Calling on everybody... It is time to ride!

Sa mga kapatid kong nais mapakinggan o mabasa ang aking saloobin at balita sa salitang tagalog, humihingi po ako ng paumanhin sa inyo sapagkat hindi pa po ako masyadong kampante na maibibigay ko ang nais kong ihatid na mensahe sa sariling wika natin... Aaminin ko na isa itong matinding pag kukulang subalit nais kong intindihin nyo na iniiwasan kong ma misinterpret ang aking sinasabi... Ginagawa ko po ang lahat para matutunan ang ating sariling wika sa lalong madaling panahon para sa pag hatid ng mga balita at kuro kuro... Maraming salamat po...

Before anything else, let me quote and remind everybody about an open letter that I wrote 3 years ago when MRO was conceived...

Quote:
An open letter and a call for unity... By: Jobert Bolanos (aka click_me) - 2008

At the end of the day... As we have gone through all the work, research, information gathering, conversations with individuals, meetings with the groups, the workshop, the slap on the face, the positive and negative reactions and statements, the rumors, the rifts and the actual events that transpired, we are all for one thing... To be as one big community that enjoys our passion, livelihood and the roads...

I don't care about what this or that person says about each other and how things become a big stand off... The goal is the same... One thing is evident... Before we can even be effective in reaching our goal, we have to set aside our differences and our problems towards each other... We all want the same thing... The freedom to live and ride...

We are not doing this for glory or for acknowledgment... Were doing this because we owe it to society and to the community who has led us into the passion of feeling the wind in our faces as we ride...

Now that we are facing this hurdle, we should not look into making each other look bad or saying stuff to discredit each other... The more we do this, the more we destroy our only chance of reaching the goal that we are after...

My call to every single person who rides their motorcycle is to set aside our differences and lets work to achieve what we are all after... Equality, Freedom and Safety on the streets... We owe it to ourselves and everybody around us...

So my dear brothers and sisters, hear me out... Let us unite and work as one... No more rumors, no more shenanigans, no more agendas and no more pointing of fingers... We are a community... We should act towards the same goal and not against each other...

I made mistakes myself and I said some things that were totally uncalled for... I thought of and assumed many things as I went along my way... I am not trying to clean my hands of the dirt that I speak of... In fact, I am apologizing for the wrong things that I have done... I am not trying to seek sympathy... I am merely asking for everybody to sit back, think and ask your self why are we here... What are we after... Personally, I am here because of one thing... I am here because I love to ride and I don't want anybody or anything to stop me from doing what I love...

So for the sake of everybody and the people surrounding us, let us unite and help each other to take back what is rightfully ours with out stepping on anybody's toes...

We are riders... We will prevail...

There was a post on the thread where this open letter belonged to that there will always be a difference in opinions... I have learned that in the last three years and I continue to realize that up until this day...

It saddens me on how bad it looks from outside the community... It has always been the outlook of people who do not ride to look at us with a negative demeanor... And with the rifts between us becoming more and more evident, the more that we project ourselves as an unruly group...

I wish to send this message out to everybody...

A lot of the things that has been said and thrown at my face as well as MRO as an organization may be derogatory and painful to say the least... And I understand and respect everybody's opinion in the matter whether it comes from those who support us or the other group... People are entitled to that... Albeit most people don't really understand or know the true story behind it all, the society is driven by what they choose to believe whether or not it is fact or lies...

With that said, let me ask you this... Besides the queries or questions we asked in line with the issues in front of us and in the times that we are going through, have you seen or heard us push back and fight with words or statements that are perceived as negative towards the other group? Have you seen or heard us mention names and belittle character and image? Do you ever think of the reason why we remain silent and oblivious to the "paninira, threats and slander"?

Let me state the reason why...

It is simply because we still share a common interest... Riding...

And in that common interest, the battles from within eats away from that common interest that holds and binds us as a whole... The battles from within does not help us get rid of the negativity that is being put on our heads and masks out true intentions...

In fact, these battles, after the day is over, only made matters worse... Not for us, not for them, but for everybody else...

The real battle is out there... Not within the community... We need to protect ourselves from the mistakes and misconceptions on motorcycles and the unfair, undue and ignorant regulations and legislation that they create for us because they think that it can help us or it is best for us... We, the riders can be the only judge of that... And even if we are the ones who can tell whats best for us, still does not make us impervious to mistakes of our own... That is the human factor that each and everyone carries with them... It is in our ability to learn from those mistakes and make better solutions that benefits not just us, but everybody else for that matter...

Being on the road is a privilege... It is not a right... The right that we have is the right to obtain that privilege given that we prove that we are deserving as riders, drivers and as pedestrians... We have to show them that we truly deserve that right and that we, as riders, can be better than what we are now...

Let's not wait till we are given enough reason to give up riding... Before they strangle our community enough that riding is no longer enjoyable... Lets not wait till they dictate every single thing that we do, wear, use, go to and what not...

Now, with all that has been said and done, we have to remember why we are all here... What brought us together... What fired up our pride to stand up and fight for our rights... We have to ride...

CALLING ON A RIDE ON NOVEMBER 13, 2011 - No politics, no rifts, no differences, no drama and no bullshit...

Planning and details will be posted on this thread as we come closer to the day of the ride...

Riders who understand what has just been said and would like to set aside the differences and the arguments and become members of a society brought together for a common purpose, please sign your commitment to join below:

1. Jobert Bolanos aka click_me

Pass, Share, Like, Tweet, Link and let the message span across the archipelago...