Better days for Philippine cycling? Hopefully.
Posted: January 20, 2011 Filed under: Uncategorized Leave a comment »
Seeing President Benigno Aquino III riding a bike and pedaling around the palace grounds may very well be a morale booster for Philippine cycling.
A Philippine Daily Inquirer news story reports a member of Congress expressing hope that the President’s decision to take up cycling “would enliven ordinary Filipinos of all ages to ride a bicycle for transport, recreation, or for sport.”
“It would be great if more Filipinos are drawn into cycling. It is an excellent way to relax, have fun and stay in shape,” LPG Marketers’ Association (LPGMA) Party List Representative Arnel Ty is quoted in the report as saying.
“We are also very optimistic that the President’s special regard for cycling will translate into increased government support for the sport and our cycling athletes,” Ty, a key backer of cycling, also said.
Ty believes that the Philippines is capable of repeating, or better yet surpassing their “world-class achievements between 2003 and 2007.”
Philippine cyclists had a combined harvest of 25 gold, silver, and bronze medals in the 2003, 2005, and 2007 Southeast Asian Games. The national riders however did dismally in the 2009 SEA Games in Vientiane, Laos, failing to bring home any medal.
Neither did the national riders do well in the 2010 Asian Games in Ghangzhou, China. Not only did they fail to bring home any medal. They also failed to establish any new national records. The last time a Filipino cyclist won an Asiad medal—a bronze—was in 1998.
bisikleta.ph: Pinoy Bike Blog also sees the President’s decision to take up cycling as good news which could even become better.
It’s good PR for the sport, may encourage others to try cycling, bringing more people to bike shops and riding on the trails. And there’s more, says the bisikleta.ph post.
It has a potential to become better if he gets hooked on it. He may decide, for example, to have a bike to Malacanan day at least once a week. It’s going to be hell for his security detail, but through this example, he can help the Filipino people realize the beauty of the bike as a cheap and alternative means of transportation. And maybe make people in the government and private sectors come up with schemes to promote this. And maybe we’ll have bike lanes — to take us to school, work, and everywhere else. Maybe we’ll get parking facilities. Maybe we’ll see shower and locker room facilities.
Hopefully we will.
