MANILA (UPDATED) — The Alpha Phi Omega fraternity staged their annual Oblation Run at the University of the Philippines Diliman campus in Quezon City, as they emphasized that its conduct on Valentine's Day is a reminder that the tradition seeks to "express love for the country".

The event sparked discussions with its theme “Boto mo, Hindi Benta mo!” as the fraternity members echoed various political messages, especially on calling to have an elections free from vote-buying and fake news.

They also expressed support to the impeachment case against Vice President Sara Duterte and the supposed commercialization of University of the Philippines. A total of 10 members from the UPD’s APO Fraternity Chapter, Eta Chapter volunteered to run around Palma Hall. “Ang history po ng Oblation Run ay nagsimula pa mula nung 1977. Ito po ay call for action, ito po ay panawagan sa ating mga kapwa Pilipino na tungkol sa mga pertinent issues ng bansa,” APO-Eta Chapter Spokesperson Nero Gianan said in the press conference. From the traditional December 16, the fraternity’s founding anniversary, the APO-Eta Chapter adjusted the run to their chapter’s anniversary, February 10. “Naging significant siguro ‘yung date na ‘to - February 14 kasi araw ng mga puso [kaya] pinapakita rin natin dito ‘yung layunin ng Oblation Run: ‘yung pagmamahal natin sa bayan,” APO alumni spokesperson Atty. Fritz Sapon said. Sapon added that Filipinos can show love to the country by voting wisely and that their votes are sacred—something that cannot be bought. “May pagkakaiba dahil papalapit nang papalapit ang eleksyon, kailangan natin talagang panindigan ‘yung ating boto, kung sidhi ng damdamin ang pag-uusapan, siguro d’un tayo magkakaiba sa ibang taon dahil nakikita naman natin [na] paulit-ulit kung sinu-sino lang ‘yung tumatakbo, paulit-ulit na pamilya, at hindi nagiging credentials-based ang ating pagboto,” he explained.

More than just a show The APO-Eta Chapter also clarifies the misconceptions about the run: it is not part of the initiation process but is purely voluntary for the full-pledged members.

Moreover, they emphasized that the Oblation Run is not only a show, but it has a deeper meaning in terms of socio-political context. Further, APO gave roses to women as a sign of the fraternity’s peaceful approach to people, following its advocacies and principles. “Actually, nagulat po ako kasi first time ko po na makareceive ng flowers in my life so, parang nakakakilig din po,” a first-time audience Misaki Acosta, 4th-year UP Open University student, said. She also described her first Oblation Run as a ‘one-of-a-kind’ experience and will surely come back again next year.