The United Church of Christ in the Philippines (UCCP) in Dumaguete City is initiating a worthy cause to generate funds for the Marawi victims.
Dubbed as “Sikad for Marawi 2017”, the event encourages local bikers and bike enthusiasts to bike their way from Dumaguete City to Bais City and back on Saturday, August 5 from 6 a.m. up to 12:00 noon.
Non-bikers may also send their donations to the organizers, even as it also accepts donations in kind including school supplies.
UCCP chairperson Jose Arnel Francisco told a press briefing Tuesday afternoon that this is the second time around for them to hold such event. The first was last year where bikers joined the cause to plant trees in a lot in Siit, Siaton and then back to Dumaguete for a total of 110 kilometers in celebration of their 110thanniversary.
This year, it will still be a bike for a cause purposely to help the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) from Marawi and who are received by their relatives in Dumaguete City.
Francisco believes the Sikad for Marawi event is a fitting way to celebrate the UCCP church’s 111th founding anniversary which was supposed to be held last month but was moved to August 5, 2017 to coincide with the start of the mission month of the UCCP calendar.
Aside from the main purpose, the biking event is also directed at raising awareness and consciousness that we have to share our streets for bikers, and care for the environment to reduce air and noise pollution.
Partners in this endeavour include the Negros Oriental Schools Development Program (NOSDEP) headed by Paultom Paras, the bicycle shops in Dumaguete, amateur radio groups, bike marshals including the police, the Department of Education, the Department of Social Welfare and Development, and local government units that will be traversed by the bikers.
Since this is not a competition, any bike will do provided the biker can endure a total of 111 kilometers from Dumaguete-Bais-Dumaguete.
Paras, however said, for short distance bikers and beginners, they may opt not to proceed to Bais and to just wait for the lead pack to be back and join them through the finish line just for fun because the idea really is to share for our brothers who were victims of the Marawi siege.
Expected to participate are bikers numbering about 300 from all over the province.
Francisco clarified that there is no jersey provided so a bigger amount can be given to the beneficiaries. Of the P250 donation for the Sikad for Marawi, P200 will go directly to the IDPS and only P50 will be allocated for food and other technical expenses, gasoline for the motorcycle marshalls and radio groups.
He said this is part of UCCP’s mission and statement of faith to care for the people, to care for the environment and to care for one another because all of us are God’s creations.
Rev. Ed Samson, head of the Negros District Conference (NDC) of which UCCP is a member disclosed this is one activity of the church to sympathize with the IDPs and somehow a challenge to all local churches.
NDC will be celebrating its centennial year in 2018, and is looking forward to conducting a similar activity, which is a 100 kilometer bike. NDC has expanded its coverage from Hinobaan to Bais City including Siquijor.
The are 18 IDP families in Taclobo, less than 20 in POblacion 8, one each in Junob and Poblacion 2, and four families in Bajumpandan, according to Carmelita Peralta of DSWD, while a total of 46 students are enrolled in different public elementary and high schools in the province, 13 of whom are from Marawi, and 30 coming from neighboring cities and municiapliteis of Marawi.
This was confirmed by Reynald Dote, project development officer 1 of DepEd Negros Oriental Division in charge of youth formation. (Juancho Gallarde/PNA)
