Vermosa Green Run 2025 cites gains made in sports, animal welfare and environmental sustainability

Wazzup Pilipinas!?

The fourth edition of the Vermosa Green Run is set to gun off on Sunday, June 29 at the 750-hectare Vermosa Estate in Imus, Cavite with the 21K category leading the way at 4:30 a.m,.

Following closely are the 10K category that starts at 5:00 a.m., the 5K and 3K categories at 5:30 a.m. and the 1K Dog Run at 7 a.m. The event is presented by AyalaLand Estates and Vermosa in partnership with Pinoy Fitness.

Four years since its inaugural run in July 2022, the Green Run has made its impact felt in the areas of its advocacies.

Starting off with a focused support of the environment and an advocacy for an active lifestyle in the wake of the pandemic that year, the Green Run chose the Haribon Foundation as its first beneficiary and spearheaded a high-energy return to foot races after a two-year hiatus.

Since then, the multi-level run has been staged yearly, attracting serious, leisure, aspiring and elite runners to the great outdoors of Vermosa Estate. It continues to push for an active lifestyle, the environment and sustainability, and now also champions youth sports and animal welfare. Vermosa Green Run participants have grown steadily each year, with 1,200 runners breaking out in 2022 to nearly 3000 signing up in 2025.

This year, the Green Run is inviting both runners and guests to be actively involved in sustainability by bringing their used plastics to the Run. The plastics will be recycled and converted by Ayala Land Estates, Inc. and the Makati Development Corporation (MDC) into sustainable construction materials like fillers for concrete and asphalt and other concrete aggregates that will build “green” sidewalks and fences in support of Ayala Land’s green development initiatives. Participants that donate will get a discounted rate on their Green Run registration.

The Haribon Foundation continues to be a Green Run beneficiary on its fourth year as Vermosa Estate and Ayala Land sustain the planting and adoption of seedlings and saplings that continue to grow at the Kaliwa River Forest Reserve in Barangay San Andres, Tanay Rizal.

For the third straight year, the Green Run pushes hard for the Pawssion Project, a non-profit organization that rescues, rehabilitates and rehomes stray animals. The Green Run continues to create greater awareness about animal welfare as it continues to support dogs in the organization that has to date already made over 2,000 rescues, 1,000 re-homed and provided 600 shelters for homeless dogs and cats.

Its support of young athletes from Takbo Kabitenyo, a non-profit organization for young runners from Cavite, also shows progressive results.

“Some of our young runners have consistently landed podium finishes at school-level, city, and provincial competitions. These achievements are a reflection not only of their talent but also of the discipline and dedication they’ve cultivated through training, and we thank Vermosa for allowing us to use their excellent sports facilities that provide our athletes with the competitive edge,” said Takbo Kabitenyo president Noel Diaz.

Diaz cites the standout stories of Vince John Marzo, a college student who ran with the relay team that won Bronze Medal in the 4x400m event at the 2025 NCAA Season 100 Track and Field Competition, and John Mark Balogo, who may get a spot in the National Track and Field Team after placing second in the 5000m final event within the same NCAA season.

“While most of our success stories are still at the local and regional levels, we’re laying the groundwork for future participation in national and international competitions. We’re excited for what’s ahead and grateful for the opportunity to help these young talents shine on bigger stages through their training in the best possible environment,” Diaz said.

Japan Unveils Saltwater-Soluble Plastic That Could Revolutionize the Fight Against Ocean Pollution

Wazzup Pilipinas!?

In a dramatic leap toward ending one of humanity’s most devastating environmental crises, a team of brilliant Japanese scientists has developed a revolutionary plastic that vanishes in saltwater—ushering in a potential new era where ocean pollution might no longer be synonymous with plastic waste.

This cutting-edge innovation, born from a collaboration between the RIKEN Center for Emergent Matter Science and the University of Tokyo, isn’t just another eco-friendly gimmick—it’s a molecularly engineered marvel designed to dismantle the very structure of our plastic problem.

A Smart Plastic with a Secret Superpower

Unlike traditional plastics that stubbornly persist for centuries, choking marine life and accumulating as deadly microplastics, this new material is engineered to disappear—gracefully and completely—once it meets the ocean.

At the heart of this scientific breakthrough is a supramolecular structure: two ionic monomers—one based on sodium hexametaphosphate (commonly used as a food additive), and another based on guanidinium ions—bonded together by reversible salt bridges. These salt-based connections form a sturdy material during use, but cleverly unravel when exposed to saline environments like seawater.

In the lab, this plastic began to degrade within hours of seawater exposure. In soil, it fully disintegrated within just ten days—without leaving behind even a trace of harmful microplastics.

Strong as Plastic. Smarter than Plastic.

What makes this innovation so game-changing is that it doesn’t sacrifice strength for sustainability. This ocean-friendly plastic boasts the same mechanical strength and processability as its petroleum-based counterparts. It can be molded, shaped, and used for conventional applications—from food packaging to disposable consumer goods—without compromising on performance.

And when its useful life is over, it doesn’t end up as another plastic relic haunting the ocean floor or floating endlessly in gyres. Instead, it dissolves, deconstructs, and transforms into reusable, harmless components.

The End of Microplastics?

For decades, the bane of plastic waste hasn’t just been the visible trash that litters coastlines, but the invisible enemy—microplastics that infiltrate our food chain, water supply, and even human bodies. This new material completely sidesteps that threat. Rather than breaking into smaller pieces, it degrades into its original monomers, which are not only non-toxic but potentially recyclable.

A Tidal Shift in Global Packaging

The implications are staggering. If scaled for mass production, this new class of degradable plastics could replace millions of tons of single-use plastics currently polluting the world’s waterways. The researchers envision a future where food wrappers, storage containers, and packaging materials made from this plastic serve their purpose and then safely disappear into nature, leaving no ecological scars.

Already, global environmental advocates and green tech investors are hailing this as a landmark innovation—one that could offer the world a powerful tool in the race to clean up our oceans and protect marine biodiversity.

A Glimmer of Hope in a Plastic-Scarred World

In a world producing over 400 million tons of plastic annually, with at least 14 million tons ending up in oceans each year, this Japanese invention is not just science—it’s salvation. It’s the type of transformative leap that doesn’t come along often, and it couldn’t have arrived at a more urgent time.

While challenges remain—such as mass-scale production, cost efficiency, and industrial integration—the blueprint is clear. With further development and global support, the tides may finally be turning in favor of a cleaner, smarter, and plastic-pollution-free future.

Japan has gifted the world with much—from technology to culture. But this new saltwater-soluble plastic may be its most vital contribution yet—a molecular lifeline tossed into a drowning world.

PBBM bats for more support to schools as DepEd ramps up reforms

 

Wazzup Pilipinas!?

As public schools reopened nationwide for School Year 2025–2026, the Department of Education (DepEd) assured the public that it is taking concrete steps to address longstanding problems in basic education, even as it delivered a smoother and safer class opening across the country.  

President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. and Education Secretary Sonny Angara led school visits in Bulacan and Quezon City to monitor preparations and highlight the administration’s efforts to improve school facilities, electrification, and learner support. 

“We’re making sure na may kuryente lahat, may tubig lahat. ‘Yun ang mga basic services na makita natin para naman maging maayos ang pag-aaral ng ating kabataan,” President Marcos said during the school opening in Quezon City. 

Secretary Angara also conducted site visits in Taguig City, Laguna, and Agusan del Norte, including the energization of Datu Saldong Elementary School, a remote campus previously without electricity. 

“There are only 46 students, pero meron silang problema sa absences because children are distracted. Pero noong kinabit nila ang kuryente noong Lunes, ayaw na umuwi ng mga bata. It just shows that if we can engage our students, we can really do a lot for our people,” Angara shared.  

The Education Chief also led the inauguration of a new Alternative Learning System–Community Learning Center (ALS-CLC) in Buenavista, Agusan del Norte, reaffirming DepEd’s commitment to accessible, flexible education for all learners, including those outside the formal school system. 

Across the country, DepEd reported a largely peaceful and organized opening of classes, following extensive coordination with local government units, regional offices, and partner agencies. Among the new support programs rolled out this year is the CLASS+ (Clinics for Learners’ Access to School-health Services Plus) initiative which provides public school learners and teachers with direct access to health services that were once difficult or costly to reach. 

Reforms underway 

Still, DepEd acknowledged the urgent need to confront persistent education challenges. In Naic, Cavite, around 1,800 students continue to attend classes in makeshift structures due to overcrowding and a shortage of classroom space. In Eastern Visayas and other regions, the lack of licensed guidance counselors has made it harder to address cases of bullying and provide mental health support. Flooding remains a recurring issue in low-lying schools in Bulacan, Pampanga, and Pangasinan, disrupting classes and damaging learning materials. 

To ease classroom congestion, DepEd is working with the private sector to build more than 15,000 new classrooms by 2027. New school buildings are also being designed to withstand natural disasters, including multi-storey structures with open ground floors to prevent damage from flooding. 

To boost student well-being, the Department is strengthening Child Protection Committees and recruiting more School Counselor Associates and Division Counselors. Angara emphasized that mental health is now a central concern in education policy. 

Meanwhile, all 1.4 million kindergarten learners are now covered by the expanded School-Based Feeding Program, up from just 360,000 in the previous year. 

DepEd also confirmed that 884,790 teaching positions had been filled as of June 15, ensuring that public schools are fully staffed as in-person learning resumes. The Department of Budget and Management (DBM) also recently reported that it recently completed the approval of the 20,000 teaching items requested by DepEd for 2025. 

“Education is not just about opening schools,” Angara said. “It’s about making sure that every classroom is equipped, every teacher supported, and every child given a real chance to learn. That means confronting these issues head-on—flooding, congestion, mental health, access—and working with everyone to solve them.” 

With the school year now underway, DepEd vowed to accelerate reforms and inter-agency coordination, aiming to deliver not just a successful opening week but a truly responsive education system throughout the year.