Motorcycling brotherhood in peril!

This coming March 4-7 Cebu will once more play host to the 16th Annual Convention of the National Federation of Motorcycle Clubs of the Philippines, an event that is much awaited not only by Cebuano big bikers, but by big bikers all over the country. This motorcycling event should bring hundreds of big bikers to Cebu riding from as far as Davao City in the South and as far as Aparri in Northern Luzon, which is good for our tourism.

With the political season in full swing, you ought to know that the Federation of Motorcycle Clubs have taken Democracy a step further by making the host club the President for that particular year, which is rotated from Luzon, the Visayas and Mindanao. Where could you get this kind of round-robin leadership? Only through a brotherhood of bikers!

Two years ago, we attended the convention in Cagayan de Oro and last year, the 15th convention was held in Baguio City, where we got stuck in Subic Freeport for two days as we were caught in the midst of two typhoons. Typhoon “Dante” a week earlier left the country after devastating Bicol, then a few days later Typhoon “Emong” went straight to Baguio, disturbing our ride. But the convention still pushed through despite this minor setback by Mother Nature.

So with 40 days to go for the Big Bike Convention, one would expect that all systems are go for a successful hosting of the Cebu convention. Unfortunately, there is a minor glitch that the Big Biker organizers have to overcome, a sort of personal problem between the Presidents of the two big motorcycle clubs in Cebu, the V-Max Owners Group (VOG) which is the host club and the Star Touring and Riding Club.

What greatly disturbs me and many of my big bike buddies is that, instead of unifying and helping each other, these two motorcycle clubs (or at least their presidents) have grown to hate each other, which is anathema to the brotherhood that supposedly motorcycling brings to its enthusiast. Mind you, this is the first time ever that we’ve been in this very ugly situation.

Last Jan.9, there was a President’s meeting in a hotel in Mandaue City where matters turned for the worse, where a member of the Star Group who joined the meeting was asked by the VOG President to remove his jacket bearing the Star Club’s name, because this motorcycle group wasn’t invited to the convention. Now I have been a member of the Motorcycle Federation since it was created and I dare say that no one bans a motorcycle club from joining the convention, unless the entire Federation leadership makes the ban. This happened to one motorcycle club from Manila, because they didn’t follow the rules imposed by the Federation.

I’m not mentioning the names of the two people involved in that ugly row because I really don’t want to wash our dirty laundry in public. However since this row is destroying the unity and the brotherhood of Cebuano motorcycle groups. I’m writing this column as an appeal to both parties or clubs to sit down together in some kind of “Ice Cream” diplomacy and settle things immediately or even hold a ceasefire because what is at stake is the reputation of Cebu in hosting this convention, where we expect everyone to be in full attendance.

It’s bad enough that in Cebu our top political leaders are squabbling over so minute or petty problems, which in reality has prevented the growth and development of Cebu. If there is anything that Cebuanos ought to be proud of; at least the private sector or business groups are not fighting amongst each other. In fact, the three major business groups, the Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Inc. the Mandaue Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Inc. and the Cebu Business Clubs just last Saturday hosted that very successful Presidential forum.

May I suggest that the Presidents of all the Cebu motorcycle clubs hold a powow and douse some kind of ice water over the hot heads of these two Presidents so things would cool down and we can go on and have fun at the convention? If both parties refuse, then nothing will stop me from writing a similar article in the Philippine Star and tell our big bike buddies that the brotherhood of motorcyclists is in peril thanks to the over-inflated egos of the Presidents of the two motorcycle clubs.

What makes me write this piece is the fact that I do not belong to the two motorcycle clubs that we’ve mentioned here. More importantly, it is because I have heard from the members of most motorcycle clubs about this ugly squabble and they are all concerned that it could escalate to the point that most if not all motorcycle clubs might just boycott the convention to the utter embarrassment of Cebu. May I, therefore, ask original Federation heads like Gen. Tiburcio “Tiboy” Fusillero, or my Easy Rider Club President Ed Gonzales to sit down with the two fellows in order to mend fences.

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