IT was a Mindanao-wide proportions event that spanned Davao City from the east, Zamboanga City to the west, and Cagayan de Oro and Butuan cities to the north.
An accumulated 800 bikers from these cities mounted their bikes to pedal for the environment. They are joined by similar actions nationwide as well as internationally in simultaneous bike rides held on June 4 in commemoration of World Environment Day.
The 2nd leg of the 2023 Pedal for People and Planet (PPP) kicked off from the four participating cities with mounting calls for real climate solutions and environmental action.
“We need a decisive shift away from fossil fuels. Such action would not only benefit Davao but also serve as an example for other highly urbanized cities in the Philippines and the world,” Davao city-based Rara Ada, Mindanao Area Coordinator of the Philippine Movement for Climate Justice (PMCJ) said.
“It is important for cities like Davao in committing to building renewable and clean energy sources,” she added.
Recently participating, Butuan City had over 200 bikers join in.
“Butuan is a very (‘bikeable’) city, blessed with a relatively flat terrain, but we need to improve the city’s infrastructure, like bike lanes and bike racks for parking to make it bike-friendly,” Michael Galocgoc, Butuan City PPP co-organizer said.
“We need cleaner air to breathe in, and biking is the most sustainable form of transportation there is,” he added.
Newcomer Zamboanga City was off to a good start, contributing 100 bikers to the event.
Cagayan de Oro city had a busy weekend for bikers, with the City Local Environment and Natural Resources Office (Clenro) bike activity on World Bicycle Day on June 3, back to back with the PPP event on June 4.
“We appreciate that Cagayan de Oro is experiencing a surge of enthusiasts joining bicycling events, as we have always pushed for a more sustained campaign for climate change awareness. And what better way to do that than by biking?” said Lenin Amidala Corrales, officer-in-charge of Youth for Climate Justice-Cagayan de Oro (Y4CJ-CdeO).
“The Clenro event collected old bike tires for recycling by upland CdeO barangays, and more importantly, shared the same policy of the PPP event in not distributing single-use plastic water bottles to prevent a buildup of plastic waste,” added Corrales.
“Y4CJ- CdeO is the youth arm of PMCJ, and has been the local organizer of PPP since 2022, as well as an active participant of Clenro activities.”
There will be other upcoming bike events scheduled by PPP throughout the year which will include other cities in Mindanao.
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