Haribon pledge run to restore 1M hectares of forest
MANILA, Philippines - People ran not only for their health but also for the environment as Haribon Foundation launched its “Million Hectare Challenge 2010” a pledge run that aimed to raise awareness and funds for the Rainforestation Organizations and Advocates to 2020 (ROAD to 2020). The ROAD to 2020 is an environmental conservation movement to restore one million hectares of our rainforests using native tree species by the year 2020.
Now on its fourth year, the MHC2010 had both a competitive and a non-competitive component. The event was held yesterday, Nov. 21, at McKinley Hill, Fort Bonifacio, Taguig, starting at 5:30 a.m. Pledge walkers and runners chose to accept the challenge of completing up to 10 kilometers, while racers chose to compete in 3K, 5K or 10K race categories.
“In the last three years, the Million Hectare Walk held yearly in November from 2007 to 2009 helped us reach out to more than 1,000 individuals,” said Belinda dela Paz, advocacy division head, Haribon Foundation. “It raised awareness on biodiversity and forest protection through lectures, discussions and presentations. We were able to network with various sectors that enabled us to plant more than 10,000 native trees to address habitat loss and climate change.”
The pledge run aims to bring back Philippine rainforests in order to recover and conserve biodiversity and optimize the supply of forest benefits and ecosystem services. Armed with this common vision, participants raise money or pledges from friends, families and coworkers.
“Anyone who wants to bring back our natural forests can be a participant,” said Dela Paz. “There is no age limit. Be a team leader and form a group. The more team members you have, the more people will become aware and able to take part in this conservation movement.”
The registration fee is kept low — P350 (children up to 12 years old and Haribon members on active status) and P400 (regular) to ensure the widest possible participation. There are no required pledge commitments in order to participate but everyone is encouraged to get pledges. Teams with 50 participants or more were given a five-percent discount on the registration fee.
“We need to have 3,000 registered participants this year. The more participants, the more pledges, the more money we will be able to raise. With this money, the more trees we can plant and expand our natural forests, the better for our natural forests to continue to provide ecological services not only for our benefit but even those of the next generation,” she added.
For more details, e-mail: mhc@haribon.org.ph, call 421-1213, 421-1209, 911-6088, text 0922-815-1942/ 0922-815-2045 or visit www. haribon.org.ph for complete info. Haribon Foundation is located at 973 Aurora Boulevard, second floor Santos & Sons Building, Cubao, Quezon City.
