Written by the Web Team
An advocacy run that aims to increase awareness on eating healthier forms of rice was held at the UP Diliman Academic Oval, Nov. 24, to help the Yolanda survivors.
Regions I, IV-A, IX, XII, and ARMM also conducted simultaneous runs dubbed as Run4Rice:Run to be Riceponsible in celebration of the National Rice Awareness Month spearheaded by the Department of Agriculture and the Philippine Rice Research Institute.
“A significant portion of the registration fees will be given to the calamity survivors in Leyte, Bohol, and Cebu, and to those who were affected by the siege in Zamboanga, where we launched the National Year of Rice (NYR) in the Visayas. We also want to reach out to the rice farmers in these areas,” Hazel V. Antonio, NYR campaign director, said.
The advocacy runs aim to promote the benefits of eating brown rice and rice mixes, which based on studies, contain more nutrients than plain rice.
Eating brown rice may reduce the incidence of cardiovascular diseases, cancer, and diabetes. Meanwhile, rice mixed with saba, kamote, or adlai has more dietary fiber, potassium, and vitamins A, B6, and C than white rice alone.
The Run4Rice at UP Diliman featured 2k and 5k-distance categories with a registration fee of P150 and P250, respectively.
First 50 finishers received 5-10 kg of brown rice while top three runners received additional cash prizes and freebies from the sponsors.
