I know that for many families, the continuing state of health emergency due to COVID19 is taking a terrible toll in terms of social, economic and psychological costs and there seems to be no end in sight as 2020 comes to a close. As many epidemiologists and health specialists have made it known in the press and social media, the spread of the virus will continue on till the new year and it is important for all of us to be able to live with its threat as well as adjust our behaviors and way of doing things to avoid the spread of COVID19 in our communities, families and loved ones. The key word here is to persevere and keep ourselves virus-free until we can get the virus contained by the forthcoming vaccines that we are hearing about lately.
Till then, we have to keep ourselves and our families and our places of work secure from the virus. One such example of courage and mutual group support is the tale I heard from among the staff of one hair salon located in BGC where I happened to have my haircut after months of home quarantine. Of course I checked the establishment’s health protocols and when I had the assurance that they are strictly adhering to these rules, decided to visit. I was told that among the lady assistants, biking to work has become the accepted norm and all their personnel who live in Makati and Taguig in particular, bike to work (one rides a motorcycle) as a means of protecting themselves from virus infections that they risk from public transportation.
All these ladies have been doing this since Metro Manila declared a modified general community quarantine (MGCQ) allowing for businesses to open and for workers to go back to their jobs. Biking essentially meant that not only are they protected from the virus’ risks in jeepneys or bus transports, but they also save on transportation costs plus the health benefits that biking brings to the user. So it is to the elation of these intrepid lady bikers that Malacanang recently issued Proclamation No. 1052 declaring the fourth Sunday of November of every year as the National Bicycle Day. The proclamation states that: “There is a need to highlight the importance of non-motorized transportation as a means of fostering sustainable development and promoting environmental health that is conducive to the physical health and well-being of all Filipinos.” Under the declaration, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources is tasked to lead the event’s observance and celebration. The declaration also enjoins all other units and agencies of the national government, as well as the private sector, to take part and provide necessary assistance to the DENR.
In actuality, there is a global support for biking as an alternative transportation system given the benefits that it brings to a person’s health and as a boost to the environment by cutting down on carbon emissions from cars and buses. For effect, the United Nations General Assembly declared June 3 as World Bicycle Day acknowledging the individuality, durability and versatility of the bicycle, which has been in use for two centuries. The commemoration is to encourage the stakeholders to understand and advance the use of the bicycle in fostering sustainable development, strengthen education for children and young people, promote health, prevent diseases, facilitate social inclusion and culture of peace etc. The Assembly calls on national and local authorities to strengthen physical and mental health and also to develop a culture of cycling in society.
With the international and national mandate and injunction for promoting bicycle use, what then are our authorities at the city and municipal levels doing about it? How can we make them take concrete steps in making biking not only a symbol of leisure but as an important alternative transportation as the “ladies who bike” that I have mentioned earlier from that salon. We need to go beyond the pledges of support such as one made by MMDA Traffic Discipline Office Director Neomi Recio who was quoted that her agency “fully supports biking,” citing the setting up of protected bike lanes in parts of Metro Manila. In short, we all must put our authorities on notice that we are watching and waiting for them to deliver on their oft-repeated promises to make Metro Manila streets safe for bikers.
And not only the city streets but our subdivision roads need to be biker-friendly too as more and more village residents take on their bikes for exercise or to run short errands in the neighborhood. My eldest daughter whose front wheel got caught in the village street manhole cover because the slats were too wide apart leading unsuspected bikers into a veritable trap. Though she suffered a bruised leg and hit her head with the bar handle when the bike flipped, I was just thankful that she avoided serious injury. The lesson here is that we have the joint responsibility to keep everyone safe; not only from COVID-19 but also from cars that could sideswipe our bikers or unsafe streets due to manholes and dangerous gutter covers.
