THERE'S a new fad that’s giving its aficionados a high. And that’s taking a "ride” on a zipline: up in the air, slicing through it with a zip, feeling [the wind] whiz by. It’s a ride available in many parts of the world and the best thing is it’s a ride available right here in the city, up in Malubog just above Busay, at the Doce Pares Zipline (DPZ).
According to one of its owners, Dionisio Cañete, the place started out as a Doce Pares Academy of Eskrima. It still is.
It was developed in March last year with a jungle swing, a bamboo bridge from where you can jump on a trampoline or where you can practice eskrima, kickboxing, and taekwondo moves alone or with a sparring partner.

 

 

 

The altitude and the sloping terrain are ideal for the training of eskrima enthusiasts. The zipline started out as a way of building confidence and guts, as it can be intimidating for first-time users, and a challenge for those who want to zip across the void—head side down.
It was also another venue to practice up-in-the-air eskrima distance fighting. But soon, Cañete said, they needed to maximize investment (the group has a 10-year lease on the nine-hectare lot) and so zipline became open to the public in late October after an adjustment of the distance between the two ziplines currently in place.
Ziplines, says Manuel Abesamis, one of the owners, are made in France and they can carry 1.5 tons and have a safety line to doubly ensure safety. Properly strapped and harnessed, a person is "zipped” safely across the void by a pulley. It is safe even for kids, though they can opt to swing in tandem with a companion, or on a swing seat with or without a companion.
Currently, the zipline is only 170 meters long. Soon the company will put up another, this time with a 400-meter line.
The management (which includes two other Cañetes, Gerald and Michael) wants DPZ to be affordable to the public. That’s why they plan to have a shuttle between JYSquare and the place, because they have found taxi and habal-habal (i.e. modified motorcycle for hire) drivers overcharging their fare, especially with foreigners.
And yes, the place is open—even to those who don’t want to go on the zipline—for a minimal entrance fee. Many do go there just to enjoy the breeze, the cooler mountain air, and the 300-degree panorama of the city and the mountains surrounding it. It’s certainly a great place for a picnic, and there’s no charge if you bring in food, though you can opt to patronize its small refreshment outlet offering non-alcoholic drinks, sandwiches and such, run by Manuel’s daughter, Diana April.
DPZ is open at 8:30 a.m. and closes at 8 p.m. on weekdays and 10 p.m. on weekends and holidays. Whether you zip or not, it’s a great get-away place for the sizzling summer—it’s very near and affordable!