14K Join #BFF2025 Color Run and Concert to Celebrate 33rd National Family Week

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which teaches the importance of strengthening families, gathered nearly 14,000 participants on September 20, 2025, to launch the 33rd National Family Week celebration in the Philippines.

Held at the Filinvest City Events Grounds in Muntinlupa City, members of the Church and friends from government, interfaith, and community organizations arrived as early as 3:00 a.m. to take part in the #BFF2025 5K Color Run and Concert.

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Presiding at the event was Elder Emmanuel R.G. Abraham, Area Seventy of the Church. “Let us be families who come unto Christ, who keep covenants, and raise a generation prepared to lead, to serve, and to love,” he said in his opening remarks before the 5:30 a.m. gun start.

Government officials also joined the celebration, including Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Undersecretary Eduardo M. Punay, together with nearly 500 members of the National Committee on the Filipino Family (NCFF). The NCFF, chaired by the DSWD, is tasked with promoting the sanctity of family life and strengthening Filipino families as a fundamental social institution.

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“Our deepest gratitude to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for their consistent partnership and for spearheading this momentous event,” Undersecretary Punay said.

Other groups likewise showed their support for the event. From the government, representatives came from the Department of Finance (DOF), Bahay Pag-asa Muntinlupa, Ospital ng Muntinlupa, the Pag-Asa Youth Association, the Social Services Department, the City Government of Muntinlupa, the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP), and the Department of Disaster Resilience and Management. Interfaith participation was represented by the National Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Makati City. Community partners also joined the celebration, including the Studio City Condominium Corporation, Aspen Tower, Pro-Excel Property Managers, Inc. – Filinvest Property Management Company, and ParkHomes.

Building Forever Families

The #BFF initiative, originally known as “Best Friends Forever,” was redefined by the Church in the Philippines as “Building Forever Families.” This theme supports Proclamation No. 60, signed in 1993 by then-President Fidel V. Ramos, which designates the last week of September each year as Family Week. The proclamation recognizes the value of families and reaffirms their role as the basic unit of Philippine society.

The #BFF2025 Color Run and Concert, offered to the general public free of charge, continue to draw large crowds, in part because of the participation of celebrities and influencers who generously share their talents. Among them this year were #BFF Ambassadors Eric “Eruption” Tai, teen actress Xia Vigor, K-pop star Chanty Videla, and Nevin Garceniego, the 2024 The Voice Kids champion. They were joined by rising Filipino performers from the Church, including Noreen Nivera, Brandon Sorilla, and Daniel Costales.

2025 Philippines Area Priorities

This year’s event highlighted the 2025 Philippines Area Priorities: Come Unto Christ, Make and Keep Temple Covenants, and Strengthen the Rising Generation. Introduced by the Philippines Area Presidency earlier this year, these guiding principles encourage Filipinos to become faithful disciples of Jesus Christ by walking the covenant path He has set.

To help participants remember these priorities, organizers used the Church’s familiar acronym CTR, originally “Choose the Right”, and applied it to the event as: C – Christ (Come Unto Christ); T – Temple (Make and Keep Temple Covenants) and R – Rising Generation (Strengthen the Rising Generation)

Side activities and themed booths inside the Filinvest Events grounds offered mini-games and experiences that reinforced these priorities.

“Families are important. This is central to Heavenly Father’s plan. My family is my happiness. We are here to be reminded of that and to gain inspiration from other families so we can be better each day,” one participant shared.

Route Highlight: Alabang Philippines Temple

A highlight of the 5-kilometer route was a short stop in front of the newly constructed Alabang Philippines Temple, which will open its doors for a public open house from November 21 to December 13, 2025 (excluding Sundays). Participants paused to take photos with family and friends in front of the sacred building.

“When we arrived at the turning point and saw the Alabang Temple, we were overcome with emotion. My family and I felt as if we had all reached heaven together,” another participant said.

Temples are sacred places where members of the Church draw closer to God and His Son, Jesus Christ. After its dedication, entrance will be reserved for Church members, but the open house offers all people the rare opportunity to tour the temple and its grounds.

Latter-day Saints worship in temples to feel God’s peace, to learn His plan, to make sacred covenants, and to unite families for eternity through holy ordinances.

For more information on the upcoming Alabang Temple open house, visit http://alabangphilippinestemple.org.

2025 Family Week Nationwide

Beyond the Alabang kickoff, Family Week celebrations are also being held across Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao.

On September 23, 2025, the Church will host an Interfaith Family Forum, gathering more than 80 leaders and representatives from various faiths. The Philippines Area Presidency will also hold a special Temple Night with a live Q&A on Facebook on September 28, 2025, focusing on the theme of making and keeping temple covenants.