Lax enforcement at the new SLEX

When the refurbished and upgraded portion of the SLEX was formally opened from the Alabang exit onwards, and the subsequent and inevitable increase of toll fees was announced by the new operators, there was a loud howl of protests from motorists especially those that travel through it on a regular basis and those who often go to the southern countryside to play golf or go to the various resorts and leisure destinations.

The major justification for the more than three-fold increase was the huge investments made for the upgrade and expansion of the tollway road surface and the installation of high-tech facilities within, which then made travel more convenient, comfortable and safe at the utmost.

Indeed the installation of more lights, cctv cameras, more lanes, etc. can make travel in the SLEX safe. But no matter how modern and high tech the facilities are, if the implementation of traffic rules and regulations would be lax or wanting, travel can never be safe when drivers would have the impression that anything goes while driving through despite all the modernity. Unless of course there’s a modern way of issuing citations or arresting erring drivers automatically or electronically, which we know there isn’t.

Try driving through the SLEX and observe how many vehicles, especially buses, hug or overstay in the innermost lane, which is for the exclusive use of vehicles that pass or overtake slower ones. Now try to run parallel with these buses and check your speedometer while in the process and you’ll realize that they are running way above their speed limits.

And in the midst of all these where are the traffic enforcers of the SLEX?

Word came from the tollway operators that erring drivers are being given citations upon their exit. If this were true, it would be an exception rather that the rule in traffic enforcement according to the many motorists that travel frequently through the SLEX.

Lax traffic law enforcement can never mean safe travel and make no mistake about it.

And as I write this article an e-mail from one of our readers came in regarding an incident in the SLEX.

Mr. Thomas P. Rueda writes, “On January 4, 2012 at about 9:45pm, a strong impact sound was heard which was similar to a busted truck tire at about 800 meters to the Sucat exit from Magallanes. Upon exit, we then realized that the sound was caused by the damage on the roof on the driver side which narrowly missed the windshield. There was no SLEX representative to attend to us except the security guard and a few traffic officers. We were instructed to go to their HPG (Highway Patrol Group) office in Bicutan to report the incident. We decided not to at that time since we were not sure as to what sort of assistance they can provide us. We instead asked the guard to log the incident. On January 5, 2012, the following day, I went back to the Sucat exit office to check if it was properly logged. It was then discovered that the guard did not record it accordingly. I then brought this to the attention of an HPG officer and an investigation was made. It was then post-mortemly logged on January 5. I find it strange though that this kind of threat to motorists is not taken seriously. I was informed by the HPG officer that the stone may have come from the service road either from drunkards, gang wars or just simply from any Tom, Dick and Harry. It seems that similar incidents have occurred before. I was likewise informed that SLEX cannot be held responsible since the source is outside of their jurisdiction. I bring this matter to your attention with the hope that your column may convince the SLEX officials to make the necessary representation with the Parañaque local officials to provide extra safeguards.”Mr. Rueda’s letter speaks for itself.

2012 ARCC gets ready to run

Preparations for the 5th staging of the STV Auto Rally Corporate Challenge (ARCC) have revved up with most of the local auto industry’s corporate teams again eagerly signing up to participate in what has evolved to be one of our biggest and much awaited yearly institutional events.

With its rules hinged on precision driving and the keen and uncompromising adherence to traffic rules and regulations, this “on time all the time” auto rally is actually one of the major joint projects of Socio Com Foundation for Asia and Sunshine Television (STV) conceived to support their advocacy to incessantly promote awareness about road safety. The other endeavors include the Young Street Smarts Road Safety School Tour, which is a series of road safety seminars and workshops conducted free in schools with the aim of teaching students to become present-day as well as future safe and responsible road users. This is a continuously on-going project, which a select group of automobile manufacturers and importers (Asian Carmakers, CATS Motors, Columbian Autocars, Car Covenant Company, Mitsubishi Motors Philippines, PGA Cars, Viking Cars) together with other companies that are keenly aware of their corporate social responsibility like Petron, Caltex, Prudential Guarantee, Air 21 joined by a leading government charitable institution, PCSO, are passionately supporting each school year. There’s also the Young Street Smarts Club with membership composed of young students that is anchored on the TV show Motoring Today through a segment courtesy of Toyota Motor Philippines that dishes out weekly road safety tips for motorists and pedestrians alike.

Driving at break-neck speed is more of a disadvantage in this remarkable inexpensive motor sport that can be participated in by merely using your everyday automobile sans any pricy modification. The objective is to drive closest to the allotted time to travel on routes given only during the flag-off.  Driving faster or slower than the prescribed time, which is pre-determined based on legal speeds and normal driving conditions, would mean a demerit for every second off the target time. The participant who ultimately gets the least demerits is declared champion or winner. In the course of the competition, which runs in its greater part on public roads, any participant cited for any traffic rule violation shall be automatically declared DNF (Did Not Finish). This makes for the sport’s road safety and road discipline relevance.

After a brief talk last Saturday afternoon with the top honcho of Clark Development Corporation, Atty. Ping Remollo, whose passionate objective is to make this huge former US airbase the country’s hub not only for business but for sports as well, the 2012 ARCC would most probably be held at this sprawling multiple-purpose multiple-hectare former bastion of US air supremacy in the entire Pacific. CDC’s young and aggressively dynamic president / ceo gave us a firm assurance of full support due to the sport’s popularity and attraction and more so for its road safety relevance.

The big day is on March 3, the first Saturday of March, with Georges Ramirez of the famous Ramirez racing clan and son of my long-time Motoring Today TV co-host, the late Pocholo Ramirez, the Philippines’ racing legend, serving again as event director and Clerk of Course after two hugely successful stagings under his watch.

Due to the sport’s safety requirement, one vehicle at a time shall be flagged off with an interval of one minute in between. As such, only a maximum of 60 vehicles from 15 Corporate Teams at 4 vehicles per team can be accommodated in this strictly invitational event. Going beyond this number would mean it would take more than an hour just to flag off all the participating vehicles. Though participating in the event is purely on invitation, signing in is still on a “first come first serve” basis with January 16 as deadline for registration.

More updates on how the 2012 STV Auto Rally Corporate Challenge is shaping up next time.

The year’s first road safety workshop

It was back to Miriam College last January 6, Friday for the Socio Com Foundation and Sunshine TV road safety advocacy group to conduct another free road safety seminar and workshop for the second bunch of high school students that was given the chance to learn how to become safe and responsible road users.

Miriam College High School principal Dr. Edizon Fermin once again warmly welcomed our group composed of road safety consultant and seminar director Arnel Doria, who co-founded the Honda Safety Driving Center and was once the top marketing executive of Honda Cars Philippines, Socio Com Foundation executive director and STV production manager Jenny Bleza, road safety instructors Yvette delos Santos of Honda Caloocan Driving School and Julius Ballesteros of Safe T Ryders Riding School and the entire production contingent of Sunshine TV that chronicled the highlights of the event to be shown on the Young Street Smarts portion of the TV show Motoring Today and soon on Motoring TodayTV on the net.

High-grade motor oil Motul does a reverse

In these times when rising prices of oil products is getting to be a way of life, Motul, vaunted to be the pioneering leader in lubricant technology credited as “the first to develop and introduce to the world market products like the first multi-grade in 1953, the first semi-synthetic in 1966 and the first 100% synthetic oil in 1971”, through its Philippine distributors, Autoplus will cut the prices of its three top selling oil products starting January.

Our good friend Carlos Gono, whose name is synonymous to Motul in the country, announced that Motul’s Multipower, a Semi-synthetic oil for gasoline and diesel cars will now be priced at P400/liter from previous price of P500/liter; followed by Motul’s H-tech 100, a 100% synthetic oil for gasoline engines car newly priced at P500/liter from previous price of P640/liter and Motul’s Specific CRDi oil, a 100% synthetic base oil for CRDi Diesel cars newly priced at P600/liter from previous price of P800/liter.

If that’s not a bit of good news for auto enthusiasts who want to give their vehicles the best there is, then I don’t know what is.

Happy Motoring!!!

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