UE joins 10.10.10 Pasig run

MANILA, Philippines - University of the East’s (UE) three campuses will send participants to the “10.10.10 Run for the Pasig River,” a cause-oriented fun run of the ABS-CBN Foundation, slated Sunday with the SM Mall of Asia in Pasay City as main converging venue of all the participants.

The run will be divided into three categories with the 3k to fire off at SM MOA, the 5k at CCP Complex grounds in Pasay City and the 10k in Makati.

Five thousand participants will represent the three campuses of UE with UE Manila to field in 2,000, UE Caloocan (1,000) and UERM-MMCI, Sta. Mesa (2,000).

UE’s overall delegation is composed mainly of NSTP students, along with members of the faculty and employees.

Assembly time for UE’s participants is at 4:30 a.m., with the following assembly areas - SMX Convention Center beside MOA (3k); Star City at the CCP Complex (5k); and at Ninoy Aquino Monument on the corner of Ayala Ave. and Paseo De Roxas (10k).

UE’s participation came after an invitation from ABS-CBN Foundation head Gina Lopez to UE president Dr. Ester A. Garcia, who tapped the Office of Extension and Community Outreach director Rogelio Espiritu and Student Affairs Office-Manila director Mercy Candelaria to be the UE point persons for the project.

A “roadshow” orientation about the event was held for the UE community last July 2 at the UE Theatre-with ABS-CBN host-personality Juddha Paolo and UE student Jacqueline Catapang (CAS Manila Broadcast Communication senior and University Student Council Secretary) as emcees.

Dir. Espiritu said UE’s participation in the run allows the university to be a stakeholder in the rehabilitation of the Pasig River.

He added that UE would benefit from the project given that the rehabilitation and cleaning would not only affect the Pasig River but also its tributaries, like the San Juan River, which runs directly behind UERMMMCI.

The event, organized in behalf of the Foundation’s Kapit Bisig Para sa Ilog Pasig program, aims to gather 120,000 runners from different sectors–government, academe, private sector–to come together and rally for the rehabilitation of the Pasig River. The run will also be an attempt by the Foundation to be included in the Guinness Book of World Records for the greatest number of runners in a single event. (Further information on the event is available at www.101010runforpasigriver.com.)