RUN FOR DOLPHINS

Introduction

Condura's advocacy comes two-fold – running and the marine environment. Running is a sport every Filipino could easily prepare for and participate in, and the marine environment is a trove of infinitely many treasures – a rich diversity of aquatic life.

Condura passionately advocates the progress and development of both running and the marine environment. On the first Condura Run, funds were raised to help the Tubbataha Reef. On the second, for the whale sharks of Donsol. This year, the Condura Run is for the dolphins of Bohol, where P50 from each paying registrant plus any excess funds from the race will go to rehabilitate the Baclayon pier and build a floating wharf. Within the span of three years, Condura set high standards in organizing running events and, at the same time, help in the conservation of marine life, one race at a time.

Advocacy

Pamilacan: Paradise Lost, Paradise Found

BOHOL – About 10 miles across the sea from Tagbilaran City is Pamilacan Island. Raw, unspoiled, and remote, it has pristine white beaches with ruins of an old fortress by the cliffs. Like a purer, smaller Corregidor, only less scarred and bereft of the traces of a ravaging war.

If you're lucky to ferry across the sea at daybreak or dusk, you'll witness an assortment of marine creatures frolicking by the waves. Dolphins, whales, whale sharks, and manta rays make this sea between mainland Bohol and Pamilacan Island a bustling marine playground.

Pamilacan Island is a dolphin haven. As a midway point between two giant bodies of water, Pamilacan is where the currents converge, making it a fitting place for marine creatures to rest after long journeys across the oceans. The tropical climate makes the waters warm and conducive for spawning and breeding.

The rustic, serene beauty of Pamilacan lies in its seclusion. Untouched by any form of commercial development, a visitor would be warmly welcomed by warm smiles of the island’s hospitable folk. The children guilelessly frolic by the white sand beach and the townsfolk warmly welcome every tourist entering their humble abode.

One would be ferried across the sea by old fishing boats converted into passenger boats that could fit twenty to thirty people. It was barely two years ago since the community turned around from one that thrived on killing whales, manta rays, and other non-fish marine creatures into one that made a living out of protecting them. Poverty paralyzed their options back then, until opportunities were made possible to them. Pamilacan – named after the Visayan word for hook (pamilac) – made its inhabitants cling on to survival, by hook or by crook, during its whalehunting days.

“We've been provided alternative livelihood – like us women, we were trained by the spa association,” Nemesia Pingkian, a native of Pamilacan Island and head of the community cooperative, says. “Prior to the changes in Baclayon, our women weren't this productive. Now they are skilled – some give massages, some serve food to tourists.”

The changes Nemesia mentioned, of course, pertains to the initiatives started by the World Wildlife Fund some years ago, and then the immersion of the Bezo Recreational and Aquatic Activities for Bohol (BRAA BO) led by passionate ecotourism advocates Joel Uichico and Bea Zobel Jr. Eventually, the municipal government saw the need in conserving their greatest underwater treasures, and initiated alternative livelihood programs to uplift the women's standing in the community and to wean the whalehunting men from killing whales.

“In this island, there are two groups of people. First, the elderly – those who are adamantly for the whale-hunting. My father is one of them. The younger ones – us, and our children, who are more open and embracing of the greater opportunities tourism have for us,” she explains.

Their openness yielded towards their putting a premium on education for their children, even if it meant that they had to cross 10 miles across the sea in case a teacher couldn't come over to Pamilacan to teach.

Private Initiative and Local Government Support

The past decade has seen Bohol develop into a bustling tourist destination. The pristine beaches of Panglao Island have been the hotspot, but if one was to explore Bohol, there are still so many raw, unspoilt beaches and an array of marine wildlife to enjoy watching.

Joel, who is currently based in Baclayon in Bohol, has been spearheading efforts in the conservation of marine wildlife for the past two years.

“It was hard at first, I must say we've come a long way since two years ago,” Joel shares. He and Bea, staunch advocate of the arts and tourism, came to Bohol two years ago and saw the great potential of the place – Baclayon in particular – to attract tourists. It all started when Bea, who has been working with culture and arts advocate Ino Manalo in the Metropolitan Museum of Manila, took a trip to Bohol to save ancestral homes in Baclayon from a road-widening project. The trip proved to be an eye-opener, and snowballed from there on.

Soon enough, the hands-on Joel immersed himself in the community, worked with the local government and the townsfolk. Baclayon's mayor, Atty. Alvin Uy, along with the members of the Sangguniang Bayan, have long embraced Bea and Joel's initiative to gradually convert Baclayon from a town thriving on stingray and whale-hunting into a tourist hotspot where at daybreak, dolphins would be frolicking in the waters.

“I'm grateful that the town is pillared by a dynamic local government,” Atty. Uy shares. “They're all quite enthusiastic, very open and for- ward-looking.”

The local government's Sangguniang Bayan goes through a regular quorum regarding municipal ordinan-ces. One of the ordinances called for a more aggressive approach in protecting the dolphins Baclayon is gradually getting known for, including the accreditation of the old fishing boats to be converted into tourist boats – where they have to queue in order not to disturb the natural underwater traffic.

“In gradually transforming Bacla-yon from a whale, dolphin, and manta ray hunting town to a tourism-driven one, alternative means of livelihood has to be offered to the townsfolk,” Vice-Mayor Marilyn Uy says.

Whatever the alternative means were, could be found in the island across the sea where the dolphins dance at daybreak.

Conservation Efforts

Despite the efforts of Baclayon, there is still so much left to do. Sometimes, the hardier whale-hunters still dare to cross the sea and hunt the very creatures Baclayon aims to protect. The sea between Baclayon and Pamilacan Island is unprotected and unguarded.

“That's why with the Condura Run's initiative to save the dolphins of Baclayon, Bohol, and with the percentage of the registration fee allotted for the dolphins, we are giving the Condura group the authority to use the money to purchase materials for a floating wharf to protect the dolphins – and other marine creatures as well,” Vice-Mayor Uy says.

Through this floating wharf, unregistered boats will not be able to pass through the protected areas, keeping the nesting grounds safe.

“We used to kill the dolphins for livelihood,” a former dolphin and whale hunter candidly confesses. “But now, we are making a livelihood out of keeping them alive.”

The first paradigm shift has come full circle. In opening the eyes of the townsfolk of Baclayon and Pamilacan Island, the job is far from over. The real challenge begins – which is to bring in the tourists. Seeing dolphins jump guilelessly over the waves – in flocks – is worth a flight to Bohol, along with the warm, hospitable welcome of the Baclayanons. In the midst of the turmoils of poverty and unrest, sometimes, one forgets what an incredibly beautiful country we have.

Running to make a difference

As simple as it may sound, Condura Run Founder and Chief Event Officer Ton Concepcion says that the benefits of running inspired him to start up the race. “I was 50 pounds overweight because of my wife Karen and mother-in-law’s cooking. Fortunately, Karen and my trainer Noel Rulloda led me to the path of healthy living. I lost thirty pounds and was eventually able to join my first ten-kilometer race in 2003. Running has given me so much in terms of living a happy, healthy and balanced life. For me, it is the best way to de-stress. All my best ideas come after a nice run.

The idea of staging a race remained in the bucket list until in 2005 when Ton, also an avid scuba diver, dove Tubbataha and met Angelique Songco, the park ranger there. “I was so impressed with the natural beauty of the reef. But I was even more impressed by the sacrifice of the park rangers who would spend six months at sea in a deserted sandbar. They would subsist with the most meager of resources to protect the reef. I promised Angelique that I would help her. And this ignited the spark that led to the first Condura Run.”

However, it would take two more years to realize the dream. Ton wanted to make the Condura Run special. He went to New York City in 2007 to run the ING-NYC Marathon and study how a world-class run is staged. “NYC was a fantastic experience. I felt like an Olympian for a day. The crowd was awesome and the organization was superb”. I felt so much pride and joy crossing the finish line. I wanted to bring home the same feeling to runners in the Philippines. And on that chilly sunny autumn day, the Condura Run was born.

The Condura Run for Tubbataha kicked off in 2008. About 2,000 runners joined, enabling Condura to raise 100,000 pesos to purchase communication equipment for Tubbataha. The second run was in 2009 for the whale sharks of Donsol in partnership with ABS-CBN Foundation’s Bantay Kalikasan, and raised 306,350 pesos for Barangay Girawan in Donsol – to build their eco-tourism projects. This time around, with 8,500 runners, a projected 400,000 pesos will be raised to promote Bohol ecotourism and build a floating wharf for dolphin watching. This project is in partnership with the local government of Baclayon, Bezo Recreational and Aquatic Activities for Bohol, and the Ayala Foundation.

The series of Condura Run events has generated close to one million pesos for its beneficiaries. But beyond that, it has raised public awareness on the beauty of the Philippine marine environment and the need to protect it. “My mission is to inspire people to run while saving the environment by having the most positively memorable race experience ever. Everyone gets a finishers' medal in this race. Everyone is a winner. Every runner is a star. Through running, you are making a positive difference in your life and making the Philippines a better place, one step at a time,” Ton muses.

Ton constantly raises the bar and has ran seven marathons here and abroad to make the Condura Run the premier running event in the country. “In three years, Condura has come a long way. From 10k to 21k, and this year, we are very proud to launch our 42.195km full marathon on the Skyway. I am very thankful to Chito Borromeo and Ed Nepomuceno of Skyway and Ayin Fabian and Jun Galvez of Bonifacio Estates. I also have a very capable team led by Vic Pielago of Condura, project director Princess Galura, and race director Rudy Biscocho. But I am most thankful to my brother Patrick, whose passion for running inspired,” Ton says.

Part of Ton's vision is to make the Condura Run an international run meant to promote eco-sports tourism. “I would like people from abroad to run, then after, go to the place that they ran for – like Bohol – how cool is that? Because of this, I realized that I love to organize a race. I love the challenge of putting up a local race up to par with international races. It's quite stressful but a lot of fun. I love making runners happy,” he says. “The ironic thing is that I'm so busy organizing the Condura Run – so busy that I couldn't run my own race. So, my only wish for now is to run the Condura Run!”