THREE RUNNING EVENTS MARK TEAM MALAYA’S BUSY ENVIRONMENT’S MONTH SKED

June 24, 2025 Community Billboard

WINNERS AND ROUTE. A group photo of the winners of the 21 Kilometer category of the Rice Terraces Marathon last June 8, The winners in the 21 K portion are Eco Villamor (2:01:35) and Jovelyn Dulnuan, who took the 21K women’s title with a time of 3:12:03, occupy the top podium. Joross Rosendo (2:19:50) and Cariza Sotalbo (3:30:33), while Menard Balangue Batulay (2:27:16) and Jennifer Barlis (3:30:36), wound up second and third placers, respectively. Runners wade through the rice paddies of the UNESCO recognized Rice Terraces and built by the ancestors of the locals who are also some of the country’s best wood carvers. The Team Lakay mural at the Baguio athletic bowl will serve as start and finish line of the Founders Run that will culminate the busy June of Team Malaya. The mural is one of those commissioned by Heroes which co-organizes the Founders Run.

Photos by Migz On-onod and Pigeon Lobien

BAGUIO CITY

Three runs that started at the Eighth Wonder of the World, a Marvel Comics/superheroes-inspired event by an exclusive membership club, and another by a group of sports journalists are among the Team Malaya-directed running events during the world celebration of the environment this month. With the June 8 11th Rice Terraces Marathon won by a local runner, the Baguio Country Club’s Cosplay Run on June 22, and the Founders Run of the Media for Sports Development and e-Pub Heroes on June 29, Team Malaya is clearly dominating Cordillera running. Team Malaya race director Stephen Felices said that they direct running events even in areas outside of the Cordillera, including in Subic and Metro Manila.

“We have undergone trainings conducted by the Philippine Sports Commission,” said Felices, who helped manage the three-run Baguio leg of the Hoka Run last year. “We have nearly a full house for this June and again on July,” he added before accepting the RD role for the Founders Run earlier this month. Hungduan’s Rice Terraces Winners The Hungduan run’s 42K category was headlined by Jonathan Ballogan of Ifugao’s Haggiyo Trail Runners (IHTR), who clocked 4:08:46. Ballogan finished the run with a 15-minute advantage over Metro Manila’s Dennies Lajada (4:24:32).

Ralph Liza secured third in 4:52:03 and trailed Lajada by around 28 minutes. Sagada, Mountain Province runner Fely Igid Layagan was timed 6:09:01 to claim the distaff side title. It was a dominant performance for the Sagada native whose nearest pursuer was 1:27 behind. Mylene Grace Torrado finished the race at 7:36:20 and was followed by Fiona Ilagan, who clocked 9:48:35—three hours and 39 minutes behind. The winners in the 21K portion are Eco Villamor (2:01:35), Joross Rosendo (2:19:50), and Menard Balangue Batulay (2:27:16) as first, second, and third, respectively. Jovelyn Dulnuan took the 21K women’s title with a time of 3:12:03. Cariza Sotalbo (3:30:33) and Jennifer Barlis (3:30:36) wound up second and third placers, respectively.

Bancilo Swaggert of Tabuk, Kalinga, claimed the top podium of the 12K male with a time of 1:03:30. He was followed by John Lloyd Dulnuan (1:09:46) and Roderick Hunnob (1:20:28). The 12K female podium finishers are: Irene Buyuccan of Team IHTR with a time of
1:27:50, Regine Aragon (1:31:18) and Makeda Young (1:31:49). Felices said that the run, organized by Team Malaya, in partnership with The Mountain Men Creations, the Department of Tourism – Cordillera and Hungduan Tourism Office, is “a banner activity for promoting
sports tourism in the region while supporting the localCommunities of Hungduan and beyond.

Cosplay Run
Felices said the BCC-led Cosplay Run today is a 1.5K, 3K, 5K, 10K, and 16K running event, with the shortest route as a canicross (with dog). It will also have special awards like Best Dressed Hero, Cutest Young Avenger, Dynamic Hero Squad (Best Group), and Heroic Heart Award.

Founders Run and Team Lakay
The Founders Run with University of the Cordilleras scion and councilor-elect Paolo Salvosa will culminate the June runs directed by Felices, one of the three accredited race directors by the city. Salvosa, who takes office the next day, said that proceeds will go to the hosting of this year’s Baguio Benguet Educational Athletic League and fund the ongoing Heroes Wall of Fame mural project at the Baguio athletic bowl, which will serve as the start and finish line.

In fact, the run will start in front of the Team Lakay mural at said sports facility, which includes coach Mark Sangiao and former ONE flyweight champion Geje Eustaquio, along with their former stablemates—now Lions Nation’s Eduard Folayang (former ONE lightweight king), Honorio Banario (former ONE featherweight champion), Kevin Belingon (former ONE bantamweight king), and current strawweight title holder Joshua Pacio.

Team Malaya looks forward to September 7 for the Yamashita Last Stand, also in Hungduan, to commemorate the 61 years since the Tiger of Malaya’s surrender to American and Filipino forces. Yamashita ran to Kiangan, Ifugao after abandoning Baguio, and on September 2, he formally surrendered and was ferried to Baguio where he was tried at the U.S. Ambassador’s House in Camp John Hay. He was executed on February 23, 1946, in Los Baños, Laguna, for his war crimes.

Pigeon Lobien/ABN