Phl Peace and Unity Swim on at DPS

MANILA, Philippines - The Great Pinoy Peace and Unity Swim, a marathon 24-hour swimming relay which aims to break the Guinness record, gets going at 4 p.m. today at the Diliman Preparatory School on Commonwealth Ave., Quezon City.

Over 6,000 swimmers from all walks of life, led by Quezon City Mayor Herbert Bautista and Vice Mayor Joy Belmonte, have been invited to participate in the biggest ever non-stop swimming marathon which seeks to break the record in an 18.3- meter swimming pool over a 24-hour period. The mark was set by 5,028 swimmers in Italy last July.

The event, which aims to gather all sectors of society in a show of national peace and unity, is also an attempt to unify the still-divided swimming community.

Philippine Amateur Swimming Association president Mark Joseph, who reneged on his previous position to suspend PASA swimmers who would join the event, has been invited to swim the first lap at 4 p.m.

Lawyer Luz Arzaga-Mendoza, president of the Aquatic Sports Association of the Philippines, a sharp critic of the PASA leadership, will swim on the 5,028th lap while former Sen. Nikki Coseteng, who organized the marathon relay along with the Susan Papa Swimming Academy, will swim the record breaker, the 5,029th lap.

The Philippine National Police is fielding 3,000 police forces who will take the plunge right after the first lap. They will be followed by 1,000 street children from the Center for Community Transformation.

About 2,000 students from the DPS will take their turn on Saturday.

In between the main waves of participants, various clubs and individual participants will be scheduled to swim as they come in.

Quezon City Mayor Bautista and Vice Mayor Belmonte lead a host of political figures and celebrities which include former Sen. Jambi Madrigal, Ariel Ureta and Paulo Bidiones and members of the Derby Ace Llamados ball club.

Coach Chito Rivera’s Bull Shark Swimming Club is sending four 4-under swimmers led by two-year-old Yenzo Altun, while the oldest swimmers are 74-year-old Leonardo Gabriel and 73-year-old Alejandra Lim Uy.

Members of swimming clubs, which include those from PASA and ASAP, will try to swim faster than the average speed per person of 15 seconds to break the existing record.