RDL LOFT: From Street-Racing Native Pigeons to Championship Glory — The Remarkable Journey of the Lansangan Brothers
By SportsEdge360 | Philippine Pigeon Racing Feature
Every champion has a beginning. For brothers Roger and Dexter Lansangan, that beginning was not in a sophisticated racing loft or among expensive pedigreed birds. It started on the streets, with ordinary native pigeons, youthful enthusiasm, and a shared passion that would eventually grow into one of their most rewarding lifelong pursuits.
Today, RDL LOFT represents more than a collection of champion racing pigeons. It is a story of brotherhood, perseverance, friendship, carefully developed bloodlines, and nearly two decades of competitive achievements.
From their early street races to victories across multiple racing clubs, the Lansangan brothers have built a racing legacy that reflects their dedication to the sport.
Where It All Began: Two Brothers and a Passion for Racing
Roger and Dexter Lansangan discovered their enthusiasm for pigeon racing during their teenage years, when they were approximately 14 and 16 years old.
At the time, their racing activities involved common or native pigeons competing in informal street races.
There were no elaborate breeding programs or established champion families behind their early efforts. What they possessed was a genuine love for the birds and the excitement of watching them compete.
As the years passed, their enthusiasm became increasingly serious.
The defining transition came in 2006, when the brothers began acquiring established racing bloodlines through friends and fellow pigeon-racing enthusiasts.
Among those who contributed to their early development were:
- Deng Manalastas
- Ricardo “Iking” Dela Cruz
- Mariano Lee
- Michael Yumul
- Ariel Tolome Salazar
- Clover Ace Loft
- Rogelio Graspila
These relationships would become instrumental in shaping the future of RDL LOFT.
In pigeon racing, bloodlines matter. But so do the friendships, trust, mentorship, and generosity that allow promising breeding stock to pass from one dedicated fancier to another.
For the Lansangan brothers, those connections became part of their foundation.
2008–2009: The First Major Breakthrough
The 2008 North Distance Race (NDR) season marked an important milestone for RDL LOFT.
Competing under ABRPC, the loft captured the 1st Overall (OA) Championship with a barless-colored cock.
Both parents of the winning pigeon had been acquired from Ricardo “Iking” Dela Cruz, originating from his Mariano Lee bloodlines.
The victory represented a significant breakthrough for the brothers, confirming the competitive potential of the bloodlines they had begun developing.
Their momentum continued into the 2009 NDR season.
RDL LOFT secured 4th Overall and 6th Overall finishes, with both pigeons again tracing their bloodlines to Iking Dela Cruz.
What began as a teenage hobby was now producing results in organized competition.
2013: BULAK — The Lone Entry That Delivered
The 2013 South Distance Race (SDR) season brought another memorable chapter.
Competing under ACPRO, RDL LOFT entered a grizzle hen affectionately named BULAK.
Unlike a loft relying on multiple entries, BULAK was their sole representative throughout training and the race proper.
Yet the hen delivered an exceptional performance, finishing as the 2nd Overall Old Bird (OB) Champion.
BULAK was also described as a solo-clock, day-bird-live finisher.
For the brothers, her achievement carried particular significance.
With only one bird representing the loft, every stage of the campaign depended on that single competitor.
BULAK’s performance demonstrated that success was not necessarily determined by the number of pigeons entered, but by the quality, preparation, and determination of the bird.
2019: BLACKIE — A Champion That Became a Foundation Breeder
The 2019 NDR season brought numerous short-distance fun-race successes for RDL LOFT under BHA.
However, one pigeon stood above the rest.
His name was BLACKIE.
A black-and-white-feathered cock, BLACKIE combined competitive performance with a pedigree that would later prove valuable to the loft’s breeding program.
His recorded achievements included:
- Lap Champion — Sta. Ana, Cagayan
- 4th Overall — Off-Color Category
- 20th Overall — Old Bird Category
- Solo Area Patibayan Winner
- Multiple Pooling Winner
BLACKIE carried a combination of Black Horeman, Jan Aarden, and Sablon bloodlines.
The Horeman component again traced back to Ricardo “Iking” Dela Cruz.
But BLACKIE’s importance did not end with his racing career.
He eventually became a breeder, producing pigeons that continued to represent the loft in southern competitions.
Among his notable offspring were BLACKIE 35, which finished 3rd Overall in the PRPC Off-Color Category, and CHOPPER 55, an Area Patibayan participant under PRPC.
BLACKIE’s progression from successful racer to productive breeder reflected an important principle of competitive pigeon racing: a champion’s lasting contribution may extend well beyond its own race results.
2021–2026: A New Generation of Champions Carries the RDL LOFT Legacy
Following the success of BLACKIE, RDL LOFT entered another remarkable period in its racing history.
Between 2021 and 2026, a new generation of competitors emerged, producing championship victories, special-race awards, and impressive performances across several racing organizations.
At the heart of this period was the MIKEY family, supported by the breeding foundation obtained through the brothers’ friendship with Michael Yumul.
The following seasons would establish some of the most memorable achievements in RDL LOFT’s history.
2021: MIKEY 1 — The Champion Who Became a Super Breeder
During the 2021 MTRPC South Distance Race season, MIKEY 1 delivered an outstanding campaign.
His achievements included:
- Superset Winner
- Quadcore Winner
- Triple Crown Winner
- KO 300 and 500 Winner
These results established MIKEY 1 as a highly successful racing pigeon.
However, his most important contribution would come after his racing career.
MIKEY 1 eventually became what the Lansangan brothers proudly describe as a super breeder, producing offspring that would go on to achieve major victories in subsequent seasons.
His success laid the foundation for an extraordinary family of racing pigeons.
2023: MIKEY 2 — The Two-Club Overall Champion
The 2023 South Distance Race season, covering San Andres, Quezon, to Palo, Leyte, introduced another standout performer.
MIKEY 2, a direct son of MIKEY 1, competed under PFL and COSA.
His achievements included:
- 2nd Overall Champion — PFL
- 2nd Overall Champion — COSA
- Super 7-Lap Fun Race NMAX Winner
- KO 300, 500 and 1,000 Winner
- Palo, Leyte Clocker
He also participated in the Quadcore, Triple Crown, Auction, and Battle Crown competitions.
Recognized in the loft’s account as a two-club overall champion, MIKEY 2 demonstrated the competitive qualities inherited from his father.
His success provided further evidence of MIKEY 1’s exceptional breeding potential.
But another member of the same family was about to deliver an even more remarkable season.
2024: MIKEY 3 — The Four-Club Championship Campaign
The 2024 South Distance Race season, covering San Andres, Quezon, to Tacloban, Leyte, became one of the defining campaigns in RDL LOFT’s history.
The featured competitor was MIKEY 3, another direct son of MIKEY 1 and full brother of MIKEY 2.
Competing across PFL, COSA, PRPC and BFRC, MIKEY 3 delivered an impressive collection of results.
His major achievements included:
- PFL — 1st Overall Champion
- COSA 7 Laps — 1st Overall Champion
- COSA 6 Laps — 6th Overall
- PRPC — 1st Overall Champion
- BFRC — 10th Overall
- Fun Race NMAX Winner
- Lap Champion — Catanauan
- Solo Patibayan Winner — Two Clubs
- Solo PRPC 5-Lap Winner
- Solo PRPC Quadcore Winner
- Solo PRPC Auction Winner
- Solo PRPC Battle Crown
- KO 300, 500 and 1,000 Participant
MIKEY 3’s campaign earned him recognition in RDL LOFT’s records as a four-club overall champion.
His achievements reinforced the strength of the MIKEY family, with two full brothers producing major results in successive seasons.
For Roger and Dexter, the success carried a special meaning.
The foundation pair behind the MIKEY bloodline had come from their dear friend Michael Yumul, whom they respectfully recognize as the “King of NDR Races.”
The brothers consider this breeding foundation a blessing, one that helped produce some of the most successful pigeons in their racing history.
The same 2024 season also delivered additional achievements through other RDL LOFT competitors.
SADDLE 83 captured the PRPC Off-Color 1st Overall Championship.
BLACKIE 08 finished 3rd Overall in the PRPC Off-Color Category.
These results demonstrated the depth of the loft’s breeding program beyond the MIKEY family.
2025: SUPERMAN and KAWAII — The Family Legacy Continues
The 2025 North Distance Race season under PUF introduced another important competitor.
SUPERMAN, a cousin of MIKEY 2 and MIKEY 3 and half-brother of MIKEY 4, recorded:
- 4th Overall — Off-Color Category
- Area Patibayan Participant
SUPERMAN’s significance extended beyond his individual racing performance.
He also became the father of KAWAII, another promising member of the family’s next generation.
KAWAII competed in the Battle of the Champions and recorded an 11th Overall finish in the NDR championship competition.
Her achievement demonstrated that the family’s competitive influence was continuing through another generation.
Together, SUPERMAN and KAWAII added another chapter to the breeding legacy that RDL LOFT had been developing over the years.
2026: THOR — Another Champion Bred by RDL LOFT
The 2026 South Distance Race season to San Ricardo, Leyte, brought another major achievement.
This time, the featured pigeon was THOR, a blue-bar bird with white flight markings.
THOR was bred by RDL LOFT but raced by ATLUNG ALAS LOFT.
Competing under COSA, his recorded achievements included:
- 1st Overall Fun Race — Aerox Winner
- 1st Overall — Off-Color Champion
- Solo Off-Color Clocker
- 3rd Overall — Young Bird Category
- 4th Overall — Old Bird Category
- Solo Area Patibayan Winner
- Quadcore Participant
- Triple Crown Participant
- KO 300 and 500 Participant
THOR’s bloodline originated from Ricardo “Iking” Dela Cruz’s Mariano Lee–Erick Limburg family, crossed with RDL LOFT’s Julian Janssen hen.
His success was particularly meaningful because it demonstrated the competitive quality of a pigeon bred by the Lansangan brothers but raced under another loft.
It also reaffirmed the lasting influence of the breeding relationships established many years earlier.
2026: MIKEY 4 — Continuing the Racing Family’s Journey
The same 2026 South Distance Race season also featured MIKEY 4.
A cousin of MIKEY 2 and MIKEY 3 and half-brother of SUPERMAN, MIKEY 4 continued the family’s representation in competitive racing.
His recorded achievements included:
- 62nd Overall — PUF
- Palo, Leyte Finisher
- BBC Tacloban Open Challenge Clocker
Although his results differed from the major championship victories of MIKEY 2 and MIKEY 3, his performances contributed another chapter to the family’s racing history.
For the Lansangan brothers, the continued participation of related pigeons across successive seasons reflected the long-term development of their breeding program.
Alegre One Loft Race: Another Competitive Challenge
RDL LOFT’s racing record also includes participation in the Alegre One Loft Race (OLR).
The loft recorded:
- Alegre OLR Season 1 — 100th Overall
- Alegre OLR Season 2 — 72nd Overall
These results added another dimension to the loft’s competitive history.
One-loft racing offers breeders the opportunity to evaluate their pigeons in a shared racing environment, providing another measure of their breeding program’s performance.
The Bloodlines Behind the Success
Across the years, certain names repeatedly emerge in the RDL LOFT story.
Ricardo “Iking” Dela Cruz played an important role in providing bloodlines associated with the loft’s earliest major victories, including the 2008 and 2009 results, the BLACKIE family, and the breeding background of THOR.
Michael Yumul contributed the foundation pair behind the MIKEY family, which would eventually produce multiple successful generations.
The Mariano Lee, Horeman, Jan Aarden, Sablon, Erick Limburg, and Julian Janssen bloodlines also feature prominently in the loft’s development.
Yet the significance of these connections extends beyond pedigree.
They reflect a community in which experience, trust, shared knowledge, and friendship help sustain the sport.
For RDL LOFT, the people behind the pigeons are an essential part of the story.
More Than Championships: A Brotherhood Built Around Pigeon Racing
From native pigeons racing along neighborhood streets to championship performances across established racing organizations, the journey of Roger and Dexter Lansangan has been one of steady development.
Their history includes breakthrough victories, memorable individual champions, successful breeding partnerships, and generations of pigeons carrying forward the qualities of their predecessors.
BULAK demonstrated the courage of a lone entry.
BLACKIE proved his value both on the racing course and in the breeding loft.
MIKEY 1 established a family that would produce outstanding successors.
MIKEY 2 and MIKEY 3 carried that family into major multi-club achievements.
SUPERMAN, KAWAII, and MIKEY 4 added new chapters to an evolving racing history.
THOR demonstrated that the loft’s breeding influence could also be reflected in champions raced by other competitors.
But perhaps the most meaningful part of RDL LOFT’s journey is the bond between the two brothers who started it all.
Long before the championship results, special awards, and carefully selected bloodlines, there were simply two young enthusiasts enjoying the excitement of racing ordinary pigeons.
Years later, that enthusiasm remains at the heart of their pursuit.
SportsEdge360 Final Word
RDL LOFT’s story is not merely about winning races. It is about how passion develops into dedication, how friendships become foundations for success, and how a shared childhood interest can grow into a lasting sporting legacy.
For Roger and Dexter Lansangan, every champion carries a history, every bloodline represents years of commitment, and every race offers another opportunity to continue the journey they began as teenagers.
Their accomplishments from 2008 through 2026 reflect a racing program built patiently over time, with contributions from friends, fellow breeders, and generations of competitive pigeons.
And as new birds emerge from the families that have already delivered memorable victories, the next chapter of RDL LOFT remains to be written.
From humble street races to championship glory, the Lansangan brothers have demonstrated that great sporting journeys often begin with the simplest passion.
SportsEdge360 — Celebrating Philippine sporting passion, dedication, and the people behind the achievements.
Editorial note: This feature is based on firsthand information supplied by Roger Lansangan of RDL LOFT. Race results, club classifications, pedigrees, and special-award descriptions are presented from the loft’s account and have been reviewed and approved by the featured breeder.