Thousands run to help build classrooms for Pablo victims

MANILA, Philippines - The social mobilization campaign The Entire Nation Moves (TEN Moves!) held a fun run called “Run for 10,” last Jan. 13, to help build 10,000 classrooms all over the country, with particular emphasis on areas that were affected by Typhoon Pablo. Over 2,000 participants ran in 2.5 km, 5 km, or 10 km race distances, starting at the Ayala Triangle Gardens. The event brought together families, friends, schools, businesses, and government institutions moving in the same direction for a common cause.

Aside from the Manila run, Run for 10 was also held in Bataan, Bulacan, Dipolog, Nueva Ecija, Pampanga, Tarlac, and Zamboanga City.

Education Secretary Armin Luistro commended the turnout of Run for 10 and expressed his gratitude to both the organizers and the participants to help their fellow Filipinos who have been affected by Typhoon Pablo. To date, the typhoon has devastated 569 schools, damaging over 2,000 classrooms in Region 10, 11, CARAGA, and ARMM. DepEd estimates the damage caused by the typhoon at over P1 billion, which has affected over 200,000 schoolchildren.

“We are very thankful for everyone’s participation in this event, as it would be a huge contribution to solving the classroom backlog,” says Luistro. “Your support for TEN Moves! and Run for 10 will go a long way in helping our students and teachers recover.”

The event raised more than P2.5 million from both the sponsorships and registration fees, which will be used to help students, teachers, and schools affected by the typhoon. A TEN Moves! vending machine was installed on-site, where participants could donate their ten-peso coins and receive a thank you card with a personalized message from a student beneficiary.

Celebrities apl.de.ap, Derek Ramsay, and Dingdong Dantes also participated in the run and encouraged the public to support the cause of building more classrooms.

Students and teachers from Mt. Pulag Primary School, one of the first beneficiaries of TEN Moves, joined the run and performed during the program as part of a symbolic act of paying the blessings forward and pitching in to help more communities benefit from TEN Moves.

Since launching to the public in October 2011, TEN Moves has already raised over P30 million, from over 3,000 donors. For one of TEN Moves’ primary movers, Mario Deriquito, Run for 10 is both an opportunity for everyone to make their personal move for their cause, and for them to continue contributing to the campaign to build 10,000 classrooms.

TEN Moves’ Run for 10 is presented by: Gold Sponsor La Filipina Corned Pork and Luncheon Meat; Silver Sponsors Globe Telecom and Smart Communications; Street Team Sponsors Ayala Corp., Ayala Land, Fisher Farms, Foster Foods, Premium Feeds, Sed Lex Professional Partnership, and Sigma Rho and Delta Lambda Sigma; registration partner The Tshirt Project; and technical organizer eXtribe.

To help TEN Moves meet its goal of 10,000 classrooms, individuals are encouraged to pledge P300 for ten months. Interested donors can deposit their pledges at the nearest BPI, BDO, or UnionBank branch. To get updates on TEN Moves, please visit www.ten moves.org, www.facebook.com/TENMoves, or https://twitter.com/TEN_Moves.