I remember this story about comedian Ariel Ureta's lampoon of the Martial-Law era motto, "Sa ikauunlad ng bayan, disiplina ang kailangan," which he changed to "Sa ikauunlad ng bayan, bisikleta ang kailangan!"
The punishment levied on Ureta during those days of government repression: he was allegedly made to bicycle his way down Fort Bonifacio (or was it Camp Aguinaldo? Damn, my memory's really becoming slower as I age) under heavy guard.
Forty years on, with yet another war in the Middle East threatening our economy, I've come to think: what if that's the mindset we had trained ourselves to?
It's no secret that we have heavily adopted the Western thinking that private vehicles are not just a backbone of personal progress but of economic growth.
Car ownership, in the past, was a status symbol; now, with the sad state of our public transport, car ownership has become an irresistible means to get around Metro Manila.
Unfortunately, that mindset has led not only to heavy traffic, but to more dangerous roads for other users like pedestrians and bike users.
When was the last time people were able to bicycle their way down National Highway or even secondary roads without the fear that a “kamote” driver might sideswipe them off the road?
---o0o---
Mind you, I couldn't even ride a bike – I've tried to learn, soon after high school, but after a few false starts and lots of falls, I simply gave up.
But in the past few years, especially now that I'm working a little bit closer to home, I've suddenly begun to have a yen to learn how to ride a bike.
Not to mention that I often pass this bicycle repair shop on my way to work and back, and the idea of cycling my way to work and back seemed a lot more attractive than taking public transportation.
Consider: not only could I save money and time by cycling to work, I could easily bypass the main roads and pass through smaller, less-traveled roads, which means that I could save myself the worry of sharing the road with reckless drivers.
And while bicycles can be a bit expensive even for the average Filipino, imagine that you’ll never have to spend extra money on gasoline. Just pedal your way to work and back, and it could even double as your exercise.
What a pity we seemed to have banished bicycles as merely a sport, a hobby or even a nuisance on our roads.
Because with the recent developments in the Middle East, I think we should’ve made cycling a way of life here in the Philippines.
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