Team Apo clinches back-to-back victory on San Juanico Bridge; Team Tamaraw gets rolled off

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The sun was shining once more for the racers as they made their way through Leg 4, the halfway point of the “Ready-Get Set-RORO!” DBP Interisland Race.

It was early morning in when the teams were released from the Development Bank of the Philippines (DBP) regional branch in Tacloban with their first clue to guide them: the bridge that connects the provinces of Samar and Leyte.

The San Juanico Bridge is a 2.16-km suspension bridge stretching from Tacloban City, Leyte to the Sta. Rita, Samar over the San Juanico Strait. A 10-minute drive from Tacloban, the bridge is also accessible via public transportation such as jeepney, bus, or tricycle.

Teams then used local tricycles to get to the bridge, where their next clue instructed them to cross the bridge on foot to get to the bridge on the other side.

Team Apo, composed of schoolmates Cams Lozano and Kynz Flores, with Beatriz Saw, made a strong finish as they secured a second victory to follow their Leg 3 win.

“We were the first team to be released this morning, and we took advantage of that, we weren’t even completely sure of our destination but a tricycle happened to pass by and we just hoped in,” recounts Cams.

“I never thought that I would be walking across the San Juanico bridge on my first time to see it, but we were determined to reach the pit stop, so I just took in the sights along the way,” says celebrity teammate Beatriz Saw, who even stopped to talk to fans in a passing
car. “I asked them to drive next to me while I was sprinting to distract myself from the exhaustion that was setting in.”

Kynz reports that their main rule is to put no pressure on themselves. “We make sure we’re having fun. We have more races to run until we reach the finish line.”

Meanwhile, Team Tamaraw, with brother and sister duo Rayn and Tina Yu and celebrity teammate Arron Villaflor, was the last team to hit the pit stop, and was thus eliminated from the race.

“Early on in the race, we agreed on two things: no one gets hurt, and no one gives up,” says Arron. “We were released last and the lost time really took its toll, but we finished our last leg, and we’re not disappointed.”

Before the 4th leg, stormy weather left the teams stranded for most of the day on the port in Bogo, Cebu, waiting for the Coast Guard to give clearance for passage. Fortunately, the brand new Super Shuttle Ferry, the only RORO vessel plying the missionary route from Bogo, Cebu to
Palompon, Leyte, played the gracious host to the teams until it set off for its maiden voyage as soon as the weather cleared up past midnight.

While on the ferry, teams battled it out in the clockstopper challenge, where teams had to finish 9 pieces of the local delicacy pintos, and paint their faces with ethnic patterns before heading to
the pit stop. Team Lapu-Lapu, with Edz Saguin, Toni Cañeda and Ketchup
Eusebio emerged on top, but there was no elimination as all teams completed the task.

Catch race updates and vote for your favorite teams at www.dbprororace2008.com