Previous Races: Year 2

Year 3 Year 2 Year 1

Outdoor Enthusiasts Bag P1-M Cash Prize

December 17, 2007

The interisland race, which began in Cagayan de Oro City on December 11 and hopped on to 12 other destinations along the nautical highway, highlighted the various contributions of the road roll-on, roll-off terminal system in the country’s trade and tourism sectors.

Paguia, Nepomuceno and Nayahangan, who called themselves Team Lagalag, finished a few minutes ahead of first runner-up Team Botidow composed of celebrity participant Jaycee Parker and members Vincent Roaring and Roger Saguido. The team bagged the P300,000 cash prize. Second runner-up honors went to Team Sy-Lo composed of celebrity participant Brad Murdoch and members Melanie Kay Sy and Dino Lo, who won the P100,000 cash prize.

Day One

After the opening ceremonies attended by Misamis Oriental Governor Oscar Moreno and Cagayan de Oro City Mayor Constantino Jaraula, the ten teams proceeded to the Cagayan de Oro river for a water-rafting challenge to highlight one of the city’s more popular tourist attractions.

Negotiating 14 wild rapids located along the 13-kilometer stretch from Barangay Mambuaya to Barangay Cabula, Team High Five-CDO composed of celebrity participant Nene Tamayo and members Lylex Dadulo and Karl Marx Turno shared leg honors with Team Samaritan of celebrity participant Paw Diaz and members Jimmy Hembra and Gary Lemon. The two teams crossed the finish line after nearly two hours.

The teams then moved to Ozamis City in Misamiz Occidental for the Sikad-Sikad challenge, named before the most popular mode of transportation in Ozamiz City. Team Samaritan once again finished first, swiftly maneuvering through the outskirts of the town proper riding in their sikad-sikad which they decorated with Christmas ornaments.

Day Two

In Dapitan City, the teams engaged in a test of mental alertness, as they were asked to memorize 15 places indicated in a map of Mindanao island. Team Sugar and Spice composed of celebrity participant Brad Turvey and members Andrea del Rosario and Camille Macapanpan ruled the said leg. Eliminated teams, meanwhile, were Team Nurses on Call composed of celebrity participant Chx Alcala, Paul Tolentino and Anton Lopez; and Team Survival Wave of stand-up comedian Jayo, Don Gutierrez and Lester Lagos.

The remaining eight teams then boarded a ferry bound for Dumaguete City, Negros Oriental for the handumanan-making challenge. They were tasked to search for a local store that sells handumanan (Visayan word for souvenirs) located in a nearby public market, and assemble a handumanan frame using locally-available materials. After getting the nod of a local handumanan maker who inspected the finished handicraft, Team Sy-Lo emerged first in this non-elimination challenge.

Day Three

Next stop was the Manaul Sugar Cane Plantation located in Talisay City, Negros Occidental where Team High Five-CDO dominated the 30-minute sugar cane extracting challenge. Teams Sugar & Spice and Desperado (composed of celebrity Alyssa Alano, Willy Yao and Anne Chang) were sent home after this challenge, leaving six teams in the mix.

At a pit stop in front of the DBP branch on Dela Rama Street in Iloilo City, the teams and the rest of the race contingent indulged in a hearty snack of La Paz batchoy and molo, before embarking on a road trip to Caticlan, Aklan, and then boarding a ferry going to Boracay.

Day Four

The Boracay challenge saw the six teams testing their skills in kayaking and skin diving. The objective of this task is to retrieve items locked up in a chest submerged with a depth of 5 feet and 100 meters away from the shore. The recovered items must then be brought ashore and handed to host Gabe Mercado.

Only Teams Sy-Lo, Lagalag and Sistars (composed of ABS-CBN talent Ryan Eigennman and sisters Pamela and Karen Pabuayon) completed the challenge to qualify for the next round.

To determine which among teams High Five-CDO, Samaritan and Botidow would make it to the final four, a quiz challenge was conducted on board M/V Maria Oliva of Montenegro Shipping Lines en route to Roxas, Mindoro Oriental. Team Botidow completed the challenge within the shortest time of one hour and three minutes, thus securing the coveted fourth spot.

Arriving at Roxas Port, Oriental Mindoro at around 7:00 P.M., the race contingent immediately proceeded to Calapan, Mindoro Occidental by land.

Day Five

On the last day of the race, the four remaining teams competed in a buying and selling challenge. Each team was required to sell goods accumulated from their previous race stops which included: three pieces of pineapples from Cagayan de Oro City, two kilos of rice from Ozamis City, three pieces of handumanan handicrafts from Dumaguete City, a kilo of muscovado sugar from Bacolod City, and three pieces of pucca necklace from Boracay.

Sales from these items were then used by the teams in purchasing ingredients necessary in the preparation of nilupak na saba, a local delicacy. To complete the task, the teams must earn the judges’ approval for their finished products and then race to the finish line at DBP Calapan.

After the Calapan challenge, the race contingent boarded the RORO vessel going to Batangas port and then proceeded to Manila, the race’s final destination.

Thrilling Finish

In Makati City, the final four teams searched for puzzle pieces hidden within the DBP Head Office grounds. Team Sy-Lo was the first to solve the puzzle that revealed a map indicating the entire race route. The team, however, struggled during the bike race to Bonifacio High Street, and was overtaken by Team Lagalag in the dying minutes to claim the championship purse.

Congratulating the winning team, Chairman Sto. Tomas reiterated the benefits of the RORO in trade, travel, and tourism. "I hope that you can help us in spreading the word about the RORO and the wonderful benefits it gives to our people, especially in the countryside.
The success of the RORO system is every Filipino’s gain," she said.

A separate biking challenge was also held as a consolation round for the six eliminated teams, with Jimmy Hembra of Team Samaritan emerging first to cross the finish line. He copped the P20,000 cash prize.

The other participants of the consolation leg received P10,000 each.