News: Run For 10 Set for January 13

A nationwide run will be mounted on January 13, 2013 for the benefit of thousands of Filipino schoolchildren nationwide, who have yet to have classrooms where they could effectively listen to their teachers and learn lessons.

“Run for 10” will be staged for the benefit of TEN Moves!, the social mobilization campaign of Bayanihang Pampaaralan that seeks to raise funds for the construction of 10,000 classrooms nationwide by encouraging individuals to donate Php10 everyday for 10 months or a lump sum of Php3,000.

In Metro Manila, Run for 10 will start off at the Ayala Triangle Gardens, Makati City, with 2.5 km, 5 km, and 10 km race distances. Simultaneous runs will also be held in at least 10 other key areas nationwide: Butuan, Cagayan de Oro, Cebu, Dipolog, Dumaguete, Legazpi, Pampanga, Tarlac, Zamboanga, and Zamboanga Sibugay.

“Run for 10 is a way for us to significantly ramp up support and donations for TEN Moves!,” explains Rapa Lopa, Executive Director of the Philippine Business for Social Progress and one of the primary movers of TEN Moves! and the 57-75 Education Reform Movement. “Through this event, we hope to attract more and more Filipinos, especially the younger ones, to be part of our advocacy of helping build classrooms and a brighter future for schoolchildren.”

“Since we launched in October 2011, TEN Moves! and its mother campaign, Bayanihang Pampaaralan, have raised funding for nearly 3,000 classrooms,” explains Mario Deriquito, Senior Director of Ayala Foundation and another primary mover of TEN Moves!. “While our collective efforts to date have been commendable, we still have a long way to go in reaching our goal of 10,000 classrooms, and we are finding ways to reach our goal within two years since launching. Through Run for 10, we hope to be able to create more awareness and generate more anticipation for this cause.”

Run for 10 expects to gather 2,500 Filipinos in Metro Manila alone who will lace up their running shoes and make their move for education. The Department of Education, a key partner in the TEN Moves! advocacy, welcomes the initiative.

“TEN Moves! has shown to us just what the Filipino youth can do,” says Br. Armin Luistro FSC, Secretary of the Department of Education. “Run for 10 further harnesses their energy and desire to make the Philippines a better place to live and learn. With everyone’s participation, we are confident that we can finally resolve the classroom backlog by 2013, and provide adequate facilities for students everywhere.”

All registration fees for Run for 10 will go to TEN Moves!. The registration fees are as follows: Php200 for 2.5 km, Php400 for 5 km, and Php500 for 10 km. To register, interested individuals may visit The T-Shirt Project branches located at Glorietta, Trinoma, and Market! Market!. Registration starts on December 20, 2012. For more information, please email info@tenmoves.org or visit www.tenmoves.org.