Move over, mountain bikers. A resurrection and improvised version of an old utility vehicle found only in Valencia, Negros Oriental, is generating a lot of worldwide attention following its international debut as the king of the downhill trails.
The ligiron (Visayan word for “to roll”) is a four-wheeled wooden cart with a bamboo flooring, serving as its chassis. These wheeled contraptions, which have been in use for generations, is generally used by farmers to bring their produce from the mountains of Valencia to the market. At least three barangays of Valencia have slight variations of this cart.
But it took environmental activist Nicky Dumapit to organize the first-ever contest involving over 20 ligirons in Barangay Bongbong in Valencia town last June 9 after he tried riding one.
“It’s addicting! You keep looking forward to your next ligiron experience after just one try,” Dumapit told the Dumaguete MetroPost.
Dumapit and his group called Lipay ang Kalibutan community raised money for prizes and organized the race. “I was surprised at the number of ligirons that showed up for the race,” he said.
For the June 9 race, the ligirons were made of one design, where the drivers would drive their feet into the ground to stop the vehicle.
“There are other models found in other barangays which have brakes. I have also seen one with a motorcycle shock absorber!” Dumapit said.
The Ligiron has been featured in a national television program but the attention of the international community was drawn to the photos of the race by photographer Hersley Ven Casero, and the video by Paul Benzi Florendo.
Interest in the ligiron keeps appearing on Facebook and Vimeo every day, with some netizens suggesting some ways to make the sport safer.
Dumapit said that he, too, is an advocate of safe riding. “I wanted them to wear protective clothing but the old folks would tell me that they had no such protection when they were using these devices as kids. They feel it would be so unnatural for them to be wearing helmets and pads.”
Asked whether the ligiron should become a part of the Buglasan Festival in October, Dumapit said perhaps the organizers might want to look into it. “After all, buglas, where the word Buglasan Festival comes from, is a grass that is closely related to the bamboo, which is the main component of the ligiron.”
