DOT launches bike tour for Araw ng Kagitingan

In the hope of providing a more meaningful activity to celebrate this year's Araw ng Kagitingan, the Department of Tourism has organized a commemorative bicycle tour on Monday, April 9. The DOT said the “2B Commemorative Bicycle Tour” has the nod of the National Steering Committee on National Observance led by the National Historical Commission of the Philippines. "2B stands for Balara and Bilibid. The tour monumentalizes the two sites where Filipino guerrillas mounted victorious military action against the Japanese occupation forces," the DOT said in a news release posted on the Official Gazette website. The DOT encouraged cycling enthusiasts to join the 2B Tour, which is more than 35 km one-way, and will include a return trip with scheduled rest stops along the way. Since the tour will run at a manageable pace, the challenge is not to be first, but to complete the bike run. "It’s not a race and will be run at a leisurely pace of 15 to 20 kph. The challenge is to complete the bike run. The route offers an alternative for cyclists who want to head south or north without passing through EDSA, C-5 or the SLEX service roads," the DOT said. 66 years ago The tour will bring cyclists to historic spots, where Filipinos showed bravery and valor. In Balara, a guerrilla town unit rescued the Balara filters from demolition just a few days before the start of the Battle of Manila. In Bilibid, guerrillas mounted a daring raid to rescue their comrades held in New Bilibid Prison. "Sixty-six years later, it still shines as a Filipino feat of arms," the DOT said, noting that guerrillas executed the military operation successfully with lightning speed, surgical precision and without casualties. Route connecting 2 sites According to the DOT, the bike tour will be passing through the eastern side of Metro Manila. From Quezon City, the route goes through Pasig, passing the old Spanish road that connected the former parts of Rizal to its former capital. Website Information about the 2B tour can be found online, at a website created by some of the cycling participants. "They utilized free internet tools to create a website that has the historical background, a map of the route, with photos and the tour schedule and rules," said the DOT, who asked the participants to put up the website. The sign-up form to join the tour is also at the website: 2b-biking.weebly.com. The DOT encouraged those interested to join to use the sign-up form to save on registration time. "For those who enjoy a challenge for a more meaningful Araw ng Kagitingan, this is it," it added. Biking with history tour The 2B tour will also kick off the DOT's “biking with history” tour program. "Competitive sports cycling have always been around. However, recreational cycling has grown tremendously in recent years. By adding historical content, the DOT aims to enrich the biking experience for enthusiasts, tourists, and everyone who might be interested," it said. It added biking offers a more intimate tourism experience and is cleaner, quieter, and healthier as well as a time and cost-effective mode of transport. "By exploring what the biking community might need—safer bicycle routes, bicycle parking and the like–DOT hopes to make it more fun," the DOT said. The event is supported by:

• National Historical Commission of the Philippines;
• Hunters Association, the veterans association whose guerilla efforts the event commemorates;
• Hunters Historical Society
• UP Beta Sigma Fraternity for bikers mobilization and social media networking;
• UP Diliman and New Bilibid Prison, for the launch and ceremonies venue;
• Metropolitan Manila Development Authority for traffic management;
• AEROMED, the official medical support group;
• Lungsod ng Quezon City and Taguig City for their support and provision of LGU-based relay bikers;
• Philippine Daily Inquirer, official media partner; and
• Philippine Army, Philippine Air Force and Philippine Marine Corps for logistical support and fielding of bikers.