12th Tour of Fireflies to draw 8,000 Metro Manila cyclists

MANILA, Philippines - Ortigas & Co. and Firefly Brigade will stage the 12th Tour of Fireflies on April 18 with 8,000 bikers from all over Metro Manila expected to join the event starting and ending at Tiendesitas in Pasig.

The riders will be fired off at 7 a.m. and will pass through Pasig, Quezon City, Marikina, Cainta, Taguig, Makati and Mandaluyong.

The annual event promotes bicycle as an alternative and environmentally sensible means of transportation.

Event organizers said synchronized bicycle rides will also be held in Baguio, Bacolod, Cagayan de Oro, General Santos City, Leyte, Laoag and Palawan.

Firefly Brigade president Ricky Pineda said the group thought of the theme “I Vote to Bike” as a way of reminding Filipinos of their right to sustainable transportation.

“Filipinos must be reminded to practice and advocate for non-motorized transportation because it is a form of being makabayan. It means less dependency on fuel which translates to dollar savings for the government,” Pineda said.

The Firefly Brigade is a citizen’s volunteer action group formed in 1999 to work for clean air and a habitable, people-friendly environment in the country.

Pineda explained the event is not a race but just a mass advocacy ride. He said there will be special prizes for the club with most number of participants, the oldest and youngest riders and the likes.

Ortigas & Co. deputy chief operating officer and real estate division general manager Joey Santos, meanwhile, said their long-term partnership with the Firefly Brigade highlights the company’s commitment to build environmentally sound property developments.

“We are committed to building communities that promote healthy living and environmentally sound practices,” Santos said.

During the event launch, Ortigas & Co. had a ceremonial turnover of bike racks to the Firefly Brigade as a symbol of the company’s commitment to provide bike racks in all of its commercial developments to promote non-motorized transportation.

In line with its advocacy campaign, the Firefly Brigade is also launching R.A.C.K., (Raising Awareness, Capacities and Knowledge-sharing for popularizing bicycle use in Metro Manila), a project supported by the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands.

Through this project, the group seeks to donate at least 15 bicycle racks to public offices and spaces by December 2010.