Biliran province as host
TACLOBAN CITY – Fourteen teams from six countries across three continents are in the island province of Biliran for the La Routa Eastern Visayas Adventure Race 2023.
La Routa is the Asian qualifying round for the Adventure World Series with the championship to be held in El Salvador next year.
This is the first time the region and the country will host this event.
Aside from the Philippines, the competing teams are from Malaysia, Japan, India, New Zealand, and Poland.
Originally, the 16 teams are to compete in the adventure race but two teams from the country had to withdraw due to unforeseen eventualities.
“Biliran is a tapestry of natural wonders waiting to be explored, with this untamed beauty providing a perfect background for an event of this magnitude,” Governor Gerard Roger Espina said during the welcome program for the athletes on Sunday (Nov.19).
The four-day competition will start on Tuesday (Nov. 21).
Espina lauded the Department of Tourism, organizers, and volunteers of the event for their dedication, showcasing Biliran to the international stage.
The island province was selected because of its high safety feature being an island. It does not have an insurgency problem and is easy to find roads or highways because of the presence of circumferential roads and cross-country roads.
In her message, DOT Regional Director Karina Rosa Tiopes encourages the participants especially those who are not from the region to enjoy the competition and the warm hospitality of Biliranons whom they will meet throughout the four-day competition.
“Biliran is a small province but there is so much to appreciate not just the place but especially the people, “Tiopes said.
Heide Muller, CEO of the Adventure Racing Word Series, for her part, was thankful to the national and local government for allowing the sporting event to be held in the country.
“This will not be possible without the government supporting you,” she said.
She also made a reminder to participants to be mindful throughout the competition and during their stay in the province.
“Please remember if you are up there be respectful to the land, to the people. This is an honor and a gift to come to the beautiful country they open for us to be in nature. So please make us proud as an adventure racer,” Muller said.
The La Routa Eastern Visayas Adventure Race 2023 is a group competition composed of four members who will tackle the terrain of the Biliran province through different disciplines of running, hiking, swimming, paddling, mountain biking, rappelling, and land navigation, and special section.
The competition will last for about 74 to 96 hours covering a total length of 300 to 350 kilometers from the starting point to the finish line.
Each team is provided with a GPS tracker to monitor their location throughout the race.
Teams have the option to sleep at night during the entire four-day race.
Each team is composed of four members who are mixed-gender, depending on how many male or female members are included in the team.
(ROEL T. AMAZONA)
An example to follow
ESPECIALLY when we enjoy a lot of blessings and privileges in our life, and yet also carry with us our share of shameful weaknesses, failures and sins, the example of Zaccheus, the rich chief tax collector who had great love for Christ, (cfr. Lk 19,1-10) should inspire us.
As we read in that gospel narrative, Zaccheus knew well who and how he was with regard to his spiritual and moral life. He had great faith and love for Christ, but given the nature of his work, he also had his dark and ugly part of his life.
The life of Zaccheus resonates with many of us who find ourselves grappling with contrasting features of our life—an abiding, if dormant, faith in God, and a load of weaknesses and sins. We can have both love of God and a certain attraction to evil or concupiscence. What we should do is to follow the example of Zaccheus.
We should not be ashamed of our weaknesses and sins, and instead of letting them be the reason to stay away from God, they should rather urge us to go to God as quickly as possible.
God always forgives. In the book of Ezekiel, we read, “Do you think that I like to see wicked people die? says the Sovereign Lord. Of course not! I want them to turn from their wicked ways and live.” (18,23)
And in the Gospel of St. John, we read, “For God sent the Son into the world, not to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him. He who believes in him is not condemned; he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.” (3,17-18)
And so, we should not stay long feeling guilty, sad, burdened, worried, afraid and ashamed when we commit sins. All we have to do is to ask for forgiveness and the grace of God, so we can start healing our weaknesses that gave an opening to temptations and sins, as well as gaining strength to do more good things.
We have to remember that Christ has already paid the ransom for all our sins. We should just be quick to ask for that ever available mercy of God and move on, atoning for our sins and doing a lot of good things.
Yes, in spite of our weaknesses, failures and sins, we can afford to live a happy, peaceful, hopeful and confident life, because Christ has assured us of divine mercy. In fact, Christian life is such a life.
This mercy of God, of course, is not meant to spoil us. Rather, it is meant to teach us how to repay love with love and to be God-like as we should. There should be an impulse in us to grow better and mature in our spiritual life of love for God and others. Absent this impulse, the only possibility is to get spoiled.
This love is shown when we develop a true and deep spirit of penance. We have to learn to acknowledge our sins and weaknesses and to go to regular confession. We cannot return to the right path unless we first acknowledge our mistakes. We should be man enough to do that, always at the impulse of grace which God never refuses to give.
As we can see, Christian life is truly a happy life. When we are not happy or when we are not at peace and hopeful, it can only mean one thing: we are not yet with Christ!