The Philippine Veterans Bank (PVB) invites everyone to join the Ride for Valor, a bike-for-a-cause event to raise funds for the maintenance of the Bataan Death March markers and other World War 2 heritage sites. This year, Ride for Valor is slated on April 9, 2023 or Araw ng Kagitingan (Day of Valor), also known as the 81st Anniversary of the Fall of Bataan and the start of the Death March.

Mike Villa-Real, PVB first vice president for marketing and communications, said the event, which is in partnership with the Department of National Defense, Philippine Veterans Affairs Office, Provincial Government of Bataan and Wartime Heritage Guild-Philippines, aims to preserve the legacy of Filipino and American soldiers who fought for freedom and democracy during World War 2.

“The Bataan Death March is a somber reminder of the bravery and selflessness of Filipino veterans during the Second World War. It is an essential part of Philippine history and culture, and the Ride for Valor is an important way of honoring the veterans and preserving their legacy. Plus rider get to learn more about this historic event as they will be be traversing the actual route of the Death March,” he said.

The ride is open to fully vaccinated cyclists and all types of bikes with brakes.

Villa-Real said the event will start at 6 a.m. from the Kilometer Zero in Mariveles, Bataan, to Capas National Shrine in Tarlac.

The non-competitive bike ride will have four pitstops: Mt. Samat, Balanga Provincial Capitol’s The Bunker, San Fernando Train Station, and Angeles Museum. Giveaways will be given in selected pitstops.

Villa-Real said participants may ride at their own pace, adding there will be a 12-hour cut-off during the event.

He noted that the event will also implement a “No Helmet, No Ride” policy to ensure the safety of the participants.

Villa-Real also said a mechanic will be available to help those who encounter mechanical difficulties, while roving marshals will be present to keep track of the riders’ progress. Support vehicles are allowed, but riders should only ride in the vehicle if they choose to drop out of the event.

The registration fee for the Ride for Valor is P1,000, which includes an official event shirt, a race bib, a trucker cap, a loot bag, an e-certificate, and meals.

Interested individuals may register online at bit.ly/rideforvalor2023 until April 4, while groups may email rideforvalor@gmail.com .

Participants may also register onsite at RD Cycles Libis Branch and RD Cycles Timog Branch.

Those who will join the bike ride must download the Traqs Philippines app to enter the event.

“Prior to the bike ride, we will be raffling off an overnight stay for lucky joiners, and on April 9, we will be giving two bikes as well as hotel gift checks and other exciting prizes to our raffle winners,” Villa-Real added.

Organized by Without Limits PH – IGEM, Ride for Valor 2023 is co-presented by Traqs Philippines, OneLGC, AIR21, Panahon.TV, and the Integrated Waste Management Inc. Sponsors include Neo Zigma PH, Hotel Sogo, Booster C Energy Shot, and Fitbar.

The Bataan Death March is one of the darkest chapters in Philippine history, where around 80,000 Filipino and American soldiers were forced to march more than 100 kilometers in grueling conditions by Japanese forces in 1942.

Thousands of soldiers survived but many also died due to starvation, dehydration, diseases, and the brutality of Japanese captors. The markers serve as reminders of the tragedy and heroism that occurred during that period.

PVB is a private, commercial bank owned by World War 2 veterans and their families. With Its new Charter signed into law, the Bank’s ownership now includes Post War Veterans and AFP Retirees.

For more information about the event, follow Ride for Valor on Facebook at www.facebook.com/RideForValorPH.

Even as the global economy has opened up, the after-effects of the pandemic have changed the ways in which we travel forever. From lockdown uncertainties in some parts of the world to added travel requirements like vaccine shots and contact tracing forms, there seems to be a daunting checklist that we need to clear out for our next trip. Of course, there’s still the dark cloud that doesn’t seem to go away – how safe is it really to start traveling again?

With travel insurance now offered in GCash, you can skip to the good parts by seamlessly incorporating protection into your upcoming travels. All you have to do is log on to your GCash app, open ‘GInsure’, and tap ‘Travel’.

This feature allows you to choose your preferred travel protection option from GCash’s partner-insurance providers, Standard Insurance, offering protection as low as Php 103, and Malayan Insurance offering protection as low as Php 950.

Here are some of the ways that the Standard and Malayan travel insurance packages in GCash can prepare you for your next vacation:

1. Choosing your destination

Are you hoping to experience a winter wonderland in the coming months, or maybe you’re yearning to take a beach trip this summer? GCash protects you by offering travel insurance in various countries all over the world. You can be flying domestically, across the ASEAN, to multiple countries in Asia, and even worldwide. Coverage duration covers as little as one day, spanning up to 90 days.

2. Completing your itinerary

When traveling during the rainy season, you can never be too sure about your flight scheduling. Thankfully, GCash’s travel insurance offering allows customers to reimburse cash in case of trip cancellations and terminations made by your airline provider. In case of flight delays, it is also possible for you to get compensated for hotel accommodation and food allowance on a case-to-case basis depending on your protection coverage.

3. Traveling by air

Air travel is not always glamorous. We have all heard of horror stories of lost or damaged luggage, misplaced visas or passports, or even loss of cash during flights. Well, the travel insurance can reimburse you for that as well! Get paid back for your troubles with a minimum spend of Php 103 or Php 950!

4. Protecting yourself against emergencies

With the pandemic heightening the need to be protected wherever you go, GCash offers travel insurance that can cover hospitalization expenses for certain accidents or illnesses that are not pre-existing, including claims arising from COVID-19. In fact, both Standard and Malayan Insurance offer travel assistance in the case of medical repatriation or evacuation.

Revenge travel is all the rage right now, which means hordes of people flocking all the most popular destinations, airports, and seaports here and around the world. While this may seem daunting, GCash has your back! When you avail of travel insurance via GCash, you can travel worry-free and have some of your biggest travel fears covered for the most affordable insurance packages.

No GCash yet? Download the GCash App on the Apple App Store, Google Play Store, or Huawei App Gallery! Register and get verified today, and enjoy #GalaNaAlwaysHanda this 2023 by getting travel protection via GInsure now.

People who travel more outside of their local area feel that they are healthier than those who stay closer to home, finds a new study led by UCL researchers.

How often people travel and the range of places visited are important, with those who regularly travel more than 15 miles away from home more likely to report being in general good health.

Those who travel to a wider variety of places are more likely to see friends and family. This increase in social participation is then linked to better health.

Researchers say the results provide strong evidence of the need for investment in medium and long-distance transport options, such as better serviced roads and access to trains and buses.

For the paper, published in Transport & Health, the researchers analysed travel in the north of England, where residents face worse health outcomes than the rest of England and many rural and suburban areas suffer from poor transport accessibility.

Specifically, they looked at the links between perceived constraints to travel outside of the local area, such as a lack of suitable public transport, and self-rated health, considering trip frequency, the number of different places visited, distance travelled, car use and public transport use.

Lead author Dr Paulo Anciaes (UCL Bartlett School of Environment, Energy & Resources) said: “We expected to find that restrictions on travel through a lack of access to suitable public transport or to a private car would be linked to residents’ perception of their health because of the lack of social participation.

“We explored the links between constraints to travel more than 15 miles from home, demographics and location and social participation in how residents perceived their own health, finding that the key variable is the number of different places people visit outside their local area. This links to more social participation and better health.”

The researchers conducted an online survey of 3,014 nationally representative residents in the north of England. Constraints to travel have previously been identified as contributing to economic disadvantage and a lower sense of wellbeing in the region, but the impact on health hadn’t been analysed before. The team used a research technique called “path analysis”, which uncovers the direct and indirect effects of constraints to travel outside of people’s local area.

The study found that the links between travel constraints, social participation and health are stronger among those aged over 55. Among this group, constraints to the number of different places people can travel to is linked to less frequent contact with friends and participation in clubs and societies.

Dr Anciaes explained: “Those aged over 55 are more likely to face other constraints to travel such as limited mobility. They are also more likely to suffer from loneliness. In the north of England, rural and suburban areas with limited access options are more likely to experience population loss as young people move to the cities in search of work and good travel options. Meanwhile, older generations are left behind in these areas with limited transport options. The range of places they can visit is low, leading to less social participation and lower levels of general health.

“The results of this study emphasise the need for public policies that reduce constraints to travel in the region, by providing better options for private and public transport that allows for more frequent and longer trips.”