Big Pimpin’

Yes, if you must know, I was indeed that obnoxious gnat you might have come across last December as I cruised through town in the loudest (literally and figuratively) Lexus LS400 in town. Right before Christmas, Wheels Gallery’s Sammy Liuson, purveyor of all things bling in this country, lent me his personal souped up sedan, which was, in his words, "built to out-bling Santa Claus himself". And yes, I too was that hateful little clown running around town in the BMW Z4 3.0si drop top a week after that. And, oh yes, I must confess, I too was the fool pretending to be the biggest thing to happen to the streets in the sweet new Mercedes Benz E280 around New Year’s Day. I admit to all my faults because as you may have surmised by this time, the holidays is when we motoring journalists get to stop and smell the cylinders, so to speak. A wondrous time, indeed! Ah, but how does all this relate to you? I’ll get to that. Eventually. Right now, however, indulge me as I look back on the year that was.

Despite the entry of so many new models and variants, this year saw an almost insubstantial increase in new car sales — at least from the legitimate vehicle dealership front. This is so because of the unabated influx of used cars from neighboring countries. The laxity of our law enforcement efforts has the bulk of our taxpaying auto-manufacturing brethren fighting for crumbs, so to speak. Still, it has them fighting — for our benefit.

Ah yes, with car manufacturers trying to outdo each other, we were all made witness to one of the most exciting years in Philippine motoring. New car models of every make and for every budget did come our way. High-end variants galore, a slew of budget-friendly cars, vastly improved diesel technology in both workhorse and luxury vehicle iterations, you name it! Through it all, we were treated to that which makes capitalism worthwhile — variety. Those of us fortunate enough to have indulged in the vehicle purchasing frenzy were hopefully satisfied. If not, well then, welcome to your column!

Last year also saw the prices of fuel all around the world reach phenomenal heights. I will not sugarcoat it. I, like most of the motorists out there, hated the fact that my erstwhile more than enough P1,000 weekly fuel budget had suddenly become less than adequate. But I give it to the fuel companies for making the effort to improve the grade of the fuel made available to us. Though I do not necessarily buy into all the marketing mumbo jumbo most (if not all) of the fuel industry players spew out, I must admit that, generally, the grade of fuel in the Philippines has indeed improved.

Unfortunately, save for very few areas, our roads and infrastructure — not to mention our traffic management systems — have not improved at all. Before the year ended, in fact, I wrote about "Metro Manila’s Worst Bottlenecks". I would have gotten the nod of the many readers of The STAR, too, had I decided to run for office immediately after writing that piece. Because they too felt the frustration I had written about, the Backseat Driver inbox texters virtually proclaimed me their national level candidate after that piece (Mabuhay ang DMPM — Dong Magsajo for President Movement!). The never-ending, uphill battle to improve discipline and traffic management in these shores continues to this day. With no end in sight, might I add.

Another thing worth mentioning is the blossoming of products and services that are meant to enhance — if not improve — the entire motoring experience for the Pinoy motorist. Biofuels, LPG, more environment-friendly mixtures of both fuels and lubricants, extended warranties, more affordable service-inclusive packages, the list goes on and on. Truthfully, the new car buyer has never been more spoiled. There are choices galore not just for the vehicles, but also for the peripheral services and sales packages that go along with them. Finally, it has become a matter of total customer satisfaction for many (I did not say all, mind you) car dealerships. Seriously, if you are in search of a new vehicle, there has never been a more exciting time.

Which brings us back to our premise. Despite all the blabbering I did throughout the year, despite all the complaining, I ended my 2006 with a smile. Ah yes, I hobbled through the year like we all do. I got into squabbles with co-motorists and civilian road users, lost my cool, cut off a few obnoxious drivers on the road, uttered the occasional curse, threw the finger in the direction of the oil company spokesperson in the privacy of my living room, you know, stuff we all do. But I didn’t dwell on the crap that came my way.

Before the year had even ended, I had already made the decision to look forward to something better. Eventually, I got rewarded. I brought home three fantastic cars, one after the other and had my fun on the road on many different levels. And I literally drove from 2006 to 2007 in style. Unlike the Philippine motoring industry, which hobbled its way through the year as it carried its burdens, I was actually big pimpin’. But something tells me 2007 will be a lot better for the industry I find myself in — pessimists be damned. I am a journalist, you know. I’ve seen at least some of the fantastic new vehicles that you can expect to see on our roads later this year, learned about some developments that will transpire soon. You’d be surprised. And we’ll be here to continue to do the surprising, that’s our promise.

POSTSCRIPT I: Many thanks to my high school batchmates from La Salle Green Hills batch 1990 — specifically Mark Espinosa, Cesar Roxas and Bert Feliciano — for practically begging me to write about what to expect from the car industry in the coming year (in turn assuring me that there are many of you out there who do care what we write in these pages). I may not have spilled all the beans in this particular column, but I did promise our readers that we will write about a slew of new models, some of which we already discussed in our batch reunion (Hindi usapang lasing yun!). Those new models are indeed coming, guys. Watch out for our impressions of them in these pages.

POSTSCRIPT II: We will not forget two very important people we lost through the year 2006. First, our publisher and inspiration, Maximo V. Soliven, who each and every journalist ought to look up to — sir, thank you for everything, we’ll take it from here. Next, our mentor and friend Alex Fernando, who knew how to spot talent and respect it early on — we’ll play ball and down some brew when I catch up with you, my friend. To both of you, through my path may be unique and distinct from yours, I promise to continue to write articles that make sense to make sense of your untimely passing. Different stories we all may have, but our readers deserve nothing less than the best from us all, as you have shown in the kind of work you churned in day in and day out, and the kind the lives you led. Rest in peace.

Okay, okay… We’ll publish your complaints from time to time so don’t be too pushy. Mick Jagger already made it clear that you can’t always get what you want, remember? So it would be nice to practice that wonderful virtue Axl Rose called patience. After all, we give in sometimes, right Armi Millare? As proof, here are some of your comments, questions and complaints from last week…

I drive a 98 model Lancer EL, carburetor type. Can I use E-10 fuel? — 09166874326 (We asked our friends from Mitsubishi Motors Phils. for the answer to this one and it’s actually a resounding yes. So you do have that option.)

If jeepneys can’t be phased out, can’t the LTFRB at least regulate them? They are all over Metro Manila — illegally parked! — 09209556109

Malfunction of lamp posts from Litex Road to Regalado exposes commuters as easy prey for criminals. — 09213497345

I don’t understand why they allow jeepneys to ply our streets wihtout any headlights turned on at night as this practice can cause road accidents. — 09189109273 (Neither do we.)

Phase out jeepneys, organize bus stops, make buses the means of public transportation nationwide and what would happen? Minimal traffic, lower fares, cleaner environment. — 09167660911

What is the address of Speedlab? — 09276247106 (Speedlab is located at 871 Quezon Avenue with telephone numbers 376-4648 or 376-4651. You may also email Speedlab at [email protected])

Speak out, be heard and keep those text messages coming in. To say your piece and become a "Backseat Driver", text PHILSTAR<space>FB<space>MOTORING<space>YOUR MESSAGE and send to 2840 if you’re a Globe or Touch Mobile subscriber or 334 if you’re a Smart or Talk ’n Text subscriber or 2840 if you’re a Sun Cellular subscriber. Please keep your messages down to a manageable 160 characters. You may send a series of comments using the same parameters