TUBLAY, Benguet – Some 500 recreational cyclists from all over the country will converge anew in this fifth-class town for the “Cordi 6” 2015 this coming Saturday here.
The annual biking event will allow the riders to explore again the heart of the Cordillera terrain while showcasing the ecosystems and culture of the region to drive awareness on the need to protect and rebuild forest areas for the benefit of the present and future generations.
The long distance mountain bike event this year will feature two courses where the elements will challenge the bikers’ skills and resolve, the 65-kilometer Epic and the 35-kilometer mini-Epic. Both have 50 percent worth of climbs and descends as well as technical rides over loose soils and double tracks through forests, steep trails, rough roads, stream crossings and varying climates.
The event will start in front of the Tublay School of Home Industries in Acop here and bikers will have the chance to explore the sceneries and beautiful spots and nearby Bokod Town where the turning point will be at the Ambuclao dam area.
As in previous years, Globe Business and the Cordillera Conservation Trust (CCT) will leverage on the ‘Cordi 6’to create larger nurseries for ‘Roots and Shoots’ where at least 200,000 seedlings in elementary schools within beneficiary municipalities covered by the project will replenish bald mountain sides, support the enhancement of community watersheds and prevent landslides in critical areas towards reforestation of approximately 214 hectares of land in the area.
In the three years of the program, some 107 nurseries in 111 municipalities mostly in Benguet were established to assist in region-wide re-greening efforts.
Under the Globe Business and CCT partnership, education of children in schools where nurseries will be established will be one of the primordial programs where possible livelihood sources for the participating and communities as well as inclusion of maintenance in their respective curriculum and annual activities among others will be enhanced.
As a holistic private-public partnership project, Globe Business and CCT will likewise collaborate with the regional office of the Department of Education, local elementary schools and local government units who in turn will build the nurseries together with the students, parents and teachers group as well as volunteers from the locality.
Globe Business harnesses environmental sustainability initiatives starting with its own portfolio of products and services which encourage tempering carbon dioxide in the environment.