Touring seven cities: Quezon City, Marikina, Pasig, Mandaluyong, Makati, Pasay, Manila, and Caloocan, the first Tour of the Fireflies was held on a clear Sunday morning on April 25, 1999. It Started and ended at the Quezon Memorial Circle – center of the NGO community-initiated celebration of the Earth Day ’99.

A Biking Mass in Costumes  
To first-time participants of a mass bike ride, it was an exhilarating experience to be cycling with hundreds of other cyclists. For cyclists used to joining mass rides, the Tour of the Fireflies was an exciting experience. Not only because they got to ride with cyclists colorfully-clad as insects, or a horse or a “Village People” hen, or Tina Turner, or with balloons, leaves, or flowers on their heads, but they were also able to converse with other riders while cycling at the leisurely pace set by the U.P. Diliman Riders, who did an excellent job of being the front-riding marshals.

Many who did not come in costumes vowed to dress up themselves for the Tour of the Fireflies 2000. Estimates vary but there are easily 500 participants in the bike ride and some have said that as many as 1,000 had joined. The Tour generated a lot of media attention and this was welcomed by participants who eagerly waved, slowed down and cheered for the cameras, Senator Gregorio Honasan, a cyclist himself joined the ride with his band of cyclist “buddyguards.”

The easy pace and the relatively flat route were made to attract many more people than just the usual motley crew of Sunday bike riding circles around the Quezon Memorial Circle. As it turned out, many of the participants were either first time bikers or those who only occasionally rode their bikes. Some very young children joined the ride if only around the Quezon Memorial Circle. The ride around the seven cities opened participants’ eyes to the possibility and feasibility of bike commuting in the city.

Some cycled without any idea as to how far 50 kilometers of biking is. But they finished the ride surprised at how the kilometers went by without their feeling impatient or bored. Towards the end exhaustion was starting to jug at their enthusiasm. Yet with persistence, they finished the ride and felt proud of themselves.

Media Support
Participants were provided with materials that outlined the major causes of air pollution and proposed ways for concerned citizens to help mitigate if not solve the problem. The public awareness aspect of the campaign was also greatly helped by the Philippine Daily Inquirer’s support. The Inquirer published various articles on air pollution and the ride in anticipation of the Sunday event. It generously sponsored advertising space announcing it. At least four radio programs on the AM band interviewed the Firefly Brigade organizers prior to the event.

Other newspapers carried photo accounts of the ride as well, mostly on the front page. The only hindrance to the Tour’s being placed on the front page in some newspapers was the news of winners of a national beauty contest.  The Associated press took photos of the event and posted them on the wires so that OFWs working in Singapore Straits times saw news photo accounts of the Tour. There were also TV and radio coverage of the event. Channels 7 and 5 carried news accounts of the tour. “5 & Up” and “Extra! Extra!” had their reporter had their reporter join the ride on a bike at one point. DWLS FM announced the position of the Tour as it made its way through Quezon City, Marikina, Pasig, Mandaluyong, Makati, Manila, Caloocan, and back to Quezon City. NU107 was also heard carrying a news account of the Tour.

Awards
At the end of the ride, a program was held at the Quezon Memorial Circle where the significance of the event and some entertaining numbers were presented. Prizes were awarded to those with best costumes and decorated bikes. First prize went to a cyclist who transformed himself, including his bike, to a bigger-than-life praying mantis. Second prize went to a 9-year old boy who finished the 50-km ride with an elaborately-winged butterfly costume. Third prize was won by a 69-year old cyclist from Las Piñas (He left his house for the tour at 3:00 am to get to the Circle in time for the registration) who came with heavy classic bike in a Filipino revolutionary costume.

Judges for the costume contest comprised of a children’s book illustrator, a “5 and Up” Correspondent, a DWLS FM DJ, a writer and the editor of Junior Inquirer. Except for one, all judges participated as cyclists in the ride and were judging the costumes as they rode their bikes.

Happy,Generous Volunteers
One significant aspect of the event was the number of volunteers mobilized to help run the Tour of the Fireflies. Artists and designers from Ilustrador ng Kabataan offered their time and talent to help design posters, t-shirts, streamers, print advertisements and other visual design needs of the Tour. Volunteers offered to for registration work, put up the streamers, solicit the participation of various bike shops and The Body Shop as registration centers, contact media, design and set up an event website, manage traffic, serve on the medical team, document the event, judge the costume contest, and assist the après ride program.

Many cyclists volunteered to marshal the ride and aid participants who experienced problems, both physical and medical. San Miguel Corporation was good enough to provide juice drinks for the thirsty volunteers and participants. There were easily about two hundred volunteers who helped make the Tour of the Fireflies 1999 a success.


The Future
We predict more riders eagerly participating in costumes in the 2000 Tour. Not only was it enjoyable for the cyclist-participants but very much so for the volunteers, too. This is precisely what the Firefly Brigade aims for – Filipinos getting actively involved in the campaign for clean air and pro-people, environmentally-sustainable transport.

Many progressive cities throughout the world have encouraged cycling and other forms of non-motorized transport as a step towards remaking themselves into better place to live in. In our own cities, The Firefly Brigade is taking a step towards that direction by combining activism and fun in its effort to build a responsible community working for livable cities. We have everything to gain in this endeavor because we and our children deserve a better quality of life.