The MORE Power fun ride early Sunday morning got serious quickly as a record 1,407 cycling enthusiasts showed up to register at the Freedom Grandstand even before dawn.
The event dubbed “Bisikleta Ko, Ka-Date Ko” is this year’s biggest cycling event so far for Iloilo City and a historic first as far as two-wheeled fundraisers are concerned in this southern metropolis branded alternately as the Most Bike-Friendly City and the Bike Capital of the Philippines.
Proceeds from the event, which was the culmination of a month-long celebration of MORE Power’s second franchise anniversary and first year of operation, will fund improvements to the bicycle lanes as well as the construction of additional bike-friendly infrastructure in the city.
MORE Power president and COO Roel Z. Castro was awed by the show of support from Ilonggo cyclists ranging from the seasoned to the downright beginners.
“We are proud to sponsor this event as our way of helping the city government with its biking advocacy, which we in MORE wholeheartedly embrace ourselves,” he said.
Across the country, but especially in Iloilo City, cycling had emerged as a resilient mode of transport amidst prohibitions and lockdowns due to COVID-19.
“We recognize how biking has become a critical lifeline for many Ilonggos in this pandemic, and MORE would like to contribute to making cycling accessible and safe for everyone,” said Castro.
One participant, Dan Mark Macero from Mandurriao District, hailed the fun drive saying, “Daw kasadya gid nga mag-entra sa subong sini nga fun drive kay maging kabahin man kita sa pag-improbar pa gid sang mga bike lanes sa ciudad [It really feels great to join today’s fun drive because it means I become part of the movement to improve the bike lanes in the city].”
The 28-kilometer leisurely route saw the biker-participants passing through all the seven districts under the franchise area of the power firm, starting and ending at Freedom Grandstand.
A P100 registration fee entitled each participant a loot bag and automatically qualified them for the raffle draw where 4 sacks of rice, various bike accessories, and 10 mountain bikes were given away.
Cash prizes were also given for two special awardees – the oldest cyclist at 83 and the youngest cyclist at 7 years old.
