From Boy Kabado to Boy Panalo, Kokoy de Santos has successfully faced his fears and claimed victory as the “Ultimate Runner” of GMA Network’s top-rating reality game show, Running Man Philippines Season 2.
After a series of games and mind-blowing missions with epic guest superstars, Kokoy won the final race, defeating the other contestants: Mikael Daez, Glaiza de Castro, Lexi Gonzales, Buboy Villar, Angel Guardian and Miguel Tanfelix. The finale weekend was made even more special with the reunion of Season 1 runner Ruru Madrid.
It was no easy feat for Kokoy, as the entire cast displayed competitiveness and clever tactics throughout the season.
During one of the final missions, Kokoy had to overcome his fear of heights and rappel down an 11-meter lookout tower. To everyone’s surprise, he finished in second place, just behind Ruru, as the fastest runner to complete the heart-stopping challenge.
Determined to win the season’s climax — the iconic Name Tag Race — Kokoy, Glaiza, Ruru, Lexi and Miguel received multiple name tags based on their rankings from previous missions.
After everyone put forth their best energy and creative strategies, the Name Tag Race came down to Kokoy and Buboy. In the end, Kokoy and Buboy managed to rip each other’s tags, but Kokoy had one tag remaining, making him the season’s ultimate runner.
In an Instagram post, Kokoy expressed gratitude to his supporters and co-runners: “Maraming salamat sa inyong lahat na nagtiwala sa akin na kaya ko. Noong simula pa lang, may mga bagay na tumatakbo sa utak ko kung bakit ako parte ng napakalaking proyekto na ito. Pero nandiyan kayo para palaging ipaalala sa akin na kaya ko. Para sa inyo ito, sa pamilya ko, mga tropa ko at sa mga Kolokoys ko. Sa lahat ng bumubuo ng ‘Running Man Philippines’ at sa mga co-runners ko, mahal ko kayo. Hanggang sa muli, tatakbo tayo ulit (Thank you very much to everyone who believed in me and my ability. From the very beginning, I wondered why I was part of such a huge project. But you were always there to remind me that I could do it. This is for you, my family, my friends, and my Kolokoys. To everyone involved in Running Man Philippines and to my co-runners, I love you all. Until next time, we’ll run again).”
Fans of Kokoy, in return, congratulated him on his triumph. According to some comments on GMA Network’s YouTube channel: “Soooo proud of Kokoy, he earned this! Sa lahat ng episodes, hindi siya pinapalad manalo mag-isa, madalas minamalas at laging talo. I’m impressed sa pinakita ni Kokoy dito, ang bilis niya mang-rip, nakakagulat HAHAHA. We witnessed Kokoy’s determination talaga para maipanalo ‘to and he did his best (In all the episodes, he wasn’t lucky enough to win on his own, often facing misfortune and losing. I’m impressed with what Kokoy showed here; his speed in ripping tags was surprising, HAHAHA. We saw Kokoy’s determination to win this, and he did his best). I already knew Kokoy would win this episode! He was already owning the show when he conquered his fear of heights. Congrats, Kokoy! You deserved it!”
Meanwhile, avid viewers of Running Man Philippines were already expressing their hopes for another season. Some commented, “Go for season 3, please!! Parang ang bilis lang. Nakakatanggal kayo ng lungkot lalo na sa tulad ko na OFW. Eto ang palabas na na-enjoy namin ng parents ko (It feels like the season went by so quickly. You really lift our spirits, especially for those of us like me who are OFWs. This is the show my parents and I enjoyed together). No hassle, no drama, only pure fun and enjoyment! Cheers to successful season 2! Sana may next season na agad. Mamimiss ko kayo! Nandito lang kami para sa inyo (I hope there’s a new season soon. We’ll miss you! We’re here for you).