By Dominique Gabriel G. Bañaga

Members of environment groups in Negros Oriental disrupted a marathon Sunday morning in Valencia. The protesters blocked the entrance of the Apolong trail on the second day of the event as participants arrived for the 25K and 17K competitions.
Aidalyn Arabe, a local environmentalist, said the blockade lasted for two hours.
She explained, the demonstrators believed a single race event composed of 333 runners going up in a span of less than 24 hours was “too much” for Mt. Talinis.
“This sends out a powerful message to everyone,” Arabe said. “We are serious in our convictions to protect [the] Mt. Talinis range and uphold the rights of the locals.”
“Events like this should benefit the host communities and not the other way around,” she added.
The race eventually commenced after a peaceful resolution was reached.
Netizens across the province also expressed their opposition to the event.
In addition, Dauin reportedly blocked trails within their jurisdiction after organizers failed to coordinate with them for the event./DGB, WDJ