Davao team is RP's top ticket to international Inca race

A BAND of students from Davao City is vying for the Intrepid Ultimate Inca Encounter, a worldwide competition whose prize is an all-expense trip to Peru for the winning group.

Members of the group called Good Cheetahs came from various fields and are taking up Masters in Management at the University of the Philippines-Mindanao.

The Good Cheetahs are currently at third place in the team standings and are in dire need of votes through on-line voting to make it to the top at the end of the two-week contest launched by Intrepid Travel, a tour operator based in Melbourne, Australia.

Their viting page is at http://incacomp. intrepidtravel.com/gallery/803.aspx.

Intrepid is a small group travel company that covers Asia, Latin America, North America, Europe, Middle East, Africa, Australia, Antartica and the Pacific.

"Every vote counts in this tight race," said Angela Zafra, who formed the team last week after getting an invitation from Intrepid.

The team is composed of 11 members, UP-Mindanao students who are currently working full time in their respective careers and study during the weekends.

"We are in various fields, including education, government, NGO, baking and food industries," said Zafra, a 28-year-old businesswoman.

Zafra's teammates include, Aurea Christie Lumaad, Ana Therese Jalipa, Leslie Lerios, Hamlet Lerios, Victor Quiambao Jr., Lyneth Quimbao, Arturo Yutig, Roselle Hernandez, Herma Herrera and Rodel Gumia.

The Good Cheetahs band is the only Filipino team in the top 10 and is going up against teams from Portugal, United Kingdom and Ireland.

"I love to travel because for me, it's the best way to learn about life. However, given my financial situation, it's always been budget travel. So I join contests to get to travel for free," said Zafra, who had been to different places like Africa, Beijing, Cambodia and Thailand.

Zafra said the contest calls for the creation of a group of 11 and have this entered in the Inrepid Inca competition website with a photo and justifying why one's team deserves to go to Peru.

After this, the teams entered will people to vote. The team that gets the highest number of votes by 7 a.m. on April 25 wins.

"It all started just for fun. Now, it became everybody's concern and we really need votes," said Lumaad who, at 44, is the oldest of the group.

Lumaad said they hope to get the support of media organizations in Davao City and even Mayor Sara Duterte as they need votes to win the competition.

Should the Good Cheetahs win, Lumaad said they can use the trip to promote Davao City in Peru by bringing flyers and brochures.

"We can also use this as an educational trip," Lumaad said.

The group is right behind teams from Portugal and Ireland and is working overtime to solicit votes from friends and people using social networking websites like Facebook.

"We'd like to ask the help of our fellow Filipinos so that we will win and bring the Filipino pride, and Davao pride of course, as we go on our expedition to Peru," Zafra said.