The Community Women’s Run 2026 by She Runs Daet happened on March 8, 2026. It wasn’t just a normal run. It was a group of women choosing to take space, together. A 5KM route from J&F Mall to Centennial Wharf sounds far, but the message is bigger than the distance. It’s about safety, dignity, and women being able to exist in public without fear.
Isabela Joyce started with She Runs Daet. It didn’t come from a random idea. It came from a real need. She built something for women who want to move freely, run freely, and live without always having to look over their shoulder, and I think that matters because that’s the reality for so many of us.
Catcalling is one of those things people try to treat like it’s normal, like it’s nothing. But as a woman who has experienced catcalling too, it’s not “Wala lang,” it’s always had something. It can make you feel uncomfortable, watched, small, and suddenly aware of your body in a way you never asked for. It changes the way you walk, the way you dress, the way you plan your route. and completely ruins your day, and that’s the part people don’t always understand, or maybe they don’t want to understand.
Isabela shared how this advocacy became personal for her. She shared the experience of while training for a 21KM run, she ran almost every day, from Harmony to SM Daet, and she kept dealing with catcalling: whistles, staring, and comments. She was just running, minding her own business, but she still had to carry that irritation and discomfort with her. But the beautiful thing about it is that her mind jumps into something like, maybe “I need to do something about this“. That moment she turned the frustration into action is powerful.
This run is also tied to awareness for the Safe Spaces Act (Republic Act 11313), a law in the Philippines that protects people from gender-based sexual harassment in public spaces, including street harassment. It was introduced and principally authored in the Senate by Senator Risa Hontiveros, and it was signed into law on April 17, 2019, and it took effect on August 3, 2019. The Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR), which help guide how the law is carried out, were signed on October 28, 2019.
I also love the detail that many women wore pink for the run. Pink is often seen as a feminine color, and in this kind of space, it felt like a symbol of unity, visibility, and support for women, especially during Women’s Month. And what’s even more amazing is the turnout. Supposedly, around 42 women were expected, but on the day itself, it became more than 100 women showing up. That says a lot. Women are hungry for safe community, and for spaces where we don’t have to shrink ourselves.
The idea that women get catcalled because we “didn’t dress properly” is not a valid reason. It never was. A skirt is not an invitation. Clothes are not consent. Even being “covered” has never guaranteed safety, so blaming what women wear is just another way of avoiding the real issue, which is disrespect.
For me, movements like this are very crucial. Voicing out with many is different from voicing it out alone. When women support women, it becomes harder for society to dismiss our experiences. And if someone who catcalls happens to see or hear about this, I hope it forces a pause, even just for a second, to realize how uncomfortable it makes someone feel, how it takes away freedom in small, daily ways.
Women should have choices. Women should be able to walk freely in public. Women should be able to run alone without fear. Women should have a voice and the freedom to speak about what matters to them.
This is a friendly reminder that we women deserve safe spaces, and we deserve to take up space, loudly, together.
And during Women’s Month, I understand exactly why they run while shouting:
“ABANTE BABAE!”
“LUMALABAN!”
Because that’s the energy. We move forward, and we don’t do it alone.
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