Road Safety "School Tour" gets going

MANILA, Philippines - The 2010 Young Street Smarts Club School Tour finally got on the road last Friday, July 30 with the Lourdes School of Mandaluyong at the Ortigas Center getting the distinction of being the first beneficiary of this free road safety seminar/workshop, a series being conducted by STV, Sunshine Television, producers of the institutional 23-year old public service-oriented TV program, Motoring Today.

Initiated by road safety advocacy major convener Socio-Com (Social Communications) Foundation for Asia with cooperating partner Mitsubishi Motors Philippines and major partner MNTC, the Manila North Tollways Corporation, developers and operators of the world-class North Luzon Expressway (NLEX), the “School Tour” aims to mold students’ young minds to become safe and responsible road users through these inter-active audio-visual seminars.

The more than 500 students that came from the junior and senior levels that filled the school’s auditorium were given a review of all the vital traffic signs and road markings that a great number of present drivers, especially from the ranks of those driving public utility vehicles, are clueless about as for their meaning and safety significance.

To make the workshop more lively and participatory, so as to ensure the sustained focus of the participants, contests with valuable give-away prizes like t-shirts, caps, key chains, etc., courtesy of some of the country’s major automobile manufacturers and distributors were held right after every topic. This is a way of reviewing what has been taken up and also to serve as a measure in determining what the students have assimilated and retained during the seminar.

“This seminar has undoubtedly helped our students to become more prepared future drivers and road users. Other schools should follow suit and have these seminars/workshops a priority in their school calendar as it would surely benefit the students,” said Lourdes School of Mandaluyong high school principal, Digna Marciano.

“Road safety through education has always been our advocacy since we started with our public service-oriented TV program, Motoring Today more than two decades ago. Driving tips were always a staple in our weekly broadcasts. But this time we are bringing this road safety education closer to those who would be able to imbibe it better – young students with young minds,” was the statement made by Socio-Com founding president and STV chairman and CEO and TV host Ray Butch Gamboa when he introduced the seminar’s program to the students at the start of the workshop.

Arnel Doria, the seminar’s facilitator who’s a veteran road safety consultant backed by years actual experience of managing the HSDC or Honda Safety Driving Center mentioned after the workshop, “We are only lining up 10 schools to benefit from these free seminars this year. More would be scheduled in 2011, which would include those in the major cities of the country.”

STV chairman and CEO’s daughter, Tin Gamboa, more popularly known as “DJ Suzy” of FM radio’s top music station Magic 89.9 and the weekly host of the “Young Street Smarts Club Portion” of Motoring Today emceed the event and gave away all the prizes to the students, many of whom are avid listeners of her radio show. She has personally taken up the advocacy to educate the youth about road safety by being deeply involved in the workshops.

The lively and interactive lectures were expertly given by Aries Pacson, an LTO-certified safety instructor provided by major motorcycle distributor, Ropali Corporation, another participating partner in the road safety advocacy project.