[sustran] Fw: [fireflynews] Firefly Tours: Bicycle Tours for the Rest of Us

[Heckler]

Firefly Tours: Bicycle Tours for the Rest of UsTo the Sustran Group:

I'm forwarding the announcement for our Tour of the Fireflies on Earth Day,
April 22. Wish you were here to join us.



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Firefly Tours: Bicycle Tours for the Rest of Us



Summer in the Philippines has, for a long time, been associated with bicycle
races and the ubiquitous Marlboro Tour. The grueling 2,500 kilometer stage
race all over the country evokes images of hard core, professional,
sun-burnt, lean and mean cyclists.

The debut of the Tour of the Fireflies was a break in this tradition. Here
was a mass bike ride, not for the elite professionals of Philippine cycling,
nor for the daily bike commuters and off-road enthusiasts alone. Here was a
bike ride for the rest of us ­ ordinary Filipinos who would occasionally
bike recreationally, perhaps with the wife and kids, during the weekends, in
our own communities, or places like the Quezon  Memorial Circle or the UP
Academic Oval.

This was a Tour aimed not at winning over somebody, but at beating
something. That something was the specter of air pollution and unsafe
vehicle emissions. It was a ride for clean air.

The 1st Tour (April 25, 1999) was participated in by around 500 participants
at the starting line at the Quezon Memorial Circle, swelling to around 1,000
in mid-ride. The mass of cyclists meandered through seven cities in the
metro: Quezon City, Marikina, Pasig, Mandaluyong, Makati, Pasay, Manila and
Kalookan ­ a total of 50 kilometers.

The 2nd Tour (April 30, 2000) basically replicated the route followed by the
first Tour, but featured more participants (up to a high of 2,000, again
many of whom joined mid-ride), and saw the launching of the Brigade's
Recycle-a-Bicycle (RAB) Project.

Tours of the Fireflies are not simple bike rides. The riders are in
costumes. The more creative, the better ­ for which those with the best
costumes were awarded prizes at ride's end. Prizes are also given to women
riders, the oldest and youngest riders.

What is perhaps most significant about these tours is that they are
organized by the purely volunteer-driven Firefly Brigade. A very loose and
flexible organization governs the parplays' (as the volunteers endearingly
call each other) efforts. There is only a convenor and a treasurer, with the
rest dividing themselves into different committees and areas of work. What
has fuelled the parplays was sheer will and dedication to something very
dear to their hearts.

The Firefly Brigade actually stemmed from one woman's dream. Katti Sta. Ana
(a.k.a., Jill / Queen Firefly), convenor and founder of the Brigade, and an
award-winning visual artist and bicycle commuter. "It was in January 1999
that I was 'possessed' by the idea. You know how you become excited by an
idea, you resolve to do something about it, but then you forget about it the
next day. This was an idea, however, that refused to go away."

Katti soon connected with the Cycling Advocates (CYCAD), another bike and
sustainable transport advocacy group set up by Mon Fernan. She then
convinced the Philippine Daily Inquirer (through friend Aina Zulueta) to
help in the publicity for the Tour. "Aina just called out of the blue and I
told her about the idea - this grand environmental event. It didn't have a
name yet. She called at a time when I was thinking that I can call the
Inquirer and ask for help but was procrastinating because I was scared of
the huge responsibility."

Initial plans for the Tour were grand ­ consisting of a Joey Ayala concert,
an environmental fair, a "Big March" simultaneous with the mass bike ride.
"We brainstormed. May nag-suggest pa ng hot air balloon flying at regatta.
Ni hindi ko alam kung ano yung regatta. But would you believe I considered
the hot air balloon idea? Ganoon ako ka-possessed."

Mon and Katti crashed into a Mother Earth meeting when they heard that NGOs
were organizing Earth Day activities. "Nagbigay kami ng handouts ng idea
namin with lots of graphics care of another parplay, Joanne de Leon. I
remember clearly that on that very day, Mon suggested that we call the group
the Firefly Brigade." The copy  'When was the last time you saw fireflies'
was given by Lory Tan (of Bookmark fame) when Katti told him about the grand
plan. Mon then added on to it and he coined 'Tour of the Fireflies" as the
name for the fun ride.

The two used Cycad's funds and pulled money out of their own pockets to
bankroll the first Tour while waiting for approval for a grant from the
Foundation for the Philippine Environment (FPE).
These initial parplay efforts coincided with the legislative and media
campaigns by other groups to have the Clean Air Act passed. "Para ngang
nagkasabay-sabay ang campaigns noon. We were organizing the first Tour when
I saw the first TV ads for clean air. Shortly thereafter, I heard that the
Clean Air Act was already being drafted."

In true bayanihan and damayan spirit, various groups and organizations
provided behind-the-scenes support and warm bodies for the actual ride:
artists from Ilustrador ng Kabataan (InK); the UP Diliman Century Riders,
and Cycling Advocates (CYCAD); the bicycle-riding traffic enforcers and
police forces of the Metro-Manila Development Authority (MMDA) and
Philippine National Police.


Pedal Power is People Power

This year, the Firefly Brigade has declared as its theme for the 3rd Tour of
the Fireflies: Pedal Power is People Power! A Citizens' Bike Ride for
Livable Cities and Good Governance.

This year's Tour aims to: raise awareness about the inter-related
environmental issues besetting Metro Manila and the need for good governance
and public participation in resolving these issues; promote the Marikina
Bikeways Project; and, provide hands-on experience to participants that
bike-friendly cities are actually feasible, given the will and the numbers.

The Tour will begin and end at the Marikina Riverbanks Center. Check-in &
registration will start at 5:30 am (amphitheater area) and the ride will
begin at 7:00 am. True to its theme, it will pass through Malacañang, the
Edsa Shrine, and North Greenhills where Polk Street is!

The Ride is open to all. However, children below the age of 13 years old
must be accompanied by an adult registered participant. All participants,
adults & kids alike, are very much encouraged to wear costumes and decorate
their bikes. The Firefly Brigade has prepared cash & special prizes for the
best costumed participant and best decorated bikes. Registration fee is only
P 50. Souvenir items can be pre-ordered. One may register at The Bike Room
(Cartimar), Joven Bike Shop (Amang Rodriguez near cor Marcos Hi-way),
Roosevelt Bike Shop (Roosevelt Ave. near cor. Baler), Extreme (Timog cor.
Panay), Bicycle Works (Aurora Blvd, Cubao, near Isetann), Bisikleta Atbp
(Marikina: JP Rizal cor Sumulong Hi-way near Bingo) or at The Body Shop's
Metro Manila stores.


The Tour's driving force


The Tour of the Fireflies is a labor of love of everyone who has involved
themselves believing that his or her efforts combined with those of others
will make our air breathable again and the quality of our lives better. On
the surface, the Tour may seem to be nothing but an event for crazy,
bicycle-loving people. What pedals it forward is a cause and a drive that
far exceeds the energy that is required to finish 50 kilometers. Parplays
believe that in good time, they will see the fruits of their labor--when our
cities are calmer and our air sweet again.

To quote from Jaime Lerner, the prime mover behind the success of the city
of Curituba in Brazil -- an encouraging model of a livable city: "There is a
kind of syndrome of tragedy that poisons our thinking about the city. The
problems are so great, people say no solution is possible. That's the
mentality of defeat, and an excuse for doing nothing. The fundamental thing
is to begin."

To learn more about this historic Pedal Power event, visit
www.fireflybrigade.org or contact the Firefly Brigade at tel nos 682-4304 /
430-4205 or e-mail fireflybrigade at mindgate.net.


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