBN Foundation said 120,000 runners registered for this year’s event, compared to 116,000 last year. Olives said they hope to raise P10 million this year.

“We’re going to play heavy on kids next year,” said Olives, adding that the race will be held along Edsa next year. “If you get them to join, you also draw their parents.”

The country’s top businessmen and executives, including ABS-CBN Corporation chair and CEO Eugenio Lopez III and Ayala Corporation president Fernando Zobel de Ayala, and actor Piolo Pascual participated in the 21K race, which covered a route that passed through Estero de Paco where last year’s rehabilitation of Pasig River was made.