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The Dumaguete City government, In its move to promote wellness and a good disposition among the residents of Dumaguete and Negros Oriental, launched what it dubbed as “ Dumaguete City Marathon ” last Sunday with a 3-km. fun run/walk . The activity was held in cooperation with Foundation University's Institute of Youth Sports for Peace and the Metro Dumaguete Roadrunners Club.

Earlier, the Dumaguete City Council authorized the adoption of the year-long program of Metro Dumaguete Roadrunners Club as part of the city's healthy lifestyle program.

The move aims to promote mass running and walking among residents to help combat the rise of lifestyle diseases, according to Foundation University 's International Youth Service peace consultant and MDRC vice-president and events coordinator Paultom Paras.

The program is open to all volunteers and the various non-government organizations that wish to extend their resources to help promote sports tourism, healthy lifestyle, environmental preservation, and youth services – which the program collectively calls as its T.H.E.Y. goals.

Under the program, monthly progression runs will be held along with free marathon clinics on Sundays at Quezon Park , a walking and running activity to promote wellness and a whole year physical conditioning for young athletes, but not just limited to running. Hot porridge will be served after the series of regular running events. Paras added that there will also be the Sports Youth Camp and Fun Run for children and children with special needs during which skills, knowledge, ethical, and spiritual education will be conducted as part of youth's active participation in the monthly progression runs.

Meanwhile, the Provincial Social Welfare Office has distributed 51,420 gift packs to indigent families in 19 municipalities and six cities of Negros Oriental recently during the initial launching in Amlan, Negros Oriental.

PSWDO Alice Lagarde said the gift packs distribution is under the Accelerated Hunger Mitigation Program of the government which aimed to allow or give blessings to families-beneficiaries, especially during the recent celebration of the Yuletide season. She, however, aid the giving of gift packs is quite delayed due to time constraints in the preparation and packing of the goods and some supporting documents for the master list of beneficiaries.

She further said that the town of Amlan has received 2,250 gift packs for the eight barangays with the corresponding number of families per barangay as approved by the DSWD regional office.

Identified family recipients were beneficiaries under the Tindahan Natin program and families who have children in Day Care Centers with the supplemental feeding program. Each family received gift packages consisting of rice, noodles, sugar, and other essential grocery items.

Congressman George Arnaiz, Amlan Mayor Bentham de la Cruz, and Regional Director Danilo Bonabon of the National Food Authority led the distribution of the gift packages to families in Amlan.

In a partnership with the National Food Authority, the agency was tasked to procure and deliver the food items to target recipients in municipalities. The gift distribution was successfully carried out with additional funding from the Priority Development Assistance Fund of the office of Congressman Arnaiz.

Once again, President Arroyo instructed the National Anti-Poverty Commission to strengthen its programs as the Philippines ' population is expected to hit more than 50 million this year.

This was reflected in the latest Social Weather Station survey that showed that the number of Filipinos who consider themselves “poor” declined in the fourth quarter of 2007. It is solid proof that the government's anti-poverty and anti-hunger programs are on the right track and their benefits have trickled down to the poor.