MANILA, Philippines?Runners taking part in the ?Pinay in Action? All-Women Run, which reels off at 6 a.m. on March 13 at the SM Mall of Asia, might jump out of their shorts when they see a group of women (mostly media women) dressed in all sorts of outlandish costumes taking part in the run.

The idea of a ?cos-play? run was hatched Thursday over lunch with Sen. Pia Cayetano, ?patroness? of Pinay in Action, and a marathon runner herself. This columnist was chatting with Karen Kunawicz, a writer/blogger and cos-play enthusiast about a wedding we both attended which had a ?Star Wars? theme and where I was a ?ninang? and she was a host at the reception. Hearing the details of the delightful wedding of Rej Layug and O?neal Rosero, the other women around the table, including the senator, jumped in and suddenly, a plan to crash the All-Women Run dressed as our favorite fantasy characters was hatched. Freelance writer and foreign correspondent Barbara Mae Dacanay even threatened to come as Barbarella!

But that?s women for you?brimming with creativity, energy and enthusiasm and, contrary to stereotypes, willing and always able to help out in causes to help other women. That may as well describe Senator Cayetano, too, who is running for a second term in the Senate. She hosted the lunch mainly to keep women in media ?in the loop? on her activities, particularly since she is leaving the campaign trail momentarily to attend a special meeting of parliamentarians in the United Nations and to take part in another meeting with American legislators in Washington, D.C.

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SINCE 2008, the senator has been president of the Coordinating Committee on Women Parliamentarians of the Inter-Parliamentary Union. As such she meets regularly with other parliamentarians from around the world, particularly those from countries where there are no women parliamentarians, or where the presence of women is but a mere token, mainly to convince them?by charm, moral suasion or fines?to increase the representation of women in their law-making bodies.

At home, Pia is noted for her focus on bills and laws promoting women?s health and rights, including the Magna Carta of Women, as well as those on health and the environment.

Described in her own flyers as ?the youngest woman elected in the history of the Philippine Senate, a lawyer, triathlete and mother of two,? Pia is indeed showing the world what a woman can do given a sense of purpose and commitment. Yes, even wear a costume to a run!

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VISITING Batanes is adventure enough for the traveler, providing views and experiences far removed from the usual Philippine vacation spot. But joining a photo safari to Batanes adds a layer of experience that can transform one?s memories of this remote group of islands from the merely good to the fantastic!

I had the chance to join a Batanes ?Photo Safari? organized by photographer Mandy Navasero a few years back, and though I didn?t bring a camera with me, the three days we spent traveling to different islands and negotiating the narrow, bumpy roads on a jeepney are still clearly etched in my mind.

I may not have been able to take photos, but I can summon the pictures in my mind at any moment, remembering the incomparable views, the high winds, the boat ride over choppy waters, the squat houses of stone and thatch, and Mandy?s hilarious but helpful lessons on posing for the camera, maximizing the color potential of pictures, and how to add life and verve to otherwise humdrum scenes.

Just in time for the vacation season, Mandy returns to Batanes with photo safaris on March 19-22, April 1-5 and April 23-26, while she has organized a new photo safari to Coron, Palawan from May 15-18.

This year?s adventures in Batanes include lectures and exposure trips on Ivatan culture and heritage, photo lectures, and demo session on portraiture, fashion, architectural, abstract and naturescape photography.

An ?Immersion Read Aloud? at the Chavayan Barrio School and at the Honesty Store will be conducted by participants in honor of Gig Oca Robles, a participant in 2007 who passed away when she was just 16 years old, who loved books and sampaguita flowers. Books will be given away courtesy of the Gig and the Amazing Sampaguita Foundation Inc. and Books Across the Seas, to encourage children to love reading and hopefully, start their own library.

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AN ORIENTATION on photography and how to operate digital cameras will be held a week before each departure. For Batanes, a fee of P25,000 per person, inclusive of a roundtrip ticket, three meals a day and three nights? hotel accommodation, twin to triple sharing, will be charged. The fee also covers two meals served in ?Marlboro Hills? and Morong Beach, land and boat transportation, tour guides, lectures, entrance fees to reserved areas, photography lectures and demo.

For the trip to Coron, accommodations will be at the Mt. Tapyas Hotel, with trips to Calauit Island, where the term ?photo safari? is quite apropos since the island teems with African wildlife; Banana Island, snorkeling at Siete Pecados, diving in Kayangan Lake nestled amid awe-inspiring cliffs, and climbing Mt. Tapyas, with a giant cross and a breathtaking panoramic view of the surroundings. The Coron trip costs P19,000, inclusive of the same amenities as the Batanes trip.

Interested parties may pay the deposit directly to Nice Travel & Tours Inc. S/A 110-198977-5, San Andres, Malate Branch, and fax a copy of the deposit slip with name and contact numbers to 8963208 (attention Mandy Navasero) or call 899 1767, email mandynavasero@yahoo.com; www.mandynavasero.multiply.com or drop by Suite 600 at the Gregorian Building at 2178 Taft Avenue, Malate, Manila or call 526 6363 or e-mail nice_trvl@yahoo.com.