Power in numbers: 26,000 join 2nd Hyundai RUN for a Cause

MANILA, Philippines - Hyundai Asia Resources Inc. (HARI), the exclusive distributor of Hyundai cars in the Philippines, held yesterday its 2nd Hyundai RUN for a Cause with a 26,000-strong contingent composed of HARI executives and employees, dealership network, clients, corporate social responsibility (CSR) partners, media partners and running aficionados.

Just like last year, running alongside Hyundai executives, employees and dealers were high-profile figures from the different sectors of society: presidential sister and active CSR advocate Victoria Eliza “Viel” Aquino-Dee, South Korean Ambassador Lee Hye-min, Gawad Kalinga (GK) founder Antonio Meloto, Haribon chairman John Lesaca, Department of Tourism Assistant Secretary Domingo Ramon Enerio III, Department of Transportation and Communications Assistant Secretary Dante Lantin, Leyte fourth district Rep. Lucy Torres-Gomez, K.I.D.S Foundation chairman Richard Gomez, The Younghusband Football Academy (TYFA) president Phil Younghusband and vice president James Younghusband, and Habitat For Humanity International VP for Asia Pacific Rick Hathaway.

This year, the Quirino Grandstand took on a festive mode as more people came to celebrate with HARI’s introduction of its CSR platform for this year.

The Hyundai RUN – which stands for Responsibility, Unity and Nation-building toward a wonderful world of Hyundai– aspires to generate awareness on HARI’s advocacies for 2012 and engage the company’s stakeholders in its CSR activities. According to HARI president and CEO Ma. Fe Perez-Agudo, “We decided to make this RUN festive and colorful to underscore Hyundai’s celebration of a happier, healthier, and safer life for all.”

A new feature of this year’s RUN was having runners choose a cause to support, each one represented by a color. All causes form part of HARI’s three main advocacies on environment protection, community development and economic growth:

• Green for the soon-to-rise GK-Hyundai Center for Green Innovation that will host “green camps” to instruct the youth on environment, and the donation of the HARI EcoVan to Haribon Foundation. This fully customized Hyundai H100 van is the country’s first-ever fully customized multimedia mobile school that promotes education on Philippine biodiversity;

• Pink for the protection and promotion of women’s and children’s rights in partnership with the UP Women Lawyer’s Circle;

• Red for empowering the students of Polytechnic University of the Philippines through scholarship grants and the donation of a customized Hyundai H100 van that serves as mobile library of KIDS Foundation;

• Yellow for Filipino heritage and pride advocacy with the Department of Tourism, the first of which shall be the sponsorship of the Philippine booth at the Yeosu 2012 Expo in Seoul, South Korea;

• Orange for the provision of health facilities to the National Children’s Hospital;

• Purple for youth and sports development through a high-profile partnership with The Younghusband Football Academy;

• Gray for empowering social entrepreneurs and small-to-medium businesses through the GK Center for Social Innovation, and the donation of a Hyundai H100 van to support the Department of Agriculture’s thrust to empower the agricultural sector via the Sentrong Pamilihan ng Produktong Agrikultura ng Quezon Foundation Inc.; and

• Blue for the promotion of road safety and responsible car ownership in partnership with the Department of Transportation and Communications, in observance of the United Nations Decade of Action for Road Safety.

A significant sidelight to the RUN was the exhilarating public launch of the all-new Hyundai EON, made even more fun with the presence of a flash mob composed of top cheering squads from the UAAP and NCAA.

The presence of a dynamic and youthful flash mob cemented EON’s position as a no-frills car for the young, discerning and upward-moving new generation of car owners who refuse to settle for mediocrity in their city driving.