Bag sellers steal limelight in PhilHealth run

FOURTEEN-year-olds Lilia Rosa Yatar and Cherry Doronilla didn’t mind selling plastic sando bags at the Baguio City Market just to join the PhilHealth-DOH Nationwide Run 2013 held Sunday at the Burnham Park lake drive.

And their efforts paid off with Yatar topping the 3-kilometer adult division, while Doronilla placed third in the 5-kilometer run as they went home with a cash prize of P3,000 and P2,000, respectively.

“We sold plastic bags from the market where we used our P30 allowance just to join the race,” said the sophomore duo at the Baguio City National High School where they also won a running event in Dagupan early this year by selling plastic bags.

Some 4,550 runners from all over answered the starting gun Sunday morning with Philippine Athletic team Julius Sermona topping the 18 kilometer run with a time of one hour, eight minutes and 42 seconds.

Placing second is SEAG multi medalist Eduardo Buenavista with a time of one hour, 11 minutes and 25 seconds, while Baguio boy Joel Bengtay came in third with a time of one hour, 13 minutes and 30 seconds.

The distaff side saw former Philippine team Cristabel Martes finishing first with a time of 1:18’09, while Baguio girl Mercy Taypoc and Itogon’s Gretchen Felipe finishing second and third, respectively, with a time of 1:19’23 and 1:20’49.

University of the Cordillera’s Cesar Castaneto won the 10-kilometer event with a time of 34 minutes with Hernane Sore of the University of Baguio finishing second with a time of 34’03, while Arnold Galap came in third finishing the course with a time of 36 minutes and 18 seconds.

Mary Grace Santos topped the distaff side with a time of 41 minutes while Mirasol Abad and Nimfa Montecino finished second and third with a time of 43’51 and 47’34, respectively.

The 5k male division saw Erwin Generalo and Johan Caido sharing the top honors with an identical time of 13’59 as Aldrin seno and Marson Tarcelo finished second with a time of 14’01 while Christian Mark Garcia finished third after clocking in 14’11.

Divina Kitongan had a time of 16’13 to top the female 5k division, while Agustina Anganayon and Doronilla came in second and third respectively after checking in at 16’22 and 16’40 in exact order.

Kevin Yagin won the 3k adult with a time of 12 minutes and 36 seconds with John Frey Opendo and Reymark Quesada were second and third, respectively.

Yatar was the fastest in the female side with a time of 23 minutes and 28 seconds as Melva Cawid and Carol Mamaradlo checking in second and third, respectively.

The kiddies 3k division was ruled by the Lorana brothers as the older Yussef finishing first with a time of 19 minutes and 49 seconds as Hussein and Hassan finished second and third, while Gerimae Morillo topped the female side with a time of 23’39 followed by Trishan Badua and Christine Ann Taruc.