The organizer of a Halloween fun run that was canceled to the disappointment of runners who were looking forward to being chased by 3,000 “zombies” in the streets of Makati City has finally apologized after days of being criticized on social media.
John Richard Usi of J.R. Usi Presents, the main organizer of “Makati After Dark” (MAD), also said he was looking into the possibility of refunding the registration fee paid by participants.
“In light of certain isolated complaints from participants of [MAD], J.R. Usi Presents would like to apologize to all those who were inconvenienced,” he said in a statement e-mailed to the Inquirer.
He later clarified in a phone interview that the event was not “bogus or a scam” as claimed by irked netizens who had put up a Facebook fan page to demand a refund.
Usi said the fun run encountered some setbacks but other activities like the food market and car shows pushed through as scheduled. A concert featuring popular local bands also had to be called off, he added.
“We had to stop the zombie run because there was an incident of street children posing as zombies and harassing the second wave of runners,” Usi said.
According to him, 33 of the 83 people who signed up for the fun run were able to go through the first two waves before organizers ordered it stopped.
“We are still trying to check who are those people who want their money back,” Usi said.
The Oct. 31 fun run was described as the biggest “zombie run” to be held at the central business district. Participants paid P1,000 each for the experience of being chased by 3,000 people dressed as zombies.
The event was even endorsed by Makati government officials who issued press releases and closed portions of Gil Puyat Avenue and other streets for the run fun.
Organizers also advertised the event as a fundraiser for victims of the 7.2-magnitude earthquake which struck Bohol and Cebu provinces.