Military and Policemen Pedal for an A.C.E.

LIEUTENANT COLONEL EDGARD A AREVALO PN(M)
Director, Naval Public Affairs Office

Friday, 05 February 2010

In what would yet be another show of unity for an honest, orderly, and peaceful election, some 500 cyclists from bicycle teams from the Philippine Navy, Army, Air Force, and National Police will run a 7-leg route on Saturday, February 6, 2010. Dubbed as ACE or Advocacy for Credible Elections “Protect the Votes” Bike-a-thon shoves off 5:30 in the morning from the Headquarters Philippine Army Grandstand and back or a total of 35.5 kilometers. The route traverses Market! Market! In Taguig City; Ninoy Aquino Monument in Ayala Avenue; Luneta Park in Manila; then the Navy Headquarters at Naval Station Jose Andrada in Roxas Boulevard; SM Mall of Asia to Villamor Airbase both in Pasay City; then to the Headquarters Philippine Marine Corps in Taguig City then back to the Army Grandstand for the final leg.

Gen Victor S Ibrado, the AFP Chief of Staff, commends senior AFP leadership who envisions and makes this activity with the Philippine National Police a reality. He stresses that, “We use to exercise our rights of suffrage by casting our votes during elections. But by embarking on this novel endeavor, sailors, marines, infantrymen, airmen, and policemen seek to manifest to the people their ardent concern for the conduct of a credible first-ever automated election.”

For his part, Rear Admiral Feliciano Angue, the Chief of Naval Staff and prime-mover of this activity exhorts civilian bicycle groups to join the succeeding bike-a-thons. “We cordially invite biking enthusiasts and hobbyists to join their soldiers and policemen pedal their way to the consciousness of fellow citizens the shared obligation to protect our votes.”

This will hitherto be an every Saturday biking activity that will bring the bikers to different areas in metro manila to make a run for an ACE – Advocacy for a Credible Election. Interested bike groups may coordinate with the Naval Public Affairs Office or the AFP Public Affairs Office for details of the next biking Saturdays.