Ping at the Trev Deeley Motorcycle Exhibition

Ping’s fairy godmother took him to a Biker’s Disneyland when he, together with Mercy, Karina, and Craig, visited the Trev Deeley Motorcycle Exhibition in Vancouver.

Claiming on it’s website that it is "Quite possibly the finest collection of rare and antique motorcycles in the world", the exhibit is part of a private collection of more than 250 motorcycles and 50 makes by the oldest Harley Davison dealership in Canada.

Picture shows Ping with what looks like a HD Model J Big Twin (built around the 1920’s). A lot of bikers must have wanted to take it for spin around the block (or it must be so damned valuable) that the bike is chained to its display platform.

It's Craig Alright

I have just browsed through Ma'am Mercy's Multiply page (http://mercyb.multiply.com/photos) and it confirms that Craig Hardy, whom the Agilas met by chance during our Davao - CDO - Butuan - Surigao - Davao Ride last year and who later hosted us during our Bohol ride last January, spent time with Ping and Mercy in Canada. The pictures show Ping, Mercy and Karina in Craig's boat, and the group having lunch with Craig's mom. He also joined our vacationing family ogling at motorcycles at the Trev Deeley Motorcycle Exhibition.

More Pics: Another 380 Km Sunday Ride (Apr 22)

Another 380 Km Sunday Ride (Apr 22)

Davao-Makilala-Kidapawan-Kabacan-Carmen-Damulog-Kibawe-Maramag-Quezon-Buda-Calinan-Davao.

It was another fun-filled and exhilarating ride for 13 Agilas and 4 Libikers last April 22, 2007.

The highlight of the ride were the "siko" curves at Carmen which had foot pegs and pipes scraping the road!

Agilas Watch Pacquiao Demolish Solis

The Davao Agila Riders watched the Pacquiao-Solis bout last April 15, 2007 at Hagar's Place. The second room of Hagar's was reserved for the Agilas and their friends who had a grand time watching the bout and the movie "Wild Hogs" afterwards.

Ping and Mercy Vacation

Agila Rider Ping and Libiker Mercy went to Canada to visit daughter Karina.

Guys, is this Craig with Ping?

Glan Ride Pictures

Nabunturan Ride Jan 20, 2007

A tune-up ride for those who were joining the ride to Bohol, the Agilas went to the Toyozu Hot Springs Resort then had lunch at Nabunturan town proper.

Which just goes to show that for us, having an bland lunch becomes extra special if it means riding for 80 or so kilometers one way, then back.

Anton Buenaventura, BS ECE

Agila Rider Anton passed an important milestone is his life last March when he graduated from college with a degree of Bachelor of Science in Electronics and Communications Engineering.

Although Anton is the youngest rider I know, the kilometers he has ridden on his bike, his confidence on the curves and his disciplined (but spirited) riding style confirm that he is indeed an experienced, serious, and mature rider.

It has been a pleasure to ride with Anton and hope we can continue to ride with him in the future. We wish him a nice ride in his journey through life.

Congratulations to proud parents Ping and Mercy for raising and molding a great rider and human being.

Another night at Bakbak or Barbecue Boss or the Shop or...

Doctors specializing in the corporeal (and the ladies) might disapprove, but Dr. John and The Devil Himself strongly endorse the pace and frequency the Agilas have been imbibing the great spiritual thirst-quencher. Cheers.

OT Durex XXL Condoms Ad

Wishful thinking.

Mabel for Councilor!

The Davao Agila Riders dropped its apolitical stance and enthusiastically supported Hon. Mabel Sunga-Acosta by joining her motorcade to kick-off her campaign for the May elections.

A sure shoo-in for the post, the Agilas are praying that Mabel top the elections for councilor for the First District of the city.

Now, could somebody please re-instruct the poor child in the picture who wore his t-shirt with the back side in front, on the right way to put on his shirt?

Buda Ride(s)

The Davao Agila Riders are truly blessed. Right out of our garages is a place, far away from it all, where a rider's Zen is to be experienced. The 100 kilometer-or-so of road to and in Buda (so called because it is at the boundary of BUkidnon and DAvao City) is new, asphalted and full of twists and turns. The area is high up in the mountains (anybody knows its elevation above sea level?) the weather is cool even during summer and riding through the fog early in the morning or late in the afternoon is a common experience.

No wonder that when the twitch to ride manifests itself, "Buda tayo!" is a quick, satisfying fix.

I have ridden all over the Philippines, and even if we have ridden to Buda oh so many times, Buda is still the best.

The smiling faces in the pictures say it all. Pictures taken at jump off point Caltex SM, and at Ping's Place in Buda during our ride March 20, 2007.

Araw ng Dabaw Parade 2007

You have to wake up early. Then after you fall in line, you have to wait...and wait...and wait for it to start. Once it starts, it's slow going - you run a few meters and then it's many minutes being stationary - and the bike's engine begins to overheat, and your temper, too.

But it is an opportunity to proudly wear the Agila colors in full biker garb and to show off the trikes and bikes.

So year after year, I am overwhelmingly rebuked when I propose we not join the parade.

The Libackriders

The make the Davao Agila Riders unique and special. They are sophisticated and beautiful. They are the Agilas' wives who ride pillion in our trips and grace our socials.

And the most vocal of them engage in a special type of discourse that merits the first part their name!

And the riders love them.

Picture shows some of the Libackriders: (L-R) Wilma, Vivian, Mabel, Rez, Yvette, Micmic and Mercy.

Tacloban Ride Day 5 (Mar 26 Davao Finally)

Battling the traffic starting in Panabo proved to be the most strenuous part of the trip back to Davao, even with Jerome deftly guiding King, Ading and me.

We finally arrived in Davao around 4PM and, in high spirits, continued to abuse our bodies by drinking a few bottles of frosted, delicious San Mig Lights at Barbecue Boss. Ohmar, Ping, Mercy, Rene, Rez, Yvette, and John were there to welcome us back.

Our bodies would finally give up on us the next day.

Tacloban Ride Day 5 (Mar 26)

Nice roads!

We didn't notice it on the way to Tacloban because we were riding rather slowly in the rain, but the dreaded highway from Davao de Norte to Butuan has almost been completly rehabilitated! Except for a few short stretches after San Francisco (which are still being repaired), the roads were very nice, indeed. The new road now has a cement base with a 5 inch asphalt cover. Once the rehabilitation is done, a Davao - Butuan - Cagayan de Oro - Davao ride should be a very tempting idea.

And in contrast to the ride from Davao to Surigao where we were drenched in rain, the ride back was hot and humid. This, plus the fact that we scarcely had any sleep the previous night, meant making frequent stops to revitalize bodies now running just on adrenaline.

While we sought shelter in a nearby hut, Jerome opted for the first location that was horizontal and offered a shade.

Not Joe's Best Friend

A quick breakfast at Jollibee Surigao, and the 400km ride to Davao began. After riding around 30 minutes or so, I could not locate Joe, whose riding position was right after me, in my rear view mirrors. Thinking that the group at the back was bored by our slow pace and had slowed down so they could then ratchet up their speed catching up with us in front, I disregarded the basic rule of slowing down (and stopping, if needed) if one does not see the rider behind you, and continued riding along.

The riders in the front of the group arrived in Cabadbaran and I wondered why it was taking some time for the rest of the group to arrive. And when they did arrive, we were told what had happened.

A dog had come from a depressed area to the right of the road shoulder just after a curve, so nobody could see the dog's initial run. The dog ran to the road in a flash, I barely missed it (I hadn't see it) but Joe's motorcycle, which was accelerating out of the curve, hit the dog hard. The dog bounced against the motorcycle on impact, the motorcycle shook, Joe tried to control his bike. But the rear tire gave way and the bike low-sided, and slid, with Joe following it. Joe attempted to stand up, but he was still sliding, and the forward momentum caused him to somersault. All in all, Joe slid 20 meters. The dog died instantly, with nary a slight shiver or the mutest of a whimper.

The bike sustained only cosmetic damages. Joe, who was wearing the proper riding gear, suffered a few bruises and was still fit to ride. That Joe was made of solid stuff was confirmed when we found out that the very next day, he was back to his favorite pastime of piling bricks.

The picture on the right shows Joe performing some sort of ritual on the dog that waylaid him.

Tacloban Ride Day 5 (Mar 26 Sunrise)

This "dramatic" picture hides the fact that these guys haven't brushed their teeth nor bathed since the morning of the previous day; their pungent smell is perfectly complemented by dirty and (I speak for myself) equally smelly clothes and underwear.

Tacloban Ride Day 5 (Mar 26 Very Early in the Morning)

The ferry docked and our bikes were finally squeezed into the vehicle hold around 1AM. We retired to the hard, metal and dirty top viewing deck where a bed of "carton" was a prized possession.

It was a sight to see owners of million-peso bikes sleeping in such conditions. Most riders were able to catch a few winks but a few, like Daniel and Gigi, managed to stay awake to whole night.

A sour note: It seems somebody with the right connections pulled some strings and all the big bikes were loaded into the ferry. The dirt bike clubs had to arrange with trucks that already were given passage to have their bikes loaded into these trucks,; otherwise they would not be able to cross to Surigao that morning. This even though the dirt bike clubs arrived earlier than some of the big bike riders. Also, the big bikes were given priority over other cages that arrived in the port earlier than us.

Tacloban Ride Day 4 (Mar 25 Under the Liloan Sky)

Tacloban Ride Day 4 (Mar 25)

Col. Afayart received an intelligence report that ferry from Liloan to Surigao was leaving earlier than scheduled. So we quickly packed and left Tacloban around 10:30AM.

When we arrived at the pier around 2 hours later, we found out that one of the ferries was on repairs and that the other working ferry would arrive 11PM. There was already a long backlog of vehicles wanting to cross to Mindanao and we were not guaranteed passage in the 11PM trip.

We had time to kill. We watched the FilAm doing wheelies and stuff at the pier area. We were invited to a beach resort but could not linger for long as there were a group of customers singing terribly on the karaoke.

On a classic Trike; The secret of a long active life

On the last night of the convention, members of the Davao Agila Riders, in full biker regalia, performed a very "un-biker" act of commuting to the venue on a public tricycle.

Aside from having big ears, Gigi reveals the secret of having a long active life.

Tacloban Ride Day 3 (Mar 24 Evening)

It was back to the convention venue for dinner. The food and beers were flowing and we had lechon baka for pulutan.

The show after the short program opened with Hajji Alejandro. The guy in front of me from Cebu had a grand time, (seems we are in the same age group) but thought all the while it was Basil Valdez.

Col. Afayart let out a wolf whistle when Pilita Corales came on stage. Now, Pilita Corales was "during his time."

Tacloban Ride Day 3 (Mar 24 Afternoon)

I have returned.

We came here to the General MacArthur Landing Memorial Park in Palo in 2003 on the way to Manila. The place seems cleaner now; the vendors have been relocated somewhere to the side of the park where they are not visible from the monuments.

We also took more pictures this time around.

Tacloban Ride Day 3 (Mar 24 Morning)

After breakfast, it was off to San Juanico Bridge. Crossing the bridge meant we could honestly claim to have gone to Samar.

Lunch was at a beach resort where the highlight was having pictures taken with Cristina Gonzales. Hot Momma!!!

Prior to lunch, during the Presidents' Meeting, the Federation decided to expel the Mad Dogs MC from the organization. We saw at least three members of the Mad DogsMC at the convention. As I write this, I made a quick check on their web page and found no announcement/discussion on this matter.

Bikers in Slippers

With shoes still a bit wet on the insides, King and I had to make do with a biker attire sans boots.

GOMAAaaaaaaa!!!! Ang Guapo Niyaaaaa!!!

Hunk turned earnest showbiz gossip host and senatorial wannabe Richard Gomez made the convention part of his campaign trail. The Davao Agila Riders were more than willing to pose with him.

The convention: First Impressions

Impressive! All for a thousand bucks!

When we reached the outskirts of Tacloban, a traffic aide directed us to the right exit out of the rotunda. When we reached the main convention venue, we were again smartly directed inside the venue compound where another person helped us park our bikes.

It seems that the city was very much involved in the convention. At the convention venue, we met Jimjim Yaokasim, an associate in the Jaycees who is currently the administrator of Tacoloban City, looking over the preparations.

After we had all registered, still another person on a scooter escorted us to our hotel.

The main convention venue was an air-conditioned sports center. And while we were enjoying the delicious dinner and free flowing San Mig Lights, a band filled the space with jazzy music.

Shiny tablecloths and well-trained waiters and waitresses completed the mood of the first night. Unfortunately, for some reason or another, there were a lot of empty tables. I could only lament that only a few us bikers were enjoying this convention.

The ears have it!

While we were registering at the convention, we met Atty. Benjamin Manas, who was featured in the front page of The Inquirer. Atty. Manas, an avid life-long biker who is eighty years old, rode solo from Laguna to Tacloban.

He later was given the "Oldest Biker Award", besting our own Papa Gigi who is "just" 74 years old. An examination of a picture with the both of them together revealed the secret of living a vigorous life way into one's seventies and eighties. (Additional info: The eighty year old Atty. Manas has a thirty year old wife. Now, maybe that is the secret.)

We assured Papa Gigi that while Atty. Manas rode on a scooter, he was more macho, having ridden on a Virago 750 to Tacloban. And besides, the good attorney surely would not be able to ride to Cagayan de Oro for next year's convention so Papa Gigi is assured of regaining his "oldest biker" crown.

Tacloban Ride Day 2 (Mar 23 Liloan to Tacloban)

We arrived at Liloan around 9:30 AM and were quickly shepherded 30 kms or so to a biker's house (will find out the name of this kind soul) where 50 bikers from Davao and Cagayan de Oro were served free brunch!

After the sumptuous brunch, a cautious ride through the mountains, in cool and sometimes drizzling weather and we arrive and had merienda at a junction I could still distinctly remember us also resting during our 2003 ride from Davao to Manila.

We reached Tacloban early in the afternoon, registered in the convention venue and proceeded to the hotel (Asia Stars?) where Alvin met up with us in the hotel's parking lot.

Tacloban Ride Day 2 (Mar 23 Ferry to Liloan) Postscript

The mostly futile attempt to dry socks and shoes meant walking barefoot in the ferry.

Tacloban Ride Day 2 (Mar 23 Ferry to Liloan)

While most bikers in the ferry enjoyed the sun after yesterday's and the early morning's rain, some had no choice but to concede to the body's demand for respite after all the abuse it had been getting.

Too, the ferry ride afforded the chance to interact with members of other biker clubs.