MANILA, Philippines - More than 500 bikers on Sunday offered prayers to those who perished in the Manila hostage crisis on August 23.

During their stopover at Fort Santiago, they observed a 2-minute silence to remember the 8 Hong Kong tourists who died in the 11-hour hostage drama.

Sacked policeman Rolando Mendoza took the busload of tourists hostage on August 23 in a desperate bid to clear himself of extortion charges and get his old job back.

The standoff, which played out live on global television, came to a bloody end when police stormed the bus in a botched attempt to rescue the hostages. A police sniper without night-vision goggles eventually shot dead the gunman.

Various bikers groups organized Sunday's invitational biking event to help promote tourism in the country, which took a hit after the Manila hostage crisis.

They said they also want to convey to the world the country's condolences to the bereaved families of those who died.

"Nalulungkot kami sa nangyari. I know we have to move on, but we should not forget," said biker Chris Carbonell.

Carlos Celdran, a Manila tourist guide who participated in the event, added: "We feel sorry for what happened. This is a volunteer effort. We can be tourists to our own city."

The stopovers of the bikers groups, some of which were formed through social networking site Twitter, also included Roxas Boulevard, Luneta Park and Intramuros. –Reports from ANC and Agence France-Presse