TAKING their commitment for social inclusion further, Allianz Philippines recently announced that they will be supporting the push of young Aeta athletes to be part of the national training pool for obstacle course racing (OCR).
A thrust that started late last year when the insurance company brought 25 Aetas to join its Conquer Challenge event in Clark, Pampanga, Allianz had five Aeta youths in the Allianz OCR Sunday on March 31 where they got the chance to vie for a spot in the OCR national team that is set to compete, among others, in the Southeast Asian Games later this year in the country.
It was a tough race for the five Aeta youths — Gellyann B. Soria, 17, Ivy O. Pelayo, 16, Danilo B. Yugyug, 19, Miracle D. Lansang, 21, and Jacob D. King, 22 — of Villa Maria Integrated School (VMIS) in Porac, Pampanga, as they competed for the 5K Elite Male and Female categories in the recent Allianz OCR Sunday held at Filinvest, Alabang.
Yugyug finished without penalty in the top 15 of the race composed of 20 obstacles. Official results of the whole race were to be available yesterday, organizers said. A participant needs to land in the top 5 to secure a slot in the national team.
Allianz said that it hopes through such an effort it gets to do its part in helping improve lives of others not only as athletes but also as individuals.
“Allianz is supporting the quest of the five Aeta youth from Villa Maria in Pampanga to be part of the national team pool. We are not putting a timetable, but what’s important as of this point is they get the training they need. We are giving them a chance to excel in the sport and the life skills to discover new opportunities along the way,” said Allianz Philippines chief marketing officer Gae Martinez.
If fortunate to be a part of the national team, members will be provided with trainings here and abroad. The team is currently training at Pretty Huge Obstacles, Asia’s first and largest multi-level obstacle sports facility with a 2,000 sq.m. floor area located at the Civic Center, SM Aura Premier in BGC, Taguig. — Michael Angelo S. Murillo
