THE Cebu Federation of Beat Journalists (CFBJ) and Aboitiz Power have joined hands for the staging of the 2025 Power Dash Run, which is scheduled to fire off on Nov. 8, 2025, at Robinson’s Galleria in the North Reclamation Area, Cebu City.
Now on its second year, the CFBJ-organized run will be dubbed as the “CFBJ Power Dash - Powered by Therma Visayas, Inc.”, as Aboitiz Power has come on board as an official partner in the effort to further expand the competition.
Previously known as the “Press Freedom Run,” the event used to be part of the Cebu Press Freedom Week celebration held every September, but organizers decided to move its staging to a later date due to the increasing number of running events in Cebu City.
CFBJ officials, led by its president Arnold Bustamante and vice president Calvin Cordova, together with Aboitiz Power Corporate Affairs Manager Jean Karl “JK” Huyatid and race director Joel Juarez of Coco Running, formally launched the event at Waterfront Lahug Hotel and Casino on Tuesday, Aug. 26.
The race features four categories: the 21K with a registration fee of P1,400; 15K (P1,200); 10K (P1,000); and 5K (P800).
Cash prizes await the top three winners in each category, along with singlets, race bibs, raffle entries, post-race meals, finisher’s shirts, and medals for all participants.
The top three in the 21-kilometer distance will get P4,000, P3,000, and P2,000, respectively, while the top 15K finishers will receive P3,000, P2,000, P1,500. In the 10K category, prizes of P2,000, P1,500, P1,000 are at stake.
Bustamante expressed excitement over this year’s enhanced version of the race, which will cover a longer route compared to last year.
“We came back because many of our fellow citizens love endurance through running. And we saw that this will surely be welcomed by Cebuanos and neighboring communities. Hopefully, this second version of our fun run, now supported by Aboitiz Power, will be well-attended,” said Bustamante.
For Huyatid, the partnership goes beyond sports, as it serves as a platform to raise awareness about the shift in the energy sector toward more sustainable sources.
“Just like a race nga naay (that has a) start and end point, usually dili ra kadto ang naa sa atong huna-huna (that’s not the only thing we think about) when we run. We think about how to prepare, how conditioned and ready we are. Similar to the context of our country’s energy transition journey, it’s not just point A and point B on our minds,” said Huyatid.
“The journey in between requires much thought to ensure that our energy transition to a greener energy mix is also one that balances energy security and affordability. And just like running, we need to do it at a sustainable pace,” Huyatid further explained. / JBM