𝗗𝗢𝗧, 𝗥𝗨𝗡𝗥𝗜𝗢 𝗶𝗻𝗸 𝗽𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗻𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝗼𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝘀𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝘀 𝘁𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗶𝘀𝗺 𝗮𝘀 𝗮 ‘𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝗶𝗰 𝗽𝗿𝗶𝗼𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘆’

The Department of Tourism (DOT) formalized a multi-year partnership with premier race organizer Runrio Inc. through the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on Monday (Jun. 9), reinforcing its promotion of the Philippines as a sports tourism destination.

Held at the DOT Multi-Purpose Hall in Makati City, the signing marked the renewal of the Department’s collaboration with RUNRIO Inc., represented by its CEO and President, Rio de la Cruz.

“Under the leadership of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., we have made sports tourism a strategic priority, a platform not just to showcase our destinations, but for celebrating Filipino resilience and excellence, not to mention highlighting the beauty of our destinations,” Tourism Secretary Christina Garcia Frasco said.

“Today’s Memorandum of Understanding signing and renewal of commitment with RUNRIO, Inc. is the necessary and welcome step towards that vision, a way to move the Philippines forward, one powerful stride at a time,” she added.

Under this collaboration, the DOT will support more than 40 major marathon and running events from 2025 to 2028—including the Manila Marathon, HOKA Trilogy Run Asia, Philippine Half Marathon Series, and Women’s Run PH—which will be staged in key cities nationwide such as Bacolod, Cagayan de Oro, Cebu, Clark, Davao, Iloilo, and Tagaytay.

The DOT-RUNRIO MOU signing, organized through the DOT’s Office of Film and Sports Tourism (OFST), was witnessed by Tourism Undersecretary Myra Paz Valderrosa-Abubakar and RUNRIO Inc. Managing Director Andrew Neri. Also in attendance were DOT officials, including Undersecretary Shahlimar Hofer Tamano, Assistant Secretaries Ina Zara-Loyola, Judilyn Quiachon, and Ronald Conopio, as well as Directors Lyle Fernando Uy and Alven Talisic.