Iloilo Bike Ed for Road Safety

DPWH’s Slope Protection: River Destruction? 🚫🌊

Ah — so “slope protection” gali tawag sina, indi gali footbridge.
Slope protection? So ironic — really, protection?

I was invited to a stakeholders’ meeting for the DPWH slope protection project. When the slides flashed on the projector, I’ll be honest — I was shocked. Eto na, reality in front of me: how it will cut Iloilo River.

I raised my concern — yes, emotionally — kay sakitan guid ako sa plano nila.
DPWH said they’re not cutting Iloilo River because the project is “not part of Iloilo River.”
Huh? Oh really? Then what do you call that body of water?
Calling DENR: can you draw the line, hasta diin si Iloilo River?

A councilor told me: “Gamay lang na, and ara lang na sa higad.”
I answered: “It may look small on the screen, but when you’re on the river, it’s massive. Upod ka bugsay sa akon para you can see from my point of view.”

DPWH even added that this slope protection will have features of a viewing deck — pwede ka dayon mag-pamunit, and jogging ka from Esplanade 1 diretso na.

Don’t we have enough viewing decks already?
There are four in Sunset, and in all of Esplanade 1–11 there are viewing decks along the sides of the river.

Nice features, wrong location.

I’m not against connectivity — in fact, that’s why I’ve been suggesting it be done via the riverbanks: shorter, cheaper, and no mangroves disturbed. But it seems DPWH is not interested.

To my migo councilor — I’m inviting you on a speedboat cruise along Iloilo River so you might agree with me: cutting across the river will leave a scar on its beautiful face, and Iloilo River will never look forever young again.✌🏻✌🏻✌🏻

Daang Maginhawa/SPARK Project will reshape Maginhawa Street in Quezon City into a safer, healthier, and more inclusive space by promoting active mobility such as walking and biking. Hopefully starting in December 2024 and running until February 2025, it will introduce active mobility lanes, pedestrian crossings, parklets, and interactive spaces, making it easier for everyone—especially vulnerable groups—to move around. This initiative will not only improve access and reduce pollution but also boost local businesses and create a vibrant, people-centered community hub. It’s a major step toward a greener, more connected, and more livable Maginhawa Street for all.



Quezon City Government
Institute for Climate and Sustainable Cities

::: From the article:

Iloilo: Most bike-friendly

Iloilo City has been lauded as among the Philippines’ most bike-friendly cities. Early Sol Gadong, assistant professor at the University of the Philippines-Visayas (Iloilo), started biking regularly during the pandemic for her mental health and to complete errands.

Soon after restrictions eased, she visited Sydney, Australia and experienced riding down wide dedicated bike lanes with direct paths from residences to universities and hospitals.

“That’s when I thought: Puwede palang gawin! (So, it can be done!) If leaders want to do it, they will find a way.”

Gadong sees a lot of points to improve the cycling experience in Iloilo:

✅️ Make the Iloilo Esplanade accessible to more residential areas.
✅ ️Improve the connectedness of bike lanes so cyclists don’t compete with motorists.
✅️ Increase the number of protected bike lanes.
✅️ Implement active mobility policies.
Iloilo has many bike-friendly ordinances but their implementation leaves much to be desired.
✅️ Let officials and decision makers have firsthand knowledge of the bike commute experience, so they can better appreciate and understand the concerns of regular bike commuters.
✅️ Operate within the framework of the road hierarchy, where pedestrians have the highest and motorists have the least priority.

According to Gadong: “Leadership also plays a big role. Filipinos look to what the leaders of the community are doing as a model of what should be done. One of the first steps to effecting change is to have more of our leaders do what everybody should be doing: if they want more people to bike-commute, they should also do so. Bike-commuters, in turn, should not stay quiet but to reach out to their local government leaders. They’re there to serve us, we should be allowed access to tell them what we see is going wrong and give suggestions on how to solve problems.”

“Rappler’s initiative, Bike Walk PH, is good. We should scale it down to the community level, for example, to be able to text the LGU about areas where mobility is hampered or hindered. The active mobility situation will then be improved.

“The main issue is the safety concern. If streets and roads are safe for women and young children to bike, it’s going to be much safer for everybody,” Gadong said.

Safety First: Bike commuters weigh in on building more bike-friendly cities The clamor for more areas conducive to active mobility is reflected in the SWS survey results from 2023 that found more than a third of Filipinos own a bicycle

Another pedestrian fell victim to a road crash in Iloilo City today. Thankfully, they are reportedly out of a critical condition now.

Sa aton mga motorista, ara gid sa inyo ang dako mga responsibilidad. PALIHOG MAN MAGHINAY-HINAY KON MAY MANUGTABOK UKON MAY NAGABISIKLETA. PALIHOG PAUNAHA ANG NAGATABOK ABER MAN KON SA PEDESTRIAN LANE SILA UKON WALA.

Iloilo City cannot claim to be a bike friendly city if pedestrians are constantly in danger of getting killed.

Until we all take road hierarchy to heart and understand that those who have least power on the road --- pedestrians, bicycle riders, PWDs --- need the most protection, our claim of being a highly urbanized city is useless and merely for clout.

::: Bike to the Future! Closing Program of Iloilo Bike Festival 2024!

::: "Transport is the movement of people and goods, not of vehicles." - Dr. Ma. Sheilah Napalang, School of Urban and Regional Planning, UP Diliman

::: ATM: Shift Happens: A Mobility Forum of the Iloilo Bike Festival 2024

BisikLiteraTOUR last stop: Book Latte

"We had a carinderia since I was a child and I was always surrounded by the sights of dozens of dishes and the aroma of cooking from sunrise till sundown. As a young woman, I loved to read books and I regarded them as friends that you can count on whenever you’re lonely. Then I also painted under the tutelage of Sir Defensor in UPV.

As a mother, I would give books as gifts for my children. And I would read to them as they were growing up!

When I became a professional, coffee became my fuel and energy giver. I was drawn to these and when I was given a chance to open a cafè, I incorporated all these - food, books, art and coffee! And voila - out came Book Latte from my imagination and now, I am sharing it to the Ilonggo community and the world!"

- from Ms. Cristina Estorque, Book Latte proprietor, Iloilo Mega Book Fair co-founder, and avid supporter of West Visayan literature

::: Photos from Iloilo's first ever 🚴

Pedal through pages of Iloilo's literary past! The first ever BisikLiteraTour is happening in Iloilo City this Sunday, July 21!

::: Suportahan naton!

May date na !
JUNE 17 - 5:30am , esplanade 3 / skatepark
Tara let’s join this in support to the family of Rave Garcia !