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Robinsons Malls Recognized in 2021 Mobility Awards. Clinches 9 Awards for its Bike Initiatives

Robinsons Malls Recognized in 2021 Mobility Awards. Clinches 9 Awards for its Bike Initiatives

(From L-R) Robinsons Place Antipolo, Robinsons Place Iloilo and Robinsons Place Butuan received silver-medal recognition under the Infrastructure criteria of the Mobility Awards 2021.

More and more Filipinos turned to biking in the last couple of years as the ongoing pandemic restricted public transportation. With this sudden surge of bikers, both public and private establishments try to make the country's busiest streets as bike-friendly as possible. Most recently, nine Robinsons Malls have been recognized by Mobility Awards for their efforts in consistently prioritizing the safety of a huge population of bikers in the Philippines and promoting cycling as a reliable, efficient, and environment-friendly mode of transportation.

These are: Robinsons Place Antipolo in Rizal Province, Robinsons Place Butuan in Agusan del Norte, Robinsons Place Gensan, Robinsons Place Iloilo, Robinsons Place Roxas City in Capiz, Robinsons North Tacloban in Leyte, Robinsons Place Bacolod in Negros Occidental, Robinsons Galleria South in Laguna, and Robinsons Mall Tagaytay in Cavite. All these establishments occupied the upper half ranking out of 61 entries in the Bicycle-Friendly Large Commercial Establishments 2021 category of the Mobility Awards. Winners were announced last November 25, 2021, just in time for Climate Change Consciousness Week.

All 61 nominations for the Bicycle-Friendly Large Commercial Establishments 2021 category of the Mobility Awards were ranked according to the five I's: Infrastructure, Integration, Implementation, Innovation, and Inclusivity.

The Infrastructure criteria—where Robinsons Place Antipolo, Robinsons Place Butuan, and Robinsons Place Iloilo received silver-medal recognition—is all about the level of presence of physical infrastructure or end-of-trip facilities dedicated to bikers such as bike racks, storage areas, water refill stations, changing rooms, and showers.

Robinsons Place Antipolo also received  the silver medal for Integration, which recognizes the effectiveness and variety of programs, policies, and plans for promoting and supporting biking as a mobility option. Implementation, which distinguishes the programs and policies that maintain the safety of cyclists, was also ranked high for Robinsons Place Antipolo. In October and November, this Robinsons Malls branch co-organized a fun bike tour around the slopes of Antipolo.

The last two criteria are Inclusivity, which measures the extent of the accessibility of bike-friendly infrastructure and programs for diverse groups (such as inexperienced cyclists, PWDs, children, women, and the elderly); and Innovation, which takes into account the creative solutions to promote active cycling, especially based on existing limitations and current capacities. Robinsons Place Antipolo, Robinsons Place Butuan, Robinsons Place GenSan, Robinsons Place Iloilo, Robinsons Place Roxas, Robinsons North Tacloban, Robinsons Place Bacolod, and Robinsons Galleria South all bagged bronze medals for Inclusivity. Robinsons Place Antipolo and Robinsons GenSan, in addition, got bronze ranking for Innovation.

"Robinsons Malls have always promoted biking as an eco-friendly alternative to mobility and an ideal activity for a healthy lifestyle," says Arlene Magtibay, RLC Senior Vice President and Robinsons Malls General Manager.  Ms. Magtibay added that Robinsons Malls is currently in collaboration with National Bicycle Organization for regular biking lessons at Robinsons Place Manila, Robinsons Magnolia, and Robinsons Metro East. Self-service Bike Repair Stations and secure bike parking areas have also been launched at Robinsons Malls nationwide.

The Mobility Awards is organized by the Institute for Climate and Sustainable Cities, MNL Moves, The Climate Reality Project Philippines, 350.org Pilipinas, and Pinay Bike Commuter together with 25 regional partners composed of civic groups. It is a platform that recognizes acts of leadership by Philippine local governments, workplaces, and commercial establishments promoting cycling as a reliable, efficient, and sustainable mode of transport among their constituencies, customers, employees, and communities. They aim to inspire public and private entities to improve conditions for mobility as well as recognize trailblazers in these changing times. Despite biking's rise in popularity, conditions have yet to significantly improve for cyclists; thus, it is important for pioneers like Robinsons Malls to lead the community in this effort.