Iloilo Women’s Bicycle Festival? Yes, another first in the Bike Capital of the Philippines.
The Women’s Bicycle Festival is a 5-component event which will run from March 15 to 27, 2021 at SM City Iloilo. Ongoing event are Women Bicycle Fair and a Biker’s Lane promotion of SM City Iloilo’s bike friendly amenities and services.
A fun ride and a bike for a cause is also up in the calendar with Zonta Club of Iloilo’s Ride for a Better Tomorrow and an all female bike for a cause to promote safe biking called Basta Ilongga, Siklista!
Also read: “I can’t wait” to bike in Iloilo – Berna Romulo-Puyat, tourism secretary
One of the unique highlight offered by the festival is the book launching of Ilongga Bike Diaries – an anthology of essays written by Ilonggo women which share stories about their triumphs, challenges and joys of biking in Iloilo City as #IloiloBikeCapitalPh.
The Iloilo Women’s Bicycle Festival is a stakeholders’ led event and it provides another dimension of Iloilo’s growing popularity as a bike-friendly city and as #BikeCapitalPH.
The festival serves to highlight the significant role that Ilonggo women play in the development of Iloilo’s bike community. It is considered as among build-up events for the upcoming Iloilo Bike Festival set on April 9-11 and it puts to the limelight March as a Women’s Month celebration.
See here what are still in-stored for you in the 1st Iloilo Women’s Bicycle Festival
Iloilo Bicycle Expo [ongoing]
Lower Ground Flr. SM City Iloilo
03.15-21, 2021
An Ilongga pedaling in Iloilo City has become a regular sight and they can be seen using different type of bicycles with those who bike to work, bike for physical activity and wellness, and bike for leisure along the bike lane and esplanade in the afternoon.
The bicycle expo will be a sight to behold as far as various bicycles is concerned. It is worth a visit.
Also at peoplesdomain: Iloilo Bike Festival to level up Iloilo as PHs bike capital
A Fun Ride For The Benefit of Zonta Club of Iloilo City II’s Projects
Register early for Pre-registration will allow you to join the raffle. Registration outlets are located in the following:
- SM City Iloilo from 1:00 to 7:00 P.M.
- Gateway Hotel in Pavia
- New Center Electrical Supply, Ledesma St. Iloilo City from 10:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M.
- Cafe Gloria along Quezon St., Villa Arevalo district from 10:00 A.M. to 8:00 P.M.
- 2B Bike Shop in Molo, Iloilo City.
Basta Ilongga, Siklista!
An all female cyclist fun ride SM City Iloilo Southpoint
SM City Iloilo Southpoint
03.27.2021 [Saturday]
Ilonggas have found biking as a liberating and thrilling experience. The “Basta Ilongga, Siklista” Fun Ride will help launch the book: Ilongga Bicycle Diaries and the organizers have partnered with Sikad Ta Iloilo, a Facebook Community Page for cyclists, to initiate a fun ride for women and girls, hence: “Basta Ilongga, Siklista!”
Ilongga Bicycle Diaries
Book Launching
03.27.2021 [Saturday]
“The ‘Ilongga Bicycle Diaries‘ was an idea that started last year,” shared mathematics assistant professor and popular Ilongga writer Early Sol Gadong, when when she was working with Noel Galon of Kasingkasing Press.
The idea of a bicycle diary developed during the planning of literary-themed projects for Iloilo.
“At that time, Iloilo was gaining attention as the Bike Capital of the Philippines,” said Gadong who is a Palanca awardee for her short story and “even in the past years, Iloilo has always been a great venue for cycling related events, from trail rides to bike art to the annual bike festival.”
“Kon damo na nga daan ang nagabisikleta sadto, mas nagdamo na gid subong,” said Gadong in local language Hiligaynon to mean if there were plenty of bikers before, it has multiplied further today.
Ilongga Bicycle Diaries is a collection of essays written by women who have stories to tell about their biking experiences.
“Kadamo gid sang luyag magsugid sang ila gin-agihan sa pagbisikleta,” shared Gadong or a lot of women have expressed openness to impart their experiences related to biking.
The pool of writers selected for the book is diverse, from authors who have previously published a book, to individuals whose major publications have been status updates on Facebook.
The narratives that they share also reveal the different levels of their engagements and also their motivations for cycling. There are some who are mothers and employees who have been forced to bike in order to do their errands or to get to their work place during community quarantines.
There are also other who are sports enthusiasts and who have been training a long time to excel in the field. Moreover, many have also turned to biking for leisure or for exercise to keep their sanity intact during this very stressful time of the pandemic.
See below the list of titles and their authors in the Ilongga Bicycle Diaries:
- Among The need to breathe
Elvie Victonette B. Razon-Gonzalez, M.D. - My somewhere else
Anna Teresa Slater - Rolling through the pandemic and beyond
Ira G. Pahila - Bike barter as mangoes falling
Rosa Zerrudo - Growing with my bike
Charisse Ariane Pedroso - Not-knowing-how-to-ride-a-bike
Lounie B. Maranan - Two-wheeling on a Sunday morning
Maria Leuret T. Kua - Five years of blood, sweat and tears
Maria Monica Espinosa-Pinzon - The sweetest love story
Rhounella Rhane Saba-Magpantay - Bike commuting sa new normal
Donna Katrina Deligencia
The Introduction of the Ilongga Bicycle Diaries is written by Early Sol Gadong.