It’s National Bicycle Day today, the second time that the Philippines is celebrating our beloved vehicle in the country.
Last year, Proclamation 1052 was signed declaring that every fourth Sunday of November is National Bicycle Day. With the popularity of this two-wheeled vehicle, the country has seen the importance of the bike as a tool for mobility.
The country has seen that it’s not just a machine that moves people. Filipinos have seen the benefit of cycling for their physical and mental health. It has also been used for leisure and as a tool that helps small businesses thrive.
Over the past year, we’ve seen the creation of numerous bike lanes not only in Metro Manila but also in places outside the center like Cebu, Iloilo, Davao and Naga, among others. While most of them are just painted, it’s still a good development for cycling in the Philippines. We wish to see better infrastructure for bicycles soon.
Most of the stories of First Bike Ride revolved around Metro Manila. But now that travel is easing up, we hope to go to more places around the country and share profiles of different cyclists and tell interesting stories that we can find using our bicycles. But aside from that, we wish to meet those bikers around the country that we meet and interact online.
We’re from Metro Manila and we are exposed to the fun and struggles of the cyclists in the metropolis. But as we continue making content for First Bike Ride, we have realized that the Filipino cycling experience is not just within the bounds of this bubble.
There are more stories outside the big cities and we want to know and share them with our audience.
So far, despite our limited resources and time, we’re glad that we’re able to tell some stories from different provinces like La Union, Bataan, Batanes, General Santos, Baguio, Cagayan Valley, Guimaras, Quezon, Bulacan, Rizal and Pampanga, among others. We’re looking forward to more features.
We thank everyone who helped us make these stories possible.
Wherever you are in the Philippines, we are with you in celebrating your bicycle. Happy National Bicycle Day!