A swarm of bike riders descended on Ayala Avenue on 15 April

The tour runs at a leisurely pace, covering some 40 kilometers around Metro Manila. On 15 April, the group started at Tiendesitas in Pasig, headed down C5 to The Fort, passed through McKinley Road and Ayala Avenue to Roxas Boulevard, and then wound their way through Quiapo, España, New Manila, San Juan, and Cubao back to Tiendesitas. The atmosphere was carnival-like. There were all types of bikes and riders—serious sport cyclists on bikes that cost as much as a small car, BMX stunt bikers dressed like skater boys, corporate weekend-warrior types on mountain bikes, and many others on basic, no-frills bikes.

These young riders embody the spirit and hope of the 9th Tour of the Fireflies

Biking for a Cause

The message was loud and clear: cycle for a clean environment. Flags attached to many of the bikes had slogans like “Clean Energy,” “One Less Car,” and “Share the Road.” The group behind the Tour of the Fireflies is called the Firefly Brigade, a loosely structured but very committed group of environmental and cycling advocates. In organizing the annual event, the group works closely with the Department of Environment and Natural
Resources, various local governments in Metro Manila, corporate sponsors, and the media.

Apart from the tour, the Firefly Brigade organizes monthly biking events and meets up with public and private-sector groups to push their biking advocacy. Recently, the group scored a major victory after convincing many Metro Manila malls to install bike lanes and parking areas. According to Ricky Pineda, one of the group’s most active members, “Most of the malls were very receptive. I think they’re realizing that the base of bicycle commuters who are potential customers is growing.” They hope to see more public establishments open up to bikers.

The Biking Way of Life

How realistic is the Firefly Brigade’s dream of someday seeing a bike-friendly Metro Manila, where people can opt to bike to work instead of drive?

As a weekend biker, and after seeing An Inconvenient Truth, former U.S. vice president Al Gore’s eye-opener documentary on how fragile our environment has become, I certainly appreciated the importance of cutting carbon emissions and promoting environment-friendly means of transportation. However, the fear of being sideswiped while riding a bike to and from work kept me from taking that next step.

Boy Siojo, another member of the Firefly Brigade, offered me a solution. One Thursday morning, he met me outside our subdivision in Tandang Sora, Quezon City, to bike with me to my office in Makati. He led me through the back roads of Kamias, New Manila, and Mandaluyong so that we could avoid the buses on EDSA or the heavy traffic on C5, which is my usual route.

The incredible result? I got to Paseo de Roxas in 1.5 hours, just 15 minutes more than my usual travel time to the office. I was in one piece, and I felt like Supergirl. After a quick shower (I’m fortunate because I work in an ad agency with facilities to accommodate employees who have to work through the night), I was ready for work like I had just come from the gym.

Regular bike commuters find that the advantages of taking their bike to work are many: exercise is built into their work day, they save money on gas and parking, and they arrive at work less stressed out than if they had battled through traffic. According to Dino Subingsubing, who works for the United Nations Population Fund, he’s rarely sick and he arrives at work with his blood flowing and his mind alert. For Rino Avila, a call center employee with a heart condition, it has helped bring his blood pressure and sugar down to normal levels.

But what about Metro Manila’s pollution? Boy Siojo has done some homework on this and he’s found that the only difference between sitting in an air-conditioned vehicle and a bike is that the car aircon filters out large pollution particles. Otherwise, we are all breathing in the same carbon monoxide. So his solution is to wear an N95 surgical mask.

Calling on Employers

To encourage bike commuting, the Firefly Brigade is calling on employers to provide their employees with safe bike parking areas and shower facilities. For instance, the San Miguel Polo Brewery in Valenzuela, Bulacan, provides parking facilities, lockers, and hot showers.

Close to 5,000 bike enthusiasts moved at a leisurely pace, covering some 40 kilometers around Metro Manila

In the U.S., many companies have bike plans (which work like car plans), as well as incentives. Eric Reyes, who worked as a paramedic in California for many years, says bike commuters get perks like bus and movie passes, discounts at bike shops, and company sponsorship to bike events. Annual bike-to-work days are also held, where employees get free t-shirts, Starbucks coupons, or free days off for cycle commuting. Bike-to-work days also help promote a work culture that emphasizes health, wellness, and environmental awareness.

The tour had a carnival-like atmosphere

The Firefly Brigade is offering to help companies put a bike-commuting plan in place. They can give workshops to employees and hook companies up with
bike shops and suppliers. Another Firefly Brigade member, Mia Bunao, relates how she set up a bike plan at the ABS-CBN Foundation, which allows employees to get bikes on installment, at a few hundred pesos per payday.

The Firefly Brigade is optimistic that as the urgency of climate change and pollution issues becomes more glaring, more people will choose to get on their bikes and do their share for the environment. The group looks forward to the day when the smog clears and the fireflies, bumblebees, and butterflies find their way back to the city.

For more information on the
Firefly Brigade, visit www.fireflybrigade.org or e-mail blinking_fireflies@yahoo.com


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