Our commitment

As you may have noticed, today The Philippine STAR celebrates 24 years of balanced journalism. Far be it for us to give ourselves the proverbial pat in the back, but today we recognize that we do stand on the shoulders of giants. Many have come before us. And among those are stalwarts in the journalism industry. The late great Max Soliven comes to mind. The late Betty Go Belmonte as well. As does my idol and inspiration, the late Teddy Benigno. As such, it is incumbent upon us who carry on the torch to give nothing but our best. That especially holds true for us at the Business Motoring section.

I have been at the helm of the Business Motoring section of this broadsheet for close to 10 years. Throughout its run, the section has had its ups and downs. Fortunately, the high points far outweigh the low points. To be sure, we have gone to great lengths to improve and change with the times. And though it may be the easy route, I will not take credit for the section’s success – that distinction is shared by several people.

First off, there are the brothers Miguel and Isaac Belmonte. As president and editor-in-chief respectively of this broadsheet, these two gentlemen have given the section direction from the very start. My only role is to see to it that their vision comes to fruition. And that I will have been incapable of doing were it not for the team that had mostly been intact since I took over editorial duties.

There is, of course, the recognized godfather of motoring journalism in the country – Ray Butch Gamboa, our columnist who practically started the motoring journalism practice in the country along with his late partner in crime, the much missed Pocholo Ramirez. To this day, Butch tirelessly covers the goings on in the industry. He has taught many of us – including our competitors and rivals – many of what we know and practice.

Then there is Manny de los Reyes, who came on board close to ten years ago. Manny’s knack for translating the dizzying technical speak of the automotive world into words that even the common man can relate to knows no bounds. I credit Manny too for coming up with the idea of the interactive column Backseat Driver, which many of our readers share.

Andy Leuterio, meanwhile, comes a close second in my eyes in delivering engrossing takes on otherwise bland topics. His tongue in cheek humor also strikes many as the kind that has no equal. To say that he is a vital cog in the team would be an understatement.

Then there is James Deakin. James is forever the comedian. But he uses his unparalleled wit to slice through sensitive topics as well. He is by far the most popular Backseat Driver and is also without a doubt the only person I know who loves driving and writing for a living more than perhaps even Ray Butch Gamboa.

Recently, we included Ulysses Ang in our regular line-up of contributors. Uly provides the serious tone we need every so often. He is also perhaps one of the most hard working people in the motoring beat today, contributing to several other media outfits even as he rarely misses a beat for The STAR.

Kap Aguila, meanwhile, might be familiar to regular STAR readers. His by-line used to be a staple at the Lifestyle Section and the Entertainment Section. But his innate love for cars drew him to us here at Business Motoring and we just can’t have enough of his unique insights.

Finally, there are the girls, Ria Tanjautco-Trillo and Ayvi Nicolas-Cruz. Ria adds that soft touch that us car geeks lack. A breath of fresh air in an otherwise carbon monoxide filled group she is. Ayvi, meanwhile, has been our most trusted lens-woman all this time. The fact that she can write insightful takes on road trips has helped us cover much ground too.

Also, there’s Edward Dangan. Edward is our unsung hero. His name is rarely mentioned. But he’s done most of the layout work for the Business Motoring section from day one. And for this we will be forever grateful.

Those who have helped make this section what it is today also deserve kudos. My predecessors Junep Ocampo and Roman Floresca and our motorcycle guru Lester Dizon are among them. As is our former contributor, Brian Afuang. Occasional layout pinch-hitters Eric Sambile, Mel Paracueles and Rey Bellosillo as well.

Finally, there are our readers. I have always argued that Philippine STAR readers are the most intelligent and insightful readers out there. And time and again you have proven this by gamely indulging us in banter over at the Backseat Driver column. Your suggestions, insights and comments have given us direction and inspiration as well. We have a good pulse of what our readers want to read exactly because you are not at all bashful. Whether you agree or disagree with what we write, you make it known. And that is the kind of feedback that will keep driving us to get better at our craft.

So to you our readers, on our 24th anniversary, we take this opportunity to express our gratitude for being part of this section. We also recommit ourselves and all our efforts to you. Not only will we continue to make this section the most interactive motoring section in the country, we’ll also keep making it the most informative, the most relevant and the most visually appealing motoring section in the land. Firsts and exclusives will continue to come your way. As will improved current events coverage and relevant commentaries. Layout, as well, with continue to evolve to make this section a fun read as much as it is an informative one.

Like we said, today we stand on the shoulders of giants. It is our duty and our commitment, therefore, to keep only the best coming your way.

Here are a couple of Backseat Driver comments from last week’s “Taking its toll” by James Deakin…

Hate to admit it, but James has a point... – tarmac

Sir, could you please enlighten us on the need to register roof racks? I’ve been told that vehicles with roof racks must be registered at the LTO. Plus vehicles with roof racks are sometimes charged a higher rate at the toll gate of SLEX/NLEX. I am not aware of the need to register roof racks nor can I see the logic for the higher toll rates due to roof racks. I have checked the LTO website and cannot find any mention of having to register the roof rack; nor can I find any laws on it. This could be the biggest rip-off that the LTO, police/traffic enforcers and toll management has been doing to owners of vehicles. – bruks_pt (We’ll get right on it, bruks_pt)

And one on Ray Butch Gamboa’s “A need to weed out the undeserving”…

I think that would be the first step as far as driver education is concerned but when you drive along EDSA and you see that everybody is not following the signs… The problem is, if you follow the signs, you run the risk of receiving the ire of other motorists or worse… you’ll be in an accident. Double yellow line means you can’t cross it but buses and taxis, I often observe, do not follow it. I think the next step would be the implementation of the traffic rules. – brondial