I RUN FOR INTEGRITY on the 12th of December 2015

The historic running event for integrity takes off in December, and this is my second time to join an event for a cause. 

With the goal of making integrity everyone’s concern and part of daily life, the Integrity Initiative - spearheaded by the Makati Business Club, the European Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines (ECCP), the American Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines (AMCHAM), the Management Association of the Philippines (MAP), and Financial Executives of the Philippines (Finex)- is staging a historic run on December 12, 2015 at the CCP Complex, Pasay City.

The “I RUN for Integrity: I am Part of the Solution,” the event calls on all sectors of society to participate in this important step towards building a culture of integrity in the Philippines. It is expected to bring together 5,000 representatives and runners from government, business, youth, civil society, academe, church, and media towards the common goal of being part of the solution in fighting corruption.

The event comes on the heels of the highly successful 2011 and 2012 editions of the run, which united a total of 12,000 runners. ECCP organizes this year’s running event in support of the Integrity Initiative, a private sector-led campaign that aims to promote common ethical standards among all sectors.

Established in 2009 by the Makati Business Club and ECCP, the Integrity Initiative operates on the principle of inclusion and collective action, and works on making the Philippines a leader in promoting an ethical business environment while eliminating negative practices. Since then, a good progress has been made to get the collective action against corruption and unethical business practices going. 2,000 company chief executives, 1,500 DPWH contractors, 42 high government officials, and 140 business organizations have already signified support to the Integrity Initiative and signed the Integrity Pledge. 

Additionally, the Integrity Initiative has rolled-out a unified code of conduct in 2012, and the basic guidelines for ethical business behavior; introduced an online self-assessment tool to all signatories, which can be used to evaluate the areas for improvement in the integrity system within their organization; developed a validation process to validate the ratings from the self-assessment tool and will soon pilot a certification process for businesses.

“While the Integrity Initiative has already accomplished notable milestones, there’s still a lot that needs to be done. One of which is to encourage more engagement from individuals, especially the youth, to act with and uphold the value of integrity. This is why the theme of this year’s run is ‘I RUN for Integrity: I am part of the solution.’ The individual acts of integrity are sure to deliver remarkable collective result in the long run. Participating in the run event is a symbolic gesture of pledging to act with integrity,” said Henry Schumacher, Vice President of ECCP and the Integrity Initiative, Inc. “We expect this event to be another show of force by Filipinos from all walks of life who want to finish victorious over our fight with corruption. With this event, we seek to make integrity everyone’s mission,” Schumacher added.

Runners for the “I Run for Integrity: I am Part of the Solution” can choose to participate in the 3K, 5K, and 10K categories. Registration can be made at Chris’ Sports branches in Glorietta 3, Mall of Asia, Market! Market! and SM Megamall until December 4 only. Late registration is until December 7 or until race kits last at the ECCP office in Makati. Registration fee is at PHP 550, while a group of ten participants can avail of the 10 + 1 package. Accomplished runners get to bring home “I Run for Integrity” finisher shirt, baller band, and tokens from event sponsors. Special prizes also await top finishers of the event.

The “I RUN for Integrity: I am Part of the Solution” event forms part of this year’s Integrity Nation Now campaign of the Integrity Initiative to further solidify their goal of instilling integrity and combating corruption in the country.

In addition to the running event, the Integrity Initiative will also hold the 5^th Integrity Summit on December 9, 2015 at Shangri-la Hotel in Makati City. The summit is expected to gather business leaders, anti-corruption and good governance experts, as well as key representatives from the government, church, youth, academe, and other agencies to continue to highlight the progress of the private sector in promoting ethical standards in business. The summit coincides with the celebration of the International Anti-Corruption Day.  

The “I RUN for Integrity: I am part of the solution” event is made possible through the partnership with GMA, Globaltronics, Meralco, Siemens, De La Salle University, Rappler.com, Development Bank of the Philippines, Convergys, Globe Telecom, Land Bank of the Philippines, Nestle Philippines, Royal Cargo Inc., Shell Companies of the Philippines, The Medical City, Chris Sports, Friedrich Naumann Foundation, League of Cities of the Philippines, Pasay City LGU, Pasay Youth Development Council, and Philippine Institute of Supply Management.

For more information and inquiries, the organizers can be emailed at irunforintegrity@eccp.com.