MAPFRE Insular launches 'Go Run for Road Safety'

CEBU, Philippines - MAPFRE Insular formally launches the first ever "Go Run for Road Safety" in Cebu, offering over P100,000 in cash prizes to the top finishers of the cast-rich event slated on July 1 at The Terraces of Ayala Center Cebu.

"We are really excited because this is the first time we're holding this kind event. Also, this is the first time that a race for road safety will be held in Cebu," said MAPFRE Insular Senior Vice President Alexander "Sandy" L. Reyes in a press conference yesterday at Laguna Garden Cafe.

"The Go Run for Road Safety' campaign is our company's initiative in collaboration with the Department of Education to encourage individuals and groups, including the youth especially schoolchildren, to directly contribute to raising awareness about the importance of road safety," added Reyes.

MAPFRE's advocacy aims to raise awareness on the importance of road safety and ultimately bring down the number of deaths and serious injuries from road crashes in the local community.

"Achieving this vision requires shared responsibility where everyone has a role to play in working towards safer roads. As members of the community, we should not accept that anyone should die or be seriously injured on our roads," said Reyes.

Also present during the affair were MAPFRE-Cebu Branch head Niel Ceniza, assistant City administrator Atty. Dominic Diño, Atty. Rafael Christopher Yap of the Cebu City Traffic Operations and Management (CITOM) and Nerissa Beltran of DepEd.

"We are very appreciative of this kind of event promoting road safety. We'll work hand in hand with the organizers to make it fun, safe and memorable as possible," said Yap.

Prizes galore but...

A total of P100,800 is available to the winners in different categories but foreign runners, particularly the Kenyans who have been dominating fun runs here with relative ease during the the past two years, are not included.

"This is an advocacy. This is not really a race to determine who's the fastest," said Reyes in justifying their landmark decision to disallow international runners from taking even just a single bite of the monetary pie. "We also want to encourage participation from local runners. Afterall, this road safety we are espousing is for the Filipinos."

The champion in the men's and women's 12K division will take home P10,000 each, while the second to fifth will receive P7,000, P5,000, P3,000 and P2,000, respectively. The top finishers win the 6K and 3K will pocket P5,000 and P3,000.

Corresponding prizes have also been allocated for the fastest entries in the 1K action and the 200m and 100m dash for elementary pupils. Those who will make it to the top 10 will all receive consolation prize.

Fun-Filled Footrace

Exciting sidelights with the unifying theme of Road Safety awareness have been lined-up to maximize the purpose of the affair.

The mini activities include surprise raffle and instant prizes, free access to photo booth with road safety theme, free face painting, hand stamping and balloon making, cheer dancing and other dance spiels, man on stilts and other mime performers and "Know your Road Sign" games.

There will also be volunteers donning traffic safety gears who will be going around the grounds distributing balloons, giveaways and flyers with road safety messages.

 "We aim to make the event a fun day for the family and the community while promoting road safety," said Reyes.

Joining The Race For A Cause

The organizers are encouraging everyone to join the race or at least be present during the race day and invite as many friends and family members. Donations in kind will be highly appreciated as these will in turn be given for free to the participating runners especially the schoolchildren.

Entry fee is pegged at P250 for the 1K and 3K and P300 for the 6K and 12K. There will be group discounts for early registrants - group of five plus one for those who register from May 1 to 31 and group of 10 plus one for those who register from June 1 to 25.

Registration forms are available at the MAPFRE Insular-Cebu Branch office, RUNNR at Ayala Center Cebu and Toby's at SM City-Cebu.