Cyclists from all over the country held their fourth nationwide bike caravan as part of the unique show of support for the Senate bid of former House Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano, who is running on an "eco-friendly" campaign.
Various cyclists' group from 14 locations spread across Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao simultaneously kicked off on Sunday, May 1 their caravan dubbed “1-4 Alan Bike Caravan”.
The significance of the number 14 wasn't lost on the caravan participants--it is the number on the ballot next to the name of Taguig-Pateros 1st district Rep. Cayetano.
Carrying Cayetano's name and ballot number on their backs, the cyclists made rounds via the main roads of La Union, Nueva Ecija, Pampanga, Tarlac, Batangas, Quezon, Iloilo, Dumaguete, Tacloban, Catbalogan, Zamboanga, Misamis Oriental, Digos, and Kidapawan.
Like its past iterations, the bike caravan was joined by both common folk and local officials such as mayors, vice mayors, and village officials.
Ex-Speaker Cayetano is running on a groundbreaking and yet very sensible eco-friendly campaign that shuns the use of printed materials such as posters, flyers, and tarpaulins.
That his supporters have turned to bike caravans due to the absence of tranditional motorcades prove that they get Cayetano's message.
The aspiring senator had earlier thumbed down motorcades saying it's a waste of fuel at a period when the commodity's prices have been skyrocketing. They are also a cause of pollution, he said.
“Maganda kasi talagang exercise ang pagba-bike, at syempre tipid sa gasolina. Tulong na rin natin sa environment protection tulad ng sabi ni Senator Alan (Biking is really good exercise, plus it saves gasoline. Like what Senator Alan said, this is to help the environment),” one of the participating cyclists said.
Cayetano, a former multi-time senator, has been a consistent leader in senatorial surveys ahead of the May 9 elections.