BAGUIO CITY(PIA) — “Kaming nasa kabundukan, may pakialam sa karagatan.”
Amidst the threat of typhoon Pepito, more than 800 running enthusiasts participated in the Baguio leg of the “Takbo para sa West Philippine Sea” on Sunday, Nov. 17, to express their strong support for the fight for the West Philippine Sea.
Participants came from the various national government agencies, law enforcement agencies, local government units, civil society organizations, members of the community, athletes and other running enthusiasts in Baguio City, Benguet and other parts of the Cordillera region. There were also runners from the nearby provinces and Baguio and the National Capital Region.
The advocacy run featured three categories – the 16-kilometer run, 10 KM and 5KM. All the participant started from Burnham Park Lake Drive with gun start for the 16-km at 3:30AM, the 10-km at 3:45AM, and the 5-km at 3:50AM, and off to their respective routes.
Top finishers of the Takbo Para sa WPS were awarded at the Burnham Lake Drive during a short program.
Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) Spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea Commodore Jay Tristan Tarriela expressed gratitude, and commended the Cordillerans for strongly showing support to the fight for the WPS.
“Ito ay sumisimbolo ng pagtindig ng ating mga kababayan dito sa Baguio, despite of your distance from the West Philippine Sea. Ipinapakita natin dito na tayong lahat bilang Pilipino, we care about our own territory, we care about the West Philippine Sea,” Tarriela said.
“Ang pagtindig natin sa West Philippine Sea ay pagpapakita ng pagkakaisa at pagmamahalan ng ating mga kababayan dito sa Baguio at naiintindihan nila na ang laban ng West Philippine Sea ay laban nating lahat bilang Pilipino,” he added.
Meanwhile, Baguio City Mayor Benjamin Magalong led more than a hundred bikers and joined forces with the group of runners at the Melvin Jones .
Magalong strongly expressed the commitment of the City of Baguio to support the fight for the WPS.
The Mayor also expressed gratitude to the National Task Force West Philippine Sea for bringing the advocacy run in Baguio City for them to also showcase and promote the support of the people in Baguio City.
“Nag papasalamat ako kay Commodore Jay Tarriela dahil finally, we were able to bring this into motion, itong “Takbo para sa West Philippine Sea.” And Baguio City is very much committed in promoting ang laban natin dito sa West Philiipine Sea,” Magalong said.
“Kaya nga nakita nyo siguro, nakalagay dito saming t-shirt, “Kaming taga bundok, or kami sa kabundukan, may pakialam sa karagatan.” This is our battle cry in the City of Baguio,” he stressed.
The event was also graced by Philippine Information Agency Director General Katherine Chloe de Castro who thanked the participants to the Baguio Leg of the advocacy run that despite the threat of the tropical cyclone Pepito, they showed their full support to the advocacy on the West Philippine Sea.
She called on the continued support of the people of Baguio for the advocacy to “fight for what is ours” which has been emphasized every time by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
“We would like to thank all of the participants na despite of the fact na medyo may threat po tayo sa bagyong Pepito ay nandito din tayo ngayong umaga para suportahan po, syempre ang adhikain ng ating pamahalaan, ang West Philippine Sea,” she said.
“Pag dating po sa West Philippine Sea, sabi nga po ni Pangulong Bongbong Marcos, na hindi ito isang kathang isip lamang, kailangan po nating ipaglaban na atin ito,” she added.
For his part, National Youth Commissioner Karl Josef Legazpi commended the youth and the other people of Baguio for showcasing their support for the WPS despite located far away from the coastal areas.
“Ilang kilometro ang layo (ng West Philippine Sea) sa Baguio City pero ramdam po namin ang suporta ninyo. Maraming salamat po sa syudad po ng Baguio, kay Mayor Benjie Magalong, at sa mga residente,” Legazpi said.
He also made an appeal to the youth and the younger generation in Baguio City and the country to continue to fight for the West Philippine Sea, which is for their future.
“Sa ngalan ng National Youth Commission, kami po ay nananawagan sa mga kabataan na ang pinaglalaban po natin sa West Philippine Sea ay hindi lamang po issue ng sa kasalukuyan, kundi po mas importante sa kinabukasan po natin. Para po sa aming entire NYC, nagpapasalamat din po kami na ang kabataan po ay walang sawang pong sumusuporta sa panawagan ng gobyerno na ipaglaban po natin kung ano ang ating karapatan, ano ang nararapat para sa atin, para sa ating kinabukasan,” he added.
The “Takbo Para sa West Philippine Sea” is a nationwide advocacy run series that aims to rally public support for the Philippines’ fight to uphold its sovereignty and maritime rights in the West Philippine Sea. It was earlier held in Manila, Cebu and Cagayan De Oro.
The event was organized by the RUNRIO Inc., with the PCG, the National Task Force-West Philippine Sea, the Presidential Communications Office, and the PIA. (JDP/RMC-PIA CAR with SLU Interns)
