AGREEMENT. Iloilo City Mayor Jerry Treñas (center) and the Iloilo Festivals Foundation Inc. (IFFI) through its president Allan Ryan Tan (left) sign a memorandum of agreement with SM City assistant mall manager Darrel John Defensor (right) as one of the witnesses for the hosting of the National Bike Day Awards and Recognition set on Nov. 24-26, 2023. Department of Transportation Assistant Secretary for Road Transport and Infrastructure James Melad, who witnessed the signing at the city hall on Friday (Sept. 29, 2023), urged local government units to participate and get a broader base of cycling enthusiasts in their areas. (PNA photo by PGLena)
ILOILO CITY – The Department of Transportation (DOTr) is calling on local government units to join the celebration of the 2023 National Bike Day and get a broader base of cycling enthusiasts to promote bicycles as a way of sustained mobility and improving health.
DOTr Assistant Secretary for Road Transport and Infrastructure James Melad made the call as he virtually witnessed the signing of the memorandum of agreement (MOA) between the Iloilo City government represented by Mayor Jerry Treñas and the Iloilo Festivals Foundation Inc. (IFFI) through its president Allan Ryan Tan for hosting the national event set on Nov. 24-26.
The signing held at the city hall on Friday was also witnessed by SM City assistant mall manager Darrel John Defensor, Public Safety and Transportation Management Office head Jeck Conlu, and 1Team race director Lorena Blanco.
“Cycling, beyond being a means of transportation, embodies a powerful statement of our values and aspirations. It’s a statement about choosing a lifestyle that promotes health, reduces our carbon footprint, and fosters a sense of community. The National Bike Day Awards and Recognition is a call to action, a call to embrace these values and celebrate the joy of cycling,” Melad said in his message.
The National Bike Day, he said, is held every fourth Sunday of November to advocate the advantages of active transportation, spearheaded by the interagency technical working group (TWG) on active transport composed of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), Department of Health (DOH) and DOTr.
It will be hosted by this city, the country’s Bike Capital, which for two consecutive years bagged the “prestigious gold award” for its bike lanes that encourage and promote cycling.
This year’s gold award will go to a local government with proactive transport initiatives worthy of replication. Iloilo City is no longer allowed to participate in the competition.
in a press conference held after the MOA signing, Treñas said: “This is going to be the grandest bike awarding (ceremony). Whoever wins here will be very happy because this will be participated (in) by a lot of people here. The Ilonggos are very excited about this."
Around 3,000 bike enthusiasts from and outside of Iloilo are expected to converge in the city for the National Bike Day.
Treñas said the city makes sure all its programs are sustainable by partnering with the private sector, hence the agreement with IFFI that handles festivals and the SM City, one of its biggest fund contributors.
“Programs of the government, whether national or local, will only become sustainable if it becomes a way of life, part of our living here in Iloilo. The bike lanes here in Iloilo are not empty; it’s being used every day, and more and more people are using the bike lanes because the bike lanes of Iloilo are part of our life,” he said.
The city has a bike lane linkage project that connects the three major bike lane networks -the Diversion Road, the University Loop and the 12-kilometer bikeable section of the Iloilo River Esplanade. (PNA)
