"Bike+Hike=Build a School" Fund Raising Event in Cheey, Busuanga

10-Hour Hike to School
Havng a functioning high school in Cheey is imperative. This municipality is one of the most neglected in Busuanga suffering from a high illiteracy rate. Why? Because with no school, students have to hike the 5-hour trail across the mountain to Salvacion on the west coast just to attend the Saturday class. They have to cross several rivers, most of them having no foot bridge at all. At times, they would be swept when the river is flooded. Of course, they have to make another 5-hour hike on the way back. For this reason, many choose not to attend school at all.

With a Little Help from Outsiders
The local politics have much to do with this dismal situation. If left in their inept hands, education in Cheey is doomed. Fortunately, there are outsiders who appreciate the problem more than the local politicians. Tribal Adventures, an outdoor tour company based in Cheey, have already contributed sacks of cement to help build a school. Taking that initiative further, it's now hosting and organizing this fund raising event. Students will either hike or/and bike from Minuit to Roger's and back with a pledge from outsiders. Proceeds will buy more cement, this time, to pave the school floor.

Participants
My butt was still sore from the previous day's ride. I chose to hike instead and take pictures of the event and GPS waypoints. D'arcy hiked while keeping the group organized. Jar-R, the bike mechanic was handy in keeping the bikes trail-worthy. 21 students registered together with some faculty members. School administrators also participated acting as guardians to the students.

En Route
After the registration in Minuit, the bikers took off like crazy. I didn't see them until we got to the u-turn point at Roger's. The hikers were fast, being used to hiking across the mountain just to get to school in the earlier days. Going places on foot was a different experience altogether. At Roger's, a hearty lunch was served - rice and a shrimp-veggie leaf dish (similar to laing). After some rest, we all took to the trails again for the trek/bike back to Camp Calauit where kayaks awaited the partipants. All the kayaks (about 10) were deployed to keep everyone busy. It was fun specially those who rode the waves much like a surfer.

Lechon
Dinner was freshly roasted pig - lechon. Good eats with happy peeps as I would call it. Everyone had a good fill before they all left collectively with the school administrators. It was already dark.

Ending Thoughts
Altogether, P5200 was raised through registration fees and t-shirt sale. Not a whole lot, but that bought 17 sacks of cement. The event was a success if only to get the ball rolling. It's an ongoing project where students can participate in guiding Tribal Adventures guests in the biking/hiking trails with part of the fees going towards the school project. Special mention goes to D'arcy for his on-the-fly leadership role in organizing the actual trek/hike and keeping the participants engaged and smiling. Kudos to Greg Hutchinson for his vision of high literacy in Cheey and his initiative to make that vision a reality.

--- TheLoneRider

---

Google Map > Busuanga

Busuanga, Palawan, Philippines

tourist attractions

• Maquinit Hot Springs - salt-water hot spring, P200/person
• Calauit Safari - free-range African wildlife
• Kayangan Lake - one of the cleanest lake in the country, scenic view
• Barracuda Lake - thermocline, cave diving, scuba diving
• Twin Lagoon - two lagoons, an outer and an inner one, where you swim through a cavelike entrance

hotel, beach house and accommodation

• Palawan SandCastles - beach house, house reef, rustic beach environment away from Coron Town
  Cheey, Busuanga
  0998 999 3049 | 12°14'00.7"N 120°02'19.1"E
• Expeditions BnB - grand opening, all new, Coron Town location, roofdeck, sea/mountain view from room
  11 San Agustin St Bgy 3 Coron Palawan
  0919.992.6766 | °11°59'54.4"N 120°12'13.4"E

tour and expedition

• Tribal Adventures Tours - multi-day kayak expedition, day tours, island tours, mountain biking, snorkeling, hiking
  +63 998.999.3049 | tribaladventures@gmail.com
• Calamianes Expeditions & Ecotours - island tours, community based ecotourism experience
  +639193054363 / +639202546553 / +63 9152543246 / 02 984 7795 | corongaleri@yahoo.com

Great Things Going for Busuanga

• beaches, islands, snorkeling, scuba diving, wreck diving
• you want to add some more? please submit on the form below

Not So Great Things Going Against Busuanga

• slow and unreliable internet

The following people like this:

»» next Mountain Biking story: Mountain Biking the Trails of Busuanga with Outback Greg of Tribal Adventures
»» next Traveling story: Camp Life in Camp Calauit
»» back to Traveling
»» back to Homepage

ARCHIVE 2024: JAN | FEB | MAR | APR | MAY | JUN | JUL | AUG | SEP | OCT | NOV | DEC

1970 | 1973 | 1975 | 1976 | 1979 | 1981 | 1996 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | ALL BLOGS

YOGA by Gigit

Siquijor, Philippines

LEARN ENGLISH

Cebu, Philippines

DONATION BANK

Donation Bank
for TheLoneRider

WEB HOSTING

WARPED
unlimited web hosting for $5/month