FRIDAY / OCTOBER 20, 2017WWW.INQUIRER.NET B 3 - 1

COUNTRIES SHARE BEST PRACTICESAT 10TH ANNUAL ROAD SAFETY

IN ASIA CONFERENCES even hundred seventy sev-

en thousand road trafficdeaths or more than half ofthe road crash fatalities

that were reported worldwidein 2010 came from the Asia Pa-cific region alone. This numberwas among the alarming statis-tics highlighted during thisyear’s Road Safety in Asia con-ference which was held last Au-gust 22 and 23 at The HeritageHotel in Pasay City.

More than 200 participantsfrom over a dozen Asian coun-tries attended the 10th annualevent organized by the GlobalRoad Safety Partnership (GRSP),the International Road Assess-

ment Program (iRAP), the Philip-pine Global Road Safety Partner-ship (PGRSP) and the AutomobileAssociation Philippines (AAP) to

share ideas, experiences and bestpractices and explore ways toscale up efforts to advance roadsafety in the region.

“The bulk of the road trafficdeaths came from our region orexactly 62 percent of the 1.2 mil-lion global road deaths are from

Asia Pacific,” reported AAPpresident and PGRSP Chair GusLagman as he presented thefindings of the World Health

Organization published in theGlobal Status Report on RoadSafety 2013.

“The most vulnerable roadusers are those who are ridingmotorized 2-3 wheeled vehiclesand pedestrians,” Lagman elab-orated. “Speeding, drunk-driv-ing, non-wearing of motorcyclehelmets, non-wearing of seatbelts and non-use of child re-straints in vehicles are the com-mon risk factors for these vul-nerable road users in Asia.”

Legislation to Promote

Road Safety in PH

Among the important guests

AUTOMOBILE ASSOCIATION PHILIPPINES

FLATOUT RACESERIES WINNERS last

August 5 at theBatangas Racing

Circuit were AAPMotor Sport

DevelopmentProgram finalists.

The Automobile Association Philippines (AAP), Philippine Global Road Safety Partnership (PGRSP), Global RoadSafety Partnership (GRSP) and International Road Assessment Program (iRAP) held the Road Safety in Asia 2017Conference on August 22-23, 2017 , attended by over 200 participants from different countries in the region.

GRSP Chief Executive OfficerDave Cliff and PGRSP Chairconcurently AAP President GusLagman

oooB3-2

FRIDAY / OCTOBER 20, 2017WWW.INQUIRER.NETB 3 - 2 A A P

during the event was Senator JVEjercito who chairs the SenateCommittee on Health and De-mography.

Ejercito cited several billsthat he is actively pushing in theSenate, including The Anti-Over-loading Act of 2017, the Dash CamLaw and the Child Safety in Mo-tor Vehicle Act of 2017.

The senator campaigned for“the creation of a NationalTransportation Safety Boardthat shall investigate and deter-mine the probable cause of roadcrashes involving all types ofvehicles.”

Representative CesarSarmiento, who chairs thePhilippine Congress Committeeon Transportation, talked aboutthe various laws that the Houseof Representatives recentlypassed which are now imple-mented to make roads safer inthe Philippines.

The Mandatory Installationof Speed Limiters, Anti-Drunkand Drugged Driving, and Anti-Distracted Driving were the leg-islative initiatives he highlighted.

“In our country, 34 peopledie on the roads daily. But 34 isnot just a number. They are peo-ple with names,” Sarmientosaid.

Working towards Better

Road Safety in Asia

Six workshops were con-ducted throughout the two-dayconference where various pro-jects, best practices and proveninterventions were presented tohelp improve road safety in theregion.

Representatives from iRAPshared case studies on projectsthat turned into successful pro-grams and policies. GRSP talkedabout the importance of stan-dards in helmets and child re-straints as well as effective im-plementation of policies andadvocacies.

PGRSP Secretary General Al-berto Suansing shared the vari-ous initiatives of the organiza-tion as part of the discussion onthe role of the private sectorand civil society in road safety.

“PGRSP and AAP haveopened opportunities for the

government sector includinginviting them to internationalconferences on road safety,”Suansing said. “We have contin-uously partnered with govern-ment agencies, private compa-nies, universities, and the mediato spread road safety educationand coordinate activities to pre-vent duplication of efforts.”

In closing, GRSP Chief Exec-utive Officer Dave Cliff notedthe importance of sharingknowledge and successful expe-riences to achieve the sustain-able developmental goals andsave more lives on the road.

“The thing with road safetyis, we know what works. Weknow that 5-star rated vehiclesare infinitely safer than 0-starrated cars. We know the bene-fits of good road safety legisla-tion which deters people fromcommitting actions that lead toroad trauma. We know theenormous benefits of a saferoad infrastructure and saferoad signs and the difference itcan make when things go wrongin a road crash. Our work isn’tdone. Let us move with purposeand consider the appropriatenext steps.”

COUNTRIES SHARE BEST PRACTICES AT 10TH ANNUALROAD SAFETY IN ASIA CONFERENCE

MAKING MOTORING FUN

Multiple solutions to the traffic problemBy Gus LagmanAAP President

S ince time immemorial,the government has al-ways been focused onlooking for ways by which

it can move more vehicles andat higher speeds. To attain this,it has built more roads,bridges, and skyways where itcould, allocating the necessarybudget for them, or biddingout some of the projects for theprivate sector to develop.

However, the problem to-day, at least in the Metro Mani-la area, is that we have reachedthe saturation point for thatapproach. There’s just no morespace to build more roads on.And so, the government start-ed building down – well, a littlebit – by constructing tunnelsunder major intersections

(Shaw Blvd., Cubao, Ayala Ave.)and building up, by construct-ing flyovers over the other ma-jor intersections (Tramo, Mag-allanes, Buendia Ave., OrtigasAve., Crame, Kamias, QuezonAve.).

Finally, realizing that itshould focus more on “movingpeople” than on “moving vehi-cles”, the government built theLight Rail Transit (LRT) andlater, with the private sector,the Metro Rail Transit (MRT).But those are definitely notenough, as evidenced by thelong queues of commuters atthe stations, every workingday. The main reason is thatthis overhead, light rail, masstransit systems, as the word“light” implies, have very lim-

ited capacity.But lo and behold! The gov-

ernment recently announcedthe long-awaited plan to builda subway system in themetropolis. This heavy rail sys-tem is, without a doubt, thebest solution to our trafficproblems. If they do a good jobof it, there will be less reasonsfor commuters to buy cars, orfor car owners to use them. Us-ing the subway system is amuch better alternative todriving through heavy trafficaround the city.

A quick comment on thisplan though: The first subwayline should not be the rumoredMakati-to-Global City align-ment; rather, it should be analignment parallel to the EDSA

route for the simple reasonthat the latter would have amuch bigger impact on today’scommuting public.

The traffic problem inMetro-Manila is a complex oneand will therefore require theimplementation of a combina-tion of many solutions. Effec-tive as it will be, the subwaysystem will take many years tobuild. Even as we should startbuilding it now, we should alsosimultaneously start imple-menting the other solutions.

1. Strictly enforce trafficlaws. This single move will ap-proximately halve the numberof buses plying EDSA (out withthe colorums). Choke pointswill be reduced as buses canonly stay at the loading/un-

loading zone for the time limit(maybe just for the few sec-onds needed to unload andload passengers), thus therewon’t be a need to overtakenon-moving buses, whichcauses one or two lanes to beblocked.

2. Implement the Bus RapidTransit System (BRT), or somesimilar variation, that hasproven successful in severalSouth American countries. Toincrease the chances of suc-cess, a suggestion from a trans-portation consultant, is to havemotorcycle-riding cops escortand clear the way for eachgroup of buses.

3. Rationalize our publictransport system. In manycountries, bus companies are

either run by the governmentor by a monopoly. In our coun-try, there are far too manycompanies competing againsteach other. Mergers should beencouraged and exclusive linesor routes, bid out. Poor perfor-mance should mean loss offranchise.

4. Relocate bus terminals ofprovincial buses outsideMetro-Manila. Most of them, ifnot all, are inside the metropo-lis. This situation results in thebuild-up of traffic in the areaswhere they are located.

These are but a few of thesolutions that can be imple-mented, even while the sub-way system is being construct-ed. But what is most impor-tant, is to ACT NOW!

SAVE ONE OR TWO PESOS PER LITER WITH THE AAP- CALTEX DISCOUNT CARD PROMOFluctuating fuel prices afflict mo-

torists every week. Aiming to

lighten the expenses of motorists

especially during the Christmas

holidays, the Automobile Associa-

tion Philippines (AAP) and

Chevron Philippines launched

last September 15 the AAP-Caltex

SavePlus Discount Card Promo.

“We are very glad to partner

with Caltex to give our members

another major membership bene-

fit,” AAP Membership manager

Necy Zornosa said.

The discount card is exclusive-

ly for AAP members in good stand-

ing (membership not expired.) AAP

members can save P2.00 per liter of

Caltex Silver or Platinum Techron

gasoline and P1.00 per liter of Cal-

tex Techron D diesel.

The discount is valid for a

maximum of 60 liters per day

and/or a maximum of two (2)

transactions per day, whichever

comes first. It is valid for cash or

credit card transactions only.

AAP members can utilize the

discount card at all card-accepting

Caltex stations except for Caltex

service stations located at Landers

Superstores and stations in Min-

danao. It also cannot be used with

other discounting schemes offered

by Caltex stations.

The AAP-Caltex SavePlus Dis-

count Card is valid for one year

from the day of enrollment of a

new AAP member or from the

date of the card holder’s renewal

of AAP membership.

“The AAP-Caltex SavePlus Dis-

count Card is different from the

AAP membership card,” Zornosa

said. “Please make sure you pre-

sent the AAP-Caltex SavePlus Dis-

count Card which has a magnetic

strip and a Caltex logo at the back

to avail of the discount.”

AAP members can purchase

the discount card for only P100 at

AAP branches in Quezon City,

Makati, Alabang, San Fernando,

Pampanga, Lipa, Batangas and Ce-

bu. A “no card, no discount” policy

is strictly implemented.

Zornosa stressed that AAP has

a limited number of the discount

cards. “We encourage AAP mem-

bers to take advantage of this

benefit while supplies last. Avail-

ing of the AAP-Caltex SavePlus

Discount Card will surely help

save money. The P1-P2 per liter of

fuel per day that members get to

save for a whole year will defi-

nitely go a long way.”

For inquiries, those interested

can call 705 3333. See posters and

flyers or visit www.aap.org.ph

and the AAP Facebook page for

terms and conditions.

FROM B3-1

Senator JV Ejercito (right), chair of the Senate Committee on Health andDemography and Rep. Cesar Sarmiento (left) chair of the Congress Committeeon Transportation.

PGRSP Secretary General Alberto Suansing, GRSP CEO Dave Cliff, GRSPCommunications Manager Michael Chippendale and PGRSP ExecutiveAssistant Cynthia Reyes

McInerney shares insights on how to establish road assessment programs duringthe “From Projects to Upgraded Roads: Ensuring we Save Lives” workshop.

FRIDAY / OCTOBER 20, 2017WWW.INQUIRER.NET B 3 - 3A A P

AAP MSDP BATCH 2 FINALISTS PREP FOR PHILIPPINE ENDURANCE CHALLENGEI t’s almost graduation time for

the Batch 2 finalists of the AAPMotor Sport DevelopmentProgram (MSDP) but the six

would have to compete first inthe Philippine Endurance Chal-lenge (PEC) on December 2-3.

The Clark InternationalSpeedway will once again be-come the battle ground for thecountry’s longest endurance racewhere Andre Delos Santos, Ar-mand Marcaida, Bien Madriaga,Carlos Marzo, Hazel and MiguelReyes will be contending againstseasoned race car drivers justlike what their predecessors didlast year.

“These kids have been work-ing really hard,” said MSDPhead and AAP Motorsport De-partment operations managerMark Desales. “They’re gettingbetter with their driving, exe-cuting the scientific methods

we’ve taught them and conse-quently improving on theirtrack times.”

Last October 14, the groupjoined the 8th round of the FlatOut Race Series held at Clark. Ac-cording to Desales, the Batch 2MSDP finalists will have onemore training session in the 11thLeg of the National Slalom Series,this time at the Tarlac Racing Cir-cuit.

“Compared to their first seattime during one of the localslalom events, we’ve seen quite asignificant improvement in theirdriving and how they handletheir race car,” Desales noted.“Proving their mettle in theeight-hour endurance race is theculmination of all the things thatwe’ve taught them.”

Lessons on Balance, ProperMindset and Safe Driving

Almost a year into their MS-DP journey, Delos Santos,Madriaga, Marzo, Ramirez andReyes talked about how theyhave learned a lot of things, fromreally helpful racing tips to evensimple life hacks. All agreed thatthe lessons on balance, propermindset and safe driving havehelped them become better

drivers.“Coach Vip always talks

about balance apart from teach-ing us about the right driving po-sition, braking and turning,”Marzo said. “Balance is needed inthe proper application of gas andbrake to help a driver enter andexit corners aggressively,”echoed Delos Santos.

To Madriaga, it’s all abouthaving presence of mind: “Youreally need to be focused espe-cially when you’re making quickdecisions out there. Theselessons helped me lower mytimes in slalom, autocross andcircuit driving.”

“MSDP has also taught usthat whenever we’re behind thewheel, we should always be re-sponsible for our actions,” Reyesadded. “At the end of every les-son and training, we drive saferand faster.”

AAP MSDP EXPANDS TO TAGUM, DAVAO, GAINS THREE NEW PARTNERSMore young drivers are joiningthe AAP Motor Sport Develop-ment Program (MSDP) as it con-tinues to expand its reach tovarious key cities in the coun-try, which now includes TagumCity, Davao del Norte.

The round of MSDP lecturesfor this year started with CebuCity where the race skills lec-ture was conducted as early asApril.

In May, MSDP lead instruc-tor Vip Isada and his formidableteam of topnotch local motorsport experts conducted Mod-ule 1 to about 50 eager youngparticipants in Tagum City,Davao for the first time.

In the same month, MSDPwas in Cagayan de Oro City tocomplete the Module 2 lecture

to participants who participat-ed in the MSDP Module 1: RaceSkills in 2016.

It was followed in July withModule 1 lectures in Cebu andCagayan de Oro while inSeptember the same lecturewas conducted in Bacolod.

“We’re very happy see thatwe’re attracting more youngpeople get into motor sport theright way. We’re getting goodfeedback about the program andwe’re hoping to expand more toother cities in the county,” saidAAP motor sport department op-erations manager and MSDPprogram head Mark Desales.

Meanwhile, MSDPGymkhana also attracted a lot ofparticipants in the provinces af-ter a successful launch in March.

“The MSDP Class Champi-ons from the five main citieswere invited to compete at thefirst-ever Gymkhana finals.Over 20 of them will be compet-ing for the title on November 5,”Desales said.

New MSDP Partners

As the number of MSPD stu-dents increases and theprovinces it reaches expands, sodo the partners who believe inthe program.

Last September 9, the MSDPhad a meet and greet with itsnewest partners—Bendix

Brakes, BlueChem and NWBWipers.

During 7th Leg of the FlatOutRace Series (FORS) at the Batan-gas Racing Circuit, Bendix BrakesDirector for Sales and MarketingTim Chua and Bendix Brakesrepresentative Arby Andayacame to support the MSPD final-ists who were training for theupcoming Philippine EnduranceChallenge.

Bendix Brakes is the bestknown OE alternative brand inbrake systems. It is the onlybrand that offers differenttypes to match different vehi-cles applications. Its productrange includes pads, shoes, ro-tors, cleaners, and lubricants.

BlueChem offers a line ofTUV certified additives de-

signed to optimize the perfor-mance of vehicles through sim-ple periodic applications.

NWB Wipers is the mostwidely used OEM wiper brandof most Japanese vehicles.Founded in 1965, NWB has longbeen recognized all over theworld for its craftsmanship andquality.

The MSDP’s major partnersare Mazda Philippines andSeaoil. Other partners includeDynamics Suspension, Autoper-formance PH, Aeromed Ambu-lance Transport, Walter Lightand Sounds, Time Attack Manila,Rota Wheels, Hazardboy Perfor-mance, TS Tuning, FORS, RaceMotorsports Club, SpeedLab,HotPipes, K&N Performance, Dy-napack and GR Tuning.

The MSDP participants of Tagum, Davao cheer aftercompleting Module 1: Race Skills.

MSDP finalists competed during Round 7 of FORS at theBatangas Racing Circuit last September 9. (L-R): Hazel Ramirez,Gabbie Desales, Cheenee Ang Jiminez, Polo Bautista, MSDPcoach Ivan Isada, Paulo Santos, Jero Consing, Carlos Marzo,Mike Santos, Armand Marcaida, Andre Delos Santos, MSDP leadinstructor Vip Isada and MSDP program head and AAP MotorDepartment operations manager Mark Desales. With themare the banners of new MSDP partners Blue Chem and BendixBrakes.

Cheenee Ang Jimenez, CarlosMarzo, Mike Santos and ArmandMarcaida took home trophiesfrom the FORS at the BatangasRacing Circuuit on Aug. 5.

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AAP Partnership ProgramReaches Cebu, Occidental

Mindoro and BatanesE stablishments in Cebu,

Occidental Mindoro and

Batanes have joined the

growing list of restau-

rants, hotels, auto service cen-

ters, and spas that are part of

the Automobile Association

Philippines (AAP) partnership

program.

Down in Cebu, AAP mem-

bers can avail of a 10% dis-

count on all driving courses at

the A1 Driving School. They

have three training courses:

premium, executive and rush

for manual and automatic

driving. Their modules in-

clude classroom orientation,

one-on-one hands-on

practicum as well as road

safety lectures. A1 Driving

School offers a variety of mo-

tor vehicles for training: a

sedan, an AUV, a pickup, com-

pact SUV, midsize SUV and

van.

AAP members can drop by

any A1 Driving School branch

at SM City Cebu, Ayala Cebu,

Escario, Talisay and ACT Ce-

bu. For inquiries, please call

231.75.22 or 0923.573.6424.

If your car’s registration is

up for renewal, drop by JPV

Emission Testing Center Cor-

poration. The emission center

is offering 50% discount for

every vehicle that an AAP

member brings in for testing.

You can contact them at

262.40.61 or 417.72.00. JPV

Emission Testing Center

Corp. is located at Barangay

Calamba V. Rama Avenue, Ce-

bu City.

Meanwhile, for AAP mem-

bers who love to travel and

are heading out to the MI-

MAROPA region for some

aquatic fun and nautical ad-

venture, specifically to the

Marine Wonderland of Occi-

dental Mindoro, book your

stay at the G-Star Hotel. They

are offering up to 15% dis-

count on their room rates.

For singles, couples or

small groups, guests can

choose from their Ordinary,

Standard, and Twin rooms.

For bigger groups, they have

the Kapamilya Room and the

Kabarkada Room. For guests

checking in with their chil-

dren, G-Star Hotel has a Hello

Kitty Room where the walls,

bed covers and other things

have a Hello Kitty design.

G-Star Hotel provides free

wi-fi and parking space for

guests. Services and amenities

available include laundry ser-

vice, pressing of clothes, a sa-

lon and spa, and a restaurant

within the vicinity.

For bookings and in-

quiries, call +63.955.5391.964

and look for Ms. Nicka

Monique Gener. You can visit

G-Star Hotel at Libero St., San

Jose, Occidental Mindoro.

If you are venturing out to

Batanes, the country’s north-

ernmost province, Marfel’s

Lodge offers 10% discount on

any room at their Main Lodge,

Annex Lodge, Triple MP

Homestay and Mac Homestay.

Moreover, Marfel’s Lodge

also offers 10% discount on

their tours of North Batan,

South Batan and Sabtang Is-

land. Among the famous spots

in Batanes are the Vulgan Boul-

der Beach, Racuh A Payaman or

Marlboro Country and Sabtang

Lighthouse.

Visit Marfel’s Lodge at

Reyes St., Barangay Kayvalu-

ganan, Basco, Batanes. You can

contact Ms. Felomena Fitero at

+63.917.833.3249 or

+63.920.976.4966 to book a

room.

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STARTING THEM YOUNG: BATANGAS ELEMENTARY SCHOOLSTUDENTS LEARN ABOUT TRAFFIC DISCIPLINE

“Disiplina! Disiplina! Disiplina!”chanted elementary school stu-dents as they imitated Philip-pine Global Road Safety Part-nership (PGRSP) Secretary Gen-eral Alberto Suansing during aroad safety program that theAutomobile Association Philip-pines (AAP) conducted onSeptember 21, 2017.

Chevron Philippines Inc.partnered with AAP to bringroad safety education to over 30students from grades 3 to 6 ofSan Pascual Central School inBatangas. AAP assisted Chevronemployees in conducting thelecture and the fun activities forthe students as part ofChevron’s Volunteer Week.

School Principal BernardaReyes expressed her delight,

saying: “The safety of our stu-dents is something that we real-ly value and we are grateful thatChevron and AAP have visitedus today to teach us importantlessons on road safety.”

The program proceededwith students wiggling andjumping to the tune of the “SafeCross Code” dance that AAP andChevron employees taughtthem. The short, lively routinewas a reminder for the kids to“STOP, LOOK AND LISTEN” be-fore crossing the street.

Energized, the kids then lis-tened to Suansing who taughtthem all about road signs, espe-cially those that they see neartheir school such as the schoolzone sign, stop sign and pedes-trian crossing.

“Small children like you maynot always be visible to driversof huge vehicles such as trucks,”Suansing said. “This is why youshould avoid wearing anythingdark or else you should wearsomething bright on yourclothes. You can also wave yourhand to signify to oncomingdrivers that you are crossing thestreet. Most of all, have the dis-cipline to walk at the appropri-ate pedestrian crossing anddon’t play around.”

After the short lecture, thestudents enjoyed a fun RoadSafety Olympics facilitated byAAP and Chevron. On the firststation, they were askedwhether a particular road safetytip was true or false. On the sec-ond station, they were asked toidentify the road signs and sig-nals that were discussed earlierin the lecture. On the last sta-tion, the students were askedwhat the appropriate responsewas for a given a situation onthe street.

In closing, Chevron Managerfor Policy, Government andPublic Affairs Raisa Bautistasaid: “Chevron is truly happy toshare very important lessons onroad safety with the students ofSan Pascual Central School andwe are thankful to AAP for as-sisting us in this advocacy.”

Above, AAP Chevron Philippines and San Pascual Central School, Batangas students. Top right, The“Safe Cross Code” dance helped students remember to “STOP, LOOK AND LISTEN” before crossing astreet. Bottom right, Students show off the stamp on their passports after completing one of the threeRoad Safety Olympics stations.

A student reading the flashcards on how to properlycross a street.

A Chevron employee holds upthe School Zone sign as PGRSPSecretary General AlbertoSuansing explains that whenmotorists see this sign, theyshould slow down.