Pia leads 1,000 Pinays in run for women empowerment

At least 1,000 women from Metro Manila and neighboring provinces are expected to run at this year's staging of Pinay In Action, an all-women's run to be held on March 13, Saturday, at the SM Mall of Asia Grounds in Pasay City.

The first and only all-women's running competition in the country, Pinay In Action promotes women's rights, health, and empowerment in observance of the International Women's Month of March. This year's event will benefit indigent patients with ovarian, cervical and breast cancer.

Spearheaded by Senator Pia S. Cayetano, this year's staging will feature 10-kilometer and 5-kilometer open individual run events, and a 1.6-kilometer team run, which will pit adult-and-child tandems.

The three events will start in sequence at 6:00 am for 10K, 6:05 am for 5K and 6:10 am for the 1.6K team run. Awards and special prizes will be given to the top ten finishers in each event.

"Pinay In Action gives women a venue to express themselves, keep healthy and fit, and simply have fun. Running is a symbol of empowerment and freedom. Thus, a running woman is a symbol of an empowered and independent woman," explained Cayetano, a running enthusiast and principal author of the recently passed Magna Carta of Women (RA 9710).

"The event is not exclusive for female runners," she clarified. "Men may also join on the condition that they register with a female participant and run behind the women at the starting line. It is also understood they will not be eligible for the prizes in the individual running events. In fact, men are encouraged to participate to express their support to women's causes."

Race details and registration forms are available online on www.pinayinaction.com. Pre-registration fee is at P350, while race day registration fee is at P450. The race packet includes the participant's race number, race shirt, route map and PIA fact sheet. Race day registration starts at 5:00 AM at the venue.

As in its previous stagings, Pinay In Action 2010 will feature a Women's Expo which will be put up at the Seaside Boulevard facing Manila Bay. The Expo will showcase wellness products and host information booths on women's concerns such as breast, cervical and ovarian cancer, and violence against women and children. Entrance to the Women's Expo is free to the public.

Part of the proceeds of this year's event will go to the full radiation treatment of 20 indigent cervical cancer patients and the screening for cervical cancer of 1,000 indigent patients at the Dr. Jose Reyes Memorial Medical Center, in cooperation with Carewell Foundation. One full radiation treatment is P20,000, while screening is at P130 per patient.

The event will also benefit breast cancer patients. Pinay In Action will donate funds to the I Can Serve Foundation for the purchase of DVD players and instructional videos, which will be distributed to different barangays all over the country to raise awareness on breast cancer. Each P1,000 donation by race participants to I Can Serve will be matched with the same amount of donation by Pinay In Action.