STRIDE FOR SAFETY

Takbo Babae 2025 turned a simple fun run into a safe space for solidarity, strength, and real conversations.

- By KLEO AMOYO

While some were just getting home from a night out or clocking out from the evening shift, I was already wide-awake at 2 a.m. on a Sunday, buzzing with anticipation. The sky was still navy blue as I made my way to the UP Diliman Academic Oval for Takbo Babae 2025: Run Now to End Violence Against Women (VAW).

Ordinarily, you'd never catch me waking up this early for a weekend run. But this one felt different. It was a movement; the kind of morning where you show up and sweat for something bigger than yourself.

WHY WE RUN

Despite the 4:30 a.m. call-time, the turnout was nothing short of inspiring. Women, men, kids, students, professionals—even entire families—gathered in the still-dark campus, ready to run for a cause that matters to them. Each runner received two bibs: one with a race number, and another with a question that hit right at the heart of it all: "Para kanino ka tumatakbo?"

The answers were raw, personal, and deeply moving: "Para sa aking batang sarili." "Para sa mga Filipina journalists." "Para sa karapatan, kalayaan, at kinabukasan ng bawat babae."

These handwritten messages were declarations. Worn close to the heart, they reminded everyone exactly why they showed up.

Organized by the UP Diliman Gender Office, GABRIELA National Alliance of Filipino Women, UP Delta Lambda Sigma Sorority, GABRIELA Youth, and the Quezon City Gender and Development Council, the run aimed to raise awareness about VAW, a crisis that demands urgent, sustained attention.