Sikad 2025 to kick off in 4 cities of Mindanao

DAVAO CITY (MindaNews/26 September)–Timed to coincide with the 30th climate conference this year and to promote cycling as a sustainable means of transportation, green activists are organizing four fun rides this month in four key cities in Mindanao.
Dubbed “Sikad 2025: Para sa Kinaiyahan,” organizers expect at least 320 cyclists and hobbyists to take part in the fun rides which will take place in the cities of Tagum and Mati on November 16, and in the cities of Davao and Koronadal on November 23.

AFTER A LONG RIDE. Cycling buddies take advantage of a cloudy afternoon to rest on the concrete roadside barrier along the Davao City Coastal Bypass Road after a long ride on Sunday (27 August 2023). MindaNews photo by YAS D. OCAMPO

Lemuel Manalo, program coordinator of the environmental group Interfacing Development Interventions for Sustainability (IDIS), told MindaNews that the community fun rides are expected to attract 80 cyclists in each city for 20-kilometer rides in routes determined with the help of local partners.
Registration for the Davao and Tagum fun rides have been ongoing since September 13 but organizers have yet to open registration for Mati and Koronadal, according to Manalo.
The participants are also expected to join various post-ride activities such as a mangrove planting activity in Baragnay Matina Aplaya along the coastal road in Davao City; a clean-up drive at Dahican beach in Mati; and a mangrove planting and clean-up drive at the Nabintad Mangrove Park in Tagum.
Manalo said organizers are still organizing a post-ride activity for Koronadal City.
Manalo said organizers hope to entice more people to take up cycling and use bicycles in their daily commute, especially since the use of bicycles help reduce pollution and the accumulation of greenhouse gases in the planet.
“Amid natural flooding incidents and issues, we continue to call for genuine climate action, adaptation, and mitigation of our cities,” he said.
Sikad 2025 will coincide with the UN Climate Change Conference COP 30, which will take place from November 10 to 21, 2025, in Belém, Brazil.
It will bring together world leaders, scientists, non-governmental organizations, and civil society to discuss priority actions to tackle climate change. COP30 will focus on the efforts needed to limit the global temperature increase to 1.5°C, the presentation of new national action plans (NDCs) and the progress on the finance pledges made at COP29.
Sikad 2025 was organized in collaboration with local government units and other environmental groups, including Cycle for Life, Amihan sa Dahican, Bantay Dagat in Barangay Matina Aplaya, and the Nabintad Mangrove Community. (Antonio L. Colina IV/MindaNews)