Readers’ reactions

It has been quite a while since I have acknowledged letters sent in to this column. This is simply because I answer these kind readers directly in order to address whatever issue they present like complaints against automobile companies, traffic management issues, etc.  

However, this week I shall do what I have not done for a long time.

I’d like to thank Mr. Michael Jordan Deogracias who’s working for a automobile dealership in Alabang for his letter in reaction to my article on the delay of the release of car registration plates where I suggested a temporary lifting of the “no plate, no travel” policy for the sake of many motorists who would rather not use their duly registered vehicles due to the absence of plates than risk the prospect of being pulled over by enterprising policemen. He writes in part, “Actually the no plate, no travel policy has been suspended by Secretary Roxas during his brief stint at the DOTC. The reason I sent you this email is because we also get a lot of complaints about this issue and also to inform the public about the suspension of the order.”

I actually asked my staff to get in touch with the DOTC (Department of Transportation and Communications), to find out if the department’s new leadership has continued with the suspension of the “no plate, no travel” policy but unfortunately after being passed around to four people who were clueless about the issue, I did not get any confirmation. But I guess if there was really such an order to suspend the policy by his predecessor, the DOTC’s present top honcho, Secretary Abaya should have no reason to rescind it especially in the light of the current crisis where there are no useable plates available as its winning supplier “dropped the ball” by delivering sub-spec plates that would not stand the test of time.

Putting Road Users Charge funds into good use

I’m sure all vehicle owners are aware that a big part of what they are paying whenever their vehicle is registered goes to the Road Users’ Charge. Concocted during the administration of President Joseph Estrada, the objective is to raise funds to help in the maintenance of the country’s road network, for road safety concerns, etc.

A lot of controversy came about regarding the use of these funds, which by now I speculate are in the billions of pesos, not unless the coffers have really been emptied clean by the past administration as some quarters are accusing.

I ventured to call my good friend, former LTO (Land Transportation Office) head Bert Suansing, who was a member of the Road Board, the entity tasked to help determine the optimized use of these funds to get some insights into their use. Former DOTC Asec. Suansing was a member representing the private sector from year 2000 to 2002 and 2004 to 2008.

My objective is to find out the possibility of using a meager part of the funds of the Road Users’ Charge to purchase drunk-driving testing equipment that our police organizations do not have. It’s bad enough that the existing obsolete law that covers drunk-driving does not specify what’s considered as illegal blood alcohol content; worse we do not have ample equipment to just basically find out if a suspected drunk driver has alcohol in his blood or not.   

I was apprised by Bert that considering that although 7.5% of the funds are earmarked for road safety concerns, where drunk-driving may be technically included, the process may just be too tedious and long to possibly see a successful conclusion. 

The easier way could probably be through the local governments. They could pass ordinances specifically to combat drunk-driving, which has been seen as a major cause of road accidents, especially recently among motorcycle riders. The ordinance can already specify what each local government considers as illegal blood alcohol content (BAC) and set a budget to purchase the necessary equipment to test and determine a suspect’s BAC. That way cases filed against drunk drivers would have a stronger leg to stand on in court and penalties and fines for violators can be used to maintain the personnel that would be specifically tasked to go after these drunk drivers and amortize the purchase of the needed equipment.

This is very doable, especially among rich cities in the metro like Makati and Quezon City. But if I were the MMDA, I would take the lead in this endeavor.

Drunk-driving has caused a lot of miseries to those who have lost their loved ones to such senseless accidents that it has caused.

Let’s help stop or minimize the unnecessary loss of limbs and lives—by deterring drunk driving.

Let’s do this! 

Another “cat out of the bag”

These are very busy days for the local auto industry. Automobile launches come one after another making a motoring journalist’s life a bit busier these days and it’s only the second month of what’s expected to be another banner year for the sector.

Cats Motors, headed by Mr. Felix Ang, an automotive industry veteran who knows every nook and cranny of an automobile having been in varied businesses that go through the gamut of automobile parts and services from accessories, tires and batteries, to high-end vehicles to super cars just joined the fray by letting another “cat out of the bag” by launching recently the new offering from Mercedes-Benz to the local market expanding further their array of exciting models that are on display in their elegant showrooms.

“There’s nothing like being able to offer to the market a wide array of automobile models and brands to suit the clients’ varied needs and budgets. That’s what we’re actually here for—to serve our customers to the fullest,” were the exact words of my long-time friend “Felix of Cats” during the well-attended launch that featured an amazing magician, who made the many friends of Felix who were present that evening to worry that he might just make our well-respected friend disappear into thin air.  

Instead of seeing things disappear during the affair though, the invited guests saw the arrival of the B Class, the first of the new generation compact cars of Mercedes-Benz introduced in the Philippines.

The Mercedes-Benz B Class is a compact that’s awash with modern technologies and notable standard features that include safety Assist Systems, such as the Active Parking Assist, Attention Assist and Acceleration Skid Control as well as the 7G-DCT Dual Clutch Transmission, ECO start/stop function and a newly-developed 4-cylinder in-line petrol engine.

If you’re familiar with its predecessor, this new generation B Class performs 12% better in fuel consumption with the B 200 BlueEfficiency running 5.9 liters per 100 kilometers. It is available with a displacement of 1.6 litres with an output of 115 kw (156 hp) with a max torque of 250 Nm @ 1250 rpm.

If you are from the metro and you would like to have a look-see and a test drive of the Mercedes-Benz B Class, you can drop by any of the stylish and elegant showrooms of Cats Motors located at the Bonifacio Global City or in EDSA. And for those who may hidden under a rock for some time now and have not seen or heard of Cats Motors in EDSA, my good friend Felix Ang would always say that Camp Aguinaldo is in front of Cats Motors—that’s the correct billing on the basis of importance and stature. Right Felix?

Only for the sportsman and the outdoorsman

There’s a place in West Greenhills that recently opened, which is expected to be the Mecca for those who love adventure, travel and are prone to explore the vast outdoors and need the right equipment for the extreme joy of these exploits.

The Outdoors Club is home to world-class outdoors gear and equipment like Mont Blanc of Sweden and Rhino Racks of Australia.

“This place encourages you to explore your world and embark on an adventure with your family to enjoy the natural beauty of nature and the many tourist destinations around the country. We have products to maximize your vehicle’s loading capacity with luggage systems, bicycle racks and even kayak loading solutions,” explains Erwin Versoza of the Outdoors Club.

During the official opening, journalists present were apprised that Mont Blanc is a specialty Swedish company whose core competence is designing and manufacturing bike and load carrier systems since 1947. For the past 65 years, Mont Blanc has been Europe’s leading load systems supplier of major automotive brands such as Mercedes Benz, BMW, Land Rover, Fiat, Peugeot, Citroen and Volvo, with research facilities in Sweden, Romania, France, Germany and the United Kingdom. Mont Blanc’s easy-on/easy-off feature, plus its theft-resistant and built-tough quality has made it the most dominant load carrying brand in Europe.

Rhino Racks on the other hand is said to be considered as the most successful roof rack brand in Australia for the past 22 years. It’s purposely built and designed to withstand the harsh environment of the Australian Outback. Rhino Racks are also the OEM supplier of Ford Australia and Isuzu Motors Australia.

The Outdoors Club is located at the Ground Floor of Banco de Oro Building 2, West Greenhills, San Juan.

Happy Motoring!!!

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