Race to raise young athletes at Vermosa Green Run

Wazzup Pilipinas!?


On its third year, The Green Run at Vermosa continues to push for the environment and support other noteworthy causes. One of its advocacies for 2024 is to develop talented young athletes from Cavite who dream of one day becoming national athletes.

Ayala Land through the Vermosa Green Run is providing the young athletes from Takbo Kabitenyo, a Cavite-based group dedicated to training these aspiring athletes, with a training ground and other facilities that would help them turn their dreams into reality.

The Green Run at Vermosa has taken its popular multi-category run to the next level this year.

Besides providing an opportunity for fun runners, running enthusiasts, serious runners and elite athletes the chance to hit the trails for recreation and training, this year’s run is focused on giving assistance to young runners from Cavite who want to pursue their dreams of becoming national track athletes.

On June 14, Ayala Land Estates, Inc. welcomed Takbo Kabitenyo, an organization in Cavite dedicated to nurturing the talents of its aspiring athletes who have the ambition and potential to become national athletes. Ayala Land, through its Ayala Vermosa Sports Hub in Imus, opened its doors to the running youngsters of Cavite.

Ayala Land representatives led by Chrissy Roa, Group Head of Marketing and Communications for Ayala Land Estates, donated 30 Green Run race kits and products from Merrell, a brand dedicated to running, to the Cavite running organization at Vermosa. The Takbo Kabitenyo group will also receive freebies and gifts from all Vermosa Green Run sponsors at the Run that will gun off on Sunday, June 30.

“We are committed to providing these aspiring athletes with the training, support and opportunities they need to achieve their dreams and represent our community on a national level,” said Ms. Roa. The Ayala Vermosa Sports Hub, envisioned to be the preferred venue for national and international sports events in the Philippines, will be a perfect training camp for the young Cavite athletes.

Noel Diaz, Takbo Kabitenyo president, expressed his gratitude for the support - ”We are deeply grateful to Ayala Land Estates Inc.and Vermosa for choosing Takbo Kabitenyo as one of the beneficiaries of the 2024 The Green Run. The exposure to this prestigious event will hopefully inspire our young runners to elevate their aspirations and work even harder towards excellence in their chosen sports,” he said.

Ayala Land Estates has launched another running initiative alongside The Green Run this year called the Ayala Vermosa Running Club. It has weekly activities for its members and classes conducted by Ayala Vermosa Sports Hub coaches. The environment-themed run is also supporting the Pawssion Project and Haribon Foundation on its third year.

Fueled by its 2024 theme of “Go Greener, Get Leaner, Give Back: Run Towards a Brighter Future”, The Green Run 2024 is supported by Avida Sentria Storeys, Kremil-S, Diatabs, Merrell, Pocari Sweat, Park Access, Chris Sports, Fitbar, Naturals, Healthway Medical Network, Fuwa Fuwa, Nutrition Depot, and Oishi.

Those interested to join any of the Green Run categories – 3K, 5K, 10K, the half-marathon 21K and the 1K Dog Run – may register at ayalaland.myruntime.com.

The Sports Hub is a state of the art professionally-managed sports facility with a 400-meter IAAF standard track oval that is a premier training ground of amateur and professional athletes. It also has a FINA-standard Olympic sized swimming pool and an indoor training facility equipped with a sports science laboratory.

Toxic China-Made ‘Shrilling Chicken’ Toys Still in Manila

Wazzup Pilipinas!?

The popular plastic chicken toys that create loud sounds when squeezed are still available in bargain shops in Manila, selling for P50 each and now available in various colors. These toys, which attract the attention of the public, have been found to contain undisclosed additives that may expose children to hazardous chemicals.

“Toxic watchdog group BAN Toxics reiterates its call to remove from the shelves the ‘shrilling chicken’ and all squeaky toys that have either been banned or are unnotified by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA),” explained Thony Dizon, Toxics Campaigner of BAN Toxics.

The FDA had already ruled in 2020 against purchasing and using the unnotified product due to the presence of phthalates – a known endocrine disrupting chemical.

The ‘shrilling chicken’ was found to contain 8.4% di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) and 0.5 % diisononyl phthalate (DINP), exceeding the safety limit stipulated in DOH Administrative Order 2009-005-A s. 2011. This order states: “it shall be unlawful for any person to manufacture for sale, offer for sale, distribute in commerce, or import into the country any children’s toy that contains concentrations of more than 0.1 percent of di-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP), dibutyl phthalate (DBP), or benzyl butyl phthalate (BBP).”

Phthalates are plasticized Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC), which belong to the so-called endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs). These types of chemicals mimic, block, or interfere with hormones in the body's endocrine system and have been associated with a diverse array of health issues including reproductive development effects.

The group likewise observed in its regular monitoring efforts that most of the toys still lack the mandatory toy safety labeling requirements under RA 10620. The Toy and Game Safety Labeling Law requires manufacturers to comply with labeling information, such as the license to operate (LTO) number, age grading, cautionary statements/warnings, instructional literature, manufacturer’s marking, and item, model, stock-keeping unit (SKU) number.

“We are saddened that banned toys are still being peddled in bargain toy shops, deceiving the public into purchasing cheap toys notwithstanding the danger of toxic exposure,” Dizon added.

“BAN Toxics calls the attention of the regulatory agencies to immediately conduct post surveillance and confiscation efforts to eliminate the illegal selling of unsafe toys in the market,” the group stated.

One More Chance Rerun Tickets Available Starting July 1

Wazzup Pilipinas!?

The Philippine Educational Theater Association’s (PETA) hit musical, One More Chance, The Musical, featuring the songs of Ben&Ben, is set to return from August 22–October 27, 2024 at the PETA Theater Center, due to insistent public demand.

Since it opened in April, PETA has added 29 shows to its original run to accommodate more audiences after tickets sold out months before the musical opened.

For its rerun, PETA will open 50 additional shows.

Tickets for the feverishly anticipated show will be made available via TicketWorld.com.ph starting July 1.

Metrobank pre-sale

From July 1–3, a pre-sale will be made exclusively available for credit cardholders of Metrobank, PETA’s co-presenter and official bank partner.

To join the pre-sale, Metrobank credit cardholders must enter the first six digits of their card as the passcode. Each cardholder can enjoy a maximum of four (4) tickets per transaction.

Waitlist and public sale

The Metrobank pre-sale will be followed by a special sale for the TicketWorld waitlist from July 4–5. 

The general public sale starts on July 6.

To sign up for the waitlist, go to https://bit.ly/OMCRerunWaitlist. The TicketWorld waitlist registration closes at 11:59 p.m. on Thursday, June 20, 2024.

For more information, follow PETA's social media accounts at @petatheater (Facebook, Instagram, X, and TikTok). 

For partnerships, contact PETA’s Marketing and Public Relations Office at 0917-5765400 or petatheater@gmail.com.