A Pinoy Biker’s Philippine Rural Adventures

Last Sunday, April 29 was my birthday and I missed one ride, no actually there were two rides that were being organized, that could have defined my existence for the rest of the year, well, at least till my next birthday. Some marshals from the Firefly Brigade, led by Larry and Freddie were organizing a ride to the hills of Antipolo, going through Binangonan. I have never ridden the trails on those parts, although some years ago, I used to bike by my lonesome self coming from Quezon City to Taytay, Angono, Binangonan up to Baras and back through the uphill climb from Teresa to Antipolo. The other ride was towards Montalban and somewhere else, which was nearer my place but again, I have never been to. I could have chosen either one and I’m sure, either would have been good for me.

I missed both rides because of a previous appointment which my wife, who is now in the province to attend her parent’s 5oth wedding anniversary, made without realizing she would not be here to fulfill it. So she took it upon herself to appoint me her proxy and arrange for a meeting with her client. I was supposed to meet the client at 9 am that day and as sad stories go, the client couldn’t make it, but advised me too late for me to make arrangements to go with either of the two rides.

When I look at the pictures that the riders who went to Antipolo posted, I could just sigh in disappointment. I should have been there. But hey, what are armchair bikers for, huh?

Going back to Saturday, April 28, the Bonifacio Global City with participation from other cycling groups, and the Firefly Brigade staged a 3-minute stoppage of all vehicular traffic inside the former military base. The cyclists acted as marshals asking motorists to stop and turn off their engines in major intersections of the now bustling commercial district. Its purpose is to create a pollution free niche in this small part of the metropolis, even for just 3 short minutes by stopping and turning off engines. It is a prelude to a longer one being planned for June.

With all the right intentions and with a heart in the right place, the exercise was a struggle between the cyclists who were deputized to stop traffic and the motorists who for the most part were not previously advised about such an event. As with all social endeavors, not all were pleased and went through the cyclists positions while expressing themselves so eloquently through expletives; some were surprised and chose to cooperate and some even cranked their windows down to chat with the cyclists.

As we gathered again after this, some expressed disappointment regarding the conduct of this exercise. First of all, the timing was off. As some riders were still being led to their appointed place, there were security personnel who have already stopped the traffic in their posts, unaware that not all cyclists were in position. A little confusion ensued, as some didn’t realize that the exercise has already started.

One observation made was that the energy to restart an engine is more than what is saved during a three minute stopping of it. That means that instead of creating a clean environment at that point in time, more toxic substances were released as the engines restarted.

After assessing what has transpired, the organizers promised to consider some of the suggestions made by the cyclists. More information campaign, a longer time to prepare and a revised coverage area of the event. When we left, promises were made to see each other again come June.

A one-handed biker who participated in the event.