DOT launches bike tour for Araw ng Kagitingan

MANILA, Philippines - For those who want to experience a more meaningful and memorable Araw ng Kagitingan on Monday, the Department of Tourism (DOT) has developed a bicycle tour.

DOT said the historical tour, dubbed “2B,” will memorialize Balara and Bilibid – the two sites where Filipino guerrillas mounted successful military action against Japanese forces.

The 2B Tour, the DOT said, is not a race and will be run at a leisurely pace of 15 to 20 kilometers per hour.

“The challenge is to complete the bike run and the route offers an alternative for cyclists who want to head south or north without passing through EDSA, C-5 or the (South Luzon Expressway) service roads,” DOT noted.

The route that connects the two sites passes through the eastern side of Metro Manila. From Quezon City, it goes through Pasig and traverses the old Spanish road that connected what used to be part of Rizal to its former capital. The DOT said the 2B Tour is more than 35 kilometers one way and would include a return trip with scheduled rest stops along the way.

According to DOT, a guerrilla town unit was able to rescue the Balara filters from demolition just a few days before the start of the Battle for Manila while other guerrillas mounted a daring raid to rescue their comrades held in New Bilibid Prison.

“They were able to execute the military operation successfully with lightning speed, surgical precision and without casualties. Sixty-six years later, it still shines as a Filipino feat of arms,” DOT said.

To get more information about the tour, the DOT has asked some of the cycling participants to create a website for the event.

Those interested in joining may also sign up at the website 2b-biking.weebly.com.