BAYAMBANG — A splash of different neon colors lit up the Bayambang Municipal Plaza during the Balon Bayambang Blacklight Run 2018 that was organized by the Local Government Unit of Bayambang in cooperation with LVRAGE Events, Trainings and Business Solutions Inc.

More than 1,300 Bayambangueños and visitors from other towns participated in a night filled with fun, music, laughter, and of course, glow-in-the-dark colors as they enjoyed a 4-kilometer run with their family and friends around the Poblacion area in the second year of the Bayambang Color Run.

“Kami po, sa pamumuno po ng ating mahal na Mayor, Dr. Cezar T. Quiambao, ay nagpapasalamat sa inyong lahat dahil po sa inyong pakikiisa,” Vice Mayor Raul R. Sabangan said as he welcomed the runners. He also explained that the activity was aimed at promoting health and wellness among Bayambangueños in a fun way.

The innovative fun run was also held for a noble cause, he added. Indeed, according to the organizers led by Information and Communications Technology (ICT) Office Head Carmela Atienza and Municipal Physical Fitness and Sports Development Council Executive Director Prof. Bernardo Jimenez, funds collected through the project will go towards the purchase of equipment which will be used for the Abong na Aro or House of Love, a project being spearheaded by the Local Council of Women and the Team Quiambao-Sabangan to provide shelter for abused and battered women and children.

The celebration is also another way of putting Bayambang in the map in terms of promotion of recreational endeavors.

After being splattered with water and different hues of powder, the Most Colorful Male Runner, Most Colorful Female Runner, Most Active Barkada, and the Most Colorful Couple were named. And to make the night more magical and memorable, a proposal between the most colorful couple took place on stage. The engagement was just one of the many surprises that were in store for the participants. Items from Vivo such as smartphones accessories were also given away to the winners of the different categories and to those who won the dance showdown. Bayambangueños showed their skills in entertaining the crowd as they danced to the latest songs with their family and friends.

In cooperation with the Philippine National Police under OIC Chief PSupt Fidel D.G. Junio and Bureau of Fire Protection under SFO3 Raymond C. Palisoc, officers and staff from Rural Health Units 1 and 2, the Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office, Public Order and Safety Office, Municipal Tourism Office, ICT Office, and Public Information Office were also present to assist and to ensure the safety of the runners. The LGU team was led by Municipal Chief of Staff and Legal Officer Atty. Raymundo B. Bautista Jr.

Among those spotted in the pack of runners are Councilor Joseph Vincent Ramos, Councilor Philip Dumalanta, SK Federation President Gabriel Tristan Fernandez and fellow SK officers, Binibining Bayambang 2018 Gabrielle Reloza and other fellow Binibinis, LGU employees, and several DepEd teachers.

The event was originally slated on October 30 but was postponed to November 2 due to Typhoon Rosita, but as promised, the organizers still delivered with excitement from the very beginning to the end. The interplay of black (UV) lights and the splattering of bright-hued powders took care of providing novelty on the visual side, while an energetic band and equally hyperactive DJs sustained the electric energy of the runners until the conclusion of the event.

“Sa oras na ito, napaka-ganda po ng pinapakita nating senyales, senyales na ang Balon Bayambang ay nagkakaisa para sa ikabubuti at ikauunlad ng bayan ng Bayambang,” Vice Mayor Sabangan remarked.

The Balon Bayambang Black Light Run 2018 is truly the color run never before seen and experienced in Bayambang, giving a wholesome kind of high to the youth and not-so-young alike. And it was all made possible through the initiative of the LGU headed by the Quiambao-Sabangan administration, including the Sangguniang Kabataan Federation and in cooperation with Kasama Kita sa Barangay Foundation, Inc. (Bayambang PIO/Media Affairs)