MALAYSIA HARI MERDEKA VR 2020: "In my blood runs the Wanderlust of the Malays."

 "Dr. Jose Rizal:  The Great Malayan."

Yes. Our Philippine National Hero is referred to as The Great Malayan.  There is even a book of the same title which was written by  National Artist Carlos Quirino.  Dr. Jose Rizal is considered by many as an Icon of the Malay Race.  It is quite interesting to note that in Oct 1-5, 1995, a major international conference was held in Kuala Lumpur to make Malaysians and others more aware of the greatness of Rizal so as to reinforce a kindred spirit among Southeast Asians. The name of the conference is Jose Rizal and the Asian Rennaisance. The conference's  patrons included President Fidel V. Ramos and Dato Seri Dr. Mahathir Mohamad.  

 The opening remarks for the Malaysian sponsored conference on Rizal was delivered by then Deputy Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim. Will be sharing a few quotes from that speech so as to illustrate the sincere admiration and pride the Malaysian leaders have for our National Hero.

"The fact that this conference on Jose Rizal is being held in Kuala Lumpur is testimony to the vast appeal of this man beyond the shores of his homeland.  Certainly for us in Malaysia Jose Rizal is not merely a national hero of the Philippines... He was not only the first Malayan but also the first Asian to set the standards in the struggle to restore human dignity and self respect to subjugated peoples the world over...

True to the spirit of Rizal, for  as he used to say "In my blood runs the wanderlust of the Malays," so must he be commemorated in other parts of the world, be it in Kuala Lumpur, London or Madrid.  This is not a mere exercise in adulation, but a genuine effort to understand and appreciate his contributions, sacrifices and martyrdom, and to draw from them inspiration in our quest for a new awakening of Asia."

Mr. Ibrahim's opening remarks spoke of what made Rizal someone all Malays can and should be proud of.  Much respect for the good people of Malaysia. There is no greater honour that a nation or a people can bestow upon another nation or people than by embracing the National Hero of that people. 

It is in this context that the Bicolano Penguin (BP) embraces the idea of participating robustly in the latest Virtual Takbo of Pinoy Runners Global. This virtual event is Malaysia Hari Merdeka VR 2020 which is scheduled for Aug 28 to Aug 31, 2020.  And this is hosted by  Active Pinoys in Malaysia (APIMY).

Honor thy Flag at the finish. One of the APIMY Barangay Captain is  Jefferlyn Castillano.  

Honor thy Maker at the finish line. The other Barangay Captain of APIMY is Mykel Morales   

Again, thanks to the introduction of PRG's moderator Rona Janowitz, the BP was able to have an interview with two of the founders of APIMY.  Here is the Q&A:

Bicolano Penguin (BP):  When was your group formed?  How many members?

Jefferlyn Castillano (JC):  APIMY started January 2017.  Currently 223 members. Not all active. Iba ibang sports din.  Not just running. 

BP:  Kindly explain how the name of the group came about.

Mykel Morales (MM):    Active Pinoys in Malaysia was an idea of me and Jefferlyn. Since there are many free activities here like monthly community run and  free workout sessions, we plan to to make a small group here so we can share the activities we are joining.  Also to meet some Filipinos that are into these activities as well.   We use "Active" cause we want to encourage Filipinos here to stay active in sports despite the busy schedule of work.  First name was "Active Pinoys in KL" since all members initially were from Kuala Lumpur. Then other kababayans from other states ask if they can join even if they are not from KL.  So we changed it to "Active Pinoys in Malaysia."

BP:  Why host this Virtual Takbo event? What is the rationale?

JC:  Since Malaysia is our second home and it is celebrating Independence Day on the 31st, our members suggested this virtual event. 

BP:  Having stayed and worked in Malaysia for quite some time already, do you feel there is a close bond between the Malaysians and the Filipinos? In what way does it manifest itself? 

MM:  Being here for almost 8 years, I see there are similarities and bond between Malaysians and Filipinos. Some Malay words are the same with some Tagalog words we have. Examples are "pinggan" and "tali."  Some just have different spelling like "tulong" - "tolong",  "buwan" - "bulan", "ulan" - "ujan". They also have the trait of pagmano sa nakatatanda to give respect. 

BP:  Good insights. Having experienced joining running events in Malaysia, are there best practices by Malaysian race organizers that we can emulate or apply here in the local running scene?

MM:  Honestly, I only joined a few road runs there in the Philippines. Most of them are fun runs. I think 4 times lang ata.  And it was a long time ago. Dito lang po ako nangareer tumakbo. So I cannot compare yet pa po between the two kung anong meron diyan at anong meron dito. 

BP:  Fair enough.   Is there are umbrella group of all ultra runners in Malaysia? Is  running there in Malaysia a sports for the masses or only for the privileged few? Is it widespread?

JC:  Yes. Meron po silang Malaysia Ultra Runners (MURA).  Sila din yung nag-organize ng Malaysia Ultra League (MUL) championship.Very active po mga tao dito sa kahit anong sports, regardless of age or gender.  Nakakatuwa. Actually yung mga seniors, they're so much into hiking and running. Malaysia sports are definitely for the masses and it's very widespread. Malaki ang running community. Madami kasi silang venue where you can jog or run.  Very accessible and safe. 

MM:  Proud to share din po - Jefferlyn is the 1st Hall of Famer of Malaysia Ultra League (women category).

BP:  Wow.  Tell me more about it. What did she do to earn the honor?

JC:  I just basically joined a lot of ultra races that time. MUL have a point system where they calculate the runner's points based on the distance ran, elevation gain of the race,  whether it's a road or trail race and performance on the race (finish time and position).  All points for each race event will be accumulated and the runner will be ranked accordingly. At the end of the calendar year, there will be an awarding for the Top 20. So the MUL Championship is like a culminating event for all runners who participated in MUL-recognized races in Malaysia the whole calendar year. Regardless of your nationality, if you joined these ultra races (50kms and above) you will automatically earn points and will be included in the ranking.

BP:  Impressive indeed. Always a feel good story for me to see a Pinoy runner proudly waving the Philippine flag.  What year did you received the Hall of Famer honor? What is the longest and most difficult ultra marathon for you in Malaysia?

JC:  2017 po yung Hall of Famer award. 1st season ng MUL.  It was launched mid 2017 already but they counted all races starting Dec 2016 until Nov 2017.  Melaka Ultra is my longest race which is 100 miles.  The most difficult, I think, is TMBT Ultra Trail in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah.  TMBT stands for The Most Beautiful Thing but sometimes they  call it The Most Brutal Thing because of its difficulty. 

Truly, the APIMY is a huge barangay in the PRG community.  223 members and counting. 

Pride & Joy  in the Philippine flag and the Pinoy Runner in Malaysia.  

And why not? Filipino runners are a relevant presence in the Malaysian ultra running scene. The first entry in the Hall of Fame of the Malaysia Ultra League (MUL) Championship (Women Category)  is a Filipina. 

Witnessing and feeling the pride and joy for the Philippine flag of the APIMY runners, one cannot help but feel the surge of patriotism as if it were the happy hormone Endorphins being secreted within the brain and nervous system resulting in a feeling of well-being which we call Runner's High. Only this time, there may be a need to coin the term "Kababayan High" for such an exuberance. 

Finished already the 5kms and 21km this  Saturday, looks like I can go for another distance this Sunday.  That is what our Kababayan High for our Pinoy runners in Malaysia brings out in many of us.  

In closing, allow us to reflect on Dr. Jose Rizal's words quoted by MP Anwar Ibrahim in the 1995 International Conference.  Wanderlust is in the DNA of the Filipino. As an archipelagic people, the Malay ancestors of Filipinos were renowned as adventurous navigators.  In these modern times, the wanderlust of our people is manifested in the fact that Filipinos are found in 218 countries and often in greater number that the term "diaspora" is used to describe the Filipino global community just as for the more numerous Chinese and Indians. 

Filipinos outside the homeland dispersed to all corners of the globe are well over 11 million strong. According to the Commission on Overseas Filipinos the top five countries with the biggest number of Filipinos are the USA (3.5 million), Saudi Arabai (1 million)m UAE (900,000), Canada (800,000), Malaysia (600,000) and Australia (400,000). Vibrant Filipino communities carve out their niches in diverse places -  the frigid tundra of the North, the burning desert of the Middle East, and the cosmopolitan cities in Europe and the US. With our conversation with the leaders of APIMY, turns out that  Pinoy runners are carving out a niche in the vibrant Malaysian running scene. 

Panjang umur to all.