FRIDAY, JUNE 17, 2016 B2 - 1PHILIPPINE DAILY INQUIRER

AAP urges President Aquinoto OK Speed Limiter Bill

The Automobile AssociationPhilippines (AAP) is elatedover the ratification of the

speed limiter bill before the ad-journment of the 16th Congress.

AAP president Gus Lagman said that theclub fully supports the proposed measurewhich mandates the installation of speedlimiters on long-haul vehicles such as bus-es, trucks and trailers as it would promoteroad safety substantially.

"We are happy to learn that the speedlimiter bill is now awaiting the approval ofPresident Benigno Aquino III," Lagmansaid. "Both chambers of Congress focusedon getting this bill closer to becoming alaw."

The speed limiter bill--a consolidatedversion of Senate Bill 2999 and House Bill5911-- was approved by the House of Rep-resentatives as soon as Congress resumedsession on May 23. Earlier, on February 2,HB 5911 had been approved by the Senate.

Lagman urged the outgoing chief execu-tive to sign the bill that aims to cut the num-ber of road crashes drastically. "I believethat the administration of President Aquinowould leave a legacy of championing roadsafety by signing the measure," the nationalauto club president said.

"With the 16th Congress set to adjournand the Aquino administration set to turnover the presidency by the end of June,President Aquino still has ample time toreview and sign this important measure,"he added.

If approved by the President, the lawwould require the mandatory installation ofspeed limiters on public utility vehicles (PU-Vs) and therefore no vehicle shall be regis-tered by the Land TransportationOffice (LTO) or renewed franchise by theLand Transportation Franchising and Regula-tory Board (LTFRB) if it has no speed limiter.

Earlier, Lagman noted the relevance ofinstalling speed limiters on buses andtrucks to further promote safety and orderon the country's major thoroughfares.

"There has been a substantial number ofdeaths and injuries involving speeding bus-es, trucks and other public utility vehicleswhose drivers carelessly risk the lives andlimbs of their passengers," Lagman said.

Lagman added that AAP's support of thespeed limiter bill is in line with the UnitedNations Decade of Action for Road Safety2011-2020 campaign which aims to reduceroad traffic fatalities worldwide by 50 per-cent by the year 2020.

According to the two bills, the operator,driver and owner of a long vehicle withouta speed limiter or with a tampered speedlimiter or a non-functioning speed limitershall face a P50,000 fine. Those who tam-per speed limiters will face a six-month tothree-year jail term and a P30,000 fine.

Furthermore, the suspension or revoca-tion of the driver's license and franchise of apublic utility vehicle awaits subsequent orrepeat offenders.

Speed limiter devices

FRIDAY, JUNE 17, 2016B2 - 2 PHILIPPINE DAILY INQUIRER

MAKING MOTORING FUNBy Gus LagmanAAP President

Finally, there's hope for motoristsMotorists have been

suffering for years,and, because no so-

lution has appeared on thehorizon during the last sixyears, they have therefore giv-en up hope that there will everbe deliverance.

What issues have been frustratingmotorists for years? There are many,but let me just zero in on three issues.

First is the failure of the LandTransportation Office (LTO) to re-lease drivers' licenses on time; sec-ond, is the failure of this same agencyto release car plates on time; andthird, is the Metro-Manila crisis,called traffic!

The first two were created by the

LTO itself and therefore should bequite easy to solve. To be fair, thesetwo problems were not the handi-work of the present LTO Chief, butrather, by his predecessor(s).

It's difficult to understand whydrivers' licenses cannot be releasedimmediately upon application for re-newal. It used to be that way. Whycan't they do it now? They have allthe data that they need. They havethe printing machines that createthose license cards. If they needmore, then they can procure more.What's so difficult about that?

I renewed my license in November,2015 in Makati's LTO branch. I stayedin that office for no more than anhour. And I got my license! Not justthe official receipt, as others only get.

If the Makati branch can do it, whycan't the other branches do it?

And the car plates - oh, this hasbeen a festering problem for someyears now. One buys a brand new car,and he has to wait for six months, of-ten, more than a year, before he getsthe car plates for his car. As if thisweren't enough, LTO then decidedthat they would require all vehicles,new and old, to have their car platesreplaced with new ones upon theirregistration. They therefore multi-plied their problems some twentytimes!

This problem is of course very easyto solve - just discontinue the replace-ment of old car plates with new ones.It's a problem that's so ridiculous es-pecially because it was created by the

LTO itself. The former LTO Chief,when asked during a Congressionalhearing why they were changing oldcar plates even if there was nothingwrong with them, replied, "We wantto standardize the design." It's purefolly. It will cost the motorists someP3.6 billion, but will enrich the for-eign supplier, for sure. We urge theLTO to please discontinue this re-quirement, if it has not already doneso.

The third - traffic - is somethingelse. The problem is complicated andobviously, the solution will not be asimple one. And it's not only mo-torists who have endured this ex-tremely bad daily situation, but allcommuters, as well.

What has made matters worse is

that for many years, there appears tobe nobody trying to solve these prob-lems.

The Metro-Rail Transit or MRT sys-tem was supposed to alleviate thetraffic problems at ground level, but aseries of mechanical breakdowns,many caused by inefficient manage-ment, have rendered it ineffective, asa whole.

But now there is hope. The incom-ing Secretary of the Department ofTransportation and Communications(DOTC) is known to be a managerpar excellence. I have no doubt at allthat he can solve the many problemsof land transportation. We welcomeyour appointment, incoming Secre-tary Art Tugade!

Safety Ratings of Cars Reported at2016 ASEAN NCAP Conference in VietnamTHE Automobile AssociationPhilippines (AAP) attended thetwo-day conference of the NewCar Assessment Program forSoutheast Asian Countries(ASEAN NCAP) which aims tocreate a market for safer cars inthe region.

On May 30-31, AAP-represent-ed by AAP Advocacies executiveassistant Cynthia Reyes-partici-pated in the conference in Ho ChiMinh City, Vietnam as a memberof the ASEAN-NCAP's steeringand technical committee.

Progress reports on crash-tests, road safety status ofASEAN countries, and futureplans of ASEAN NCAP were pre-sented at the conference.

As of the date of the openingof the conference, 59 cars hadbeen crash-tested and 75 rat-ings were produced.

All in all, the cars of 19 carmanufacturers from all over theworld were tested and 77 rat-ings were produced.

Reyes said the report indicat-ed that the safety star ratings ofsome brands in the region wentdown because the vehicleslacked safety features such as aseatbelt reminder and an anti-

lock braking system.The mini subcompact cars of

two brands got zero star rating.The Nissan Teana again

emerged as No. 1 in safety byscoring five stars for both adultoccupant protection and childoccupant protection, the samesafety rating it has gained since2014.

Special mention went to theNissan X-Trail (5 stars), IsuzuD-Max and MUX (5 stars each),Nissan Navara (4 stars) andSuzuki Ertiga (4 stars.)

The ASEAN NCAP testsproved that safe cars are notnecessarily expensive. For ex-ample, a Perodua car fromMalaysia earned five stars al-though it is inexpensive, the re-port claimed.

"The findings we get fromthese reports are extremely im-portant in conceptualizing andimplementing road safety ini-tiatives," Reyes said. "Across theregion, we've got different roadsafety issues to address and thisincludes vehicle safety and con-sumer protection."

She told the participants thatin the Philippines, data collec-tion on road crashes is still a

problem due to the big discrep-ancy in the statistics of theMetro Manila Development Au-thority and the Philippine Na-tional Police.

During the ASEAN Automo-bile Safety Forum on the secondday of the conference, the pro-tocol for car manufacturers was

officially released. The simula-tion and results presentedtherein are meant to be guide-lines for the manufacturers.

ASEAN NCAP Secretary Gen-eral Dr. Khairil Anwar Abu Kas-sim said the new roadmap forsafer cars will include creatingsafety ratings for used cars, es-

tablishing regulations and stan-dards for motorcycle designperspective, advocatingstronger consumer informa-tion, and promoting the univer-sal application of the UnitedNations minimum standards forcrash protection and avoid-ance.

Kassim added that startingnext year, a new single ratingsystem rating will be imple-mented based on the three do-mains: adult occupant protec-tion (AOP), child occupant pro-tection (COP) and safety assisttechnology (SAT). At present,only AOP and COP are rated inthe crash tests.

By including SAT, Kassim saidthat the "ASEAN NCAP is target-ing to not only mitigate injuryin the event a crash happens,but most importantly, to stopthe crash from occurring."

The next ASEAN AutomobileSafety Forum will be held inManila with AAP assisting in or-ganizing the forum, Reyes re-ported.

The ASEAN-NCAP was estab-lished in 2011 as part of the re-gion's response to the UnitedNations' Decade of Action forRoad Safety 2011-2020. It wasorganized by the Malaysian In-stitute of Road Safety Research(MIROS) and Global New CarAssessment Program (GNCAP)with the support and coopera-tion of the automobile associa-tions of Malaysia, Singapore,and the Philippines.

The New Car Assessment Program for Southeast Asia (ASEAN NCAP) 7th Technical Committeeconvened at Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam. ASEAN NCAP Secretary General Khairil Anwar Abu Kassim(fourth from left) and AAP Advocacies executive assistant Cynthia Reyes (sixth from left) joinedother committee members for a souvenir photo.

MSDP finalists show improvementduring seat time at local slalom eventTHE first batch of finalists of theMotor Sport Development Pro-gram (MSDP) showed improve-ment, executing the scientificmethod taught them, whenthey joined the 6th leg NationalSlalom Series last June 5 atRobinson's Sta. Rosa in Laguna.

MSDP finalists Jero Consing,Raymond Ryan Cudala, CheneeJimenez, Patrick OliverBautista, Bernard Michael San-tos, and Paolo Ivan Santos-along with Miguel Reyes fromBatch 1-were taught by MSDPhead instructors Vip and IvanIsada and supervised by AAPmotor sport operations manag-er Mark Desales.

"The National Slalom wasmore of a training session forthese kids to see how they applywhat was taught them duringclassroom discussions," Desalessaid. " They have shown majorimprovements in driving andhandling race cars."

Desales added that the final-ists will join other motor sportdisciplines soon.

FUN DRIVELast month, the MSDP final-

ists went on a scenic excursionalong the Marikina-InfantaHighway. The MSDP Fun Driveis an initiative that future batch-es can look forward to whenthey complete the three levelsof training.

With the continued supportof MSDP sponsors, SeaoilPhilippines Inc. and MazdaPhilippines, AAP planned an ac-

tivity that would assess whatthe students have understoodfrom completing levels 1, 2, and3 of the program. At the sametime, they also wanted the stu-dents to appreciate leisure driv-ing.

During the run, Isada regu-larly ordered the convoy to stopand would tell the lead car driv-er to sit with him to discuss andcorrect any errors. Isadademonstrated the appropriatedriving technique before lettingthe student take the lead caronce more whereby he wouldapply what he had learned fromhis one-on-one session with Isa-da.

Desales described the activityas very helpful since they got to

see what the students learnedfrom the program.

AAP's MSDP was grantedfunding by the FIA (FédérationInternationale de l'Automobile)in 2015. The objective of theprogram, implemented througha series of training clinics, is toattract talented young driversfrom the grassroots and preparethem to become race drivers.

The curriculum is a mixtureof competition and daily driv-ing techniques. Basic drivingskills, flag and hand signals, un-derstanding motor sport, safetyin motor sport, motor sport or-ganization, road safety aware-ness, interpersonal skills andcontinuous development are in-tegrated in the program.

AAP MSDP RECEIVESSUPPORT FROM DY-NAMICS SUSPENSION

In a related development,AAP welcomed the promise ofDynamics Performance Suspen-sion Systems to provide fullsupport to the MSDP. DynamicsPerformance Suspension Sys-tem is the official suspensionsupplier of the MSDP Mazda 2race car.

Last June 3, AAP motor sport

operations manager Mark De-sales accepted the suspensionpackages that will be fitted inthe Mazda 2 cars donated byMazda Philippines.

Dynamics Suspension Sys-tems general manager SonsonLim said that they are happywith their partnership with AAP,as they share AAP's goal to up-grade the knowledge of youngaspirants in motor sport.

Desales thanked Lim for hiscompany's support of MSDP:

"We look forward to this part-nership as being as reliable asthe products of Dynamics Sus-pensions. With this equipment,the young drivers will feel whatcompetitive racing is reallylike."

Dynamics Suspensions hasbeen in the Philippines for sev-en years and has 30 dealers na-tionwide. For more informa-tion, you can call 09175939303and 741-34-96 and look for Ed-die Galvo.

Dynamics Performance Suspension System general manager SonsonLim (right) shows AAP Motor Sport operations manager MarkDesales one of the suspension sets he donated for the race carsin the MSDP.

The Motor Sport Development Program (MSDP) Batch 1 finalists-Polo Baustista, Bernard MichaelSantos, Raymond Cudala, Chenee Ang Jimenez, Jero Consing, Miguel Reyes, Paolo Santos-joined the6th Leg of the National Slalom Series last June 5 at Robinson's Sta. Rosa, Laguna.

FRIDAY, JUNE 17, 2016 B2 - 3PHILIPPINE DAILY INQUIRER

REDEFINED TRANSFORMATIONBy Ardie Lopez

WITH my cold weather clothes getting theleast priority in my baggage full of photog-raphy and video gear, I went through my

mental checklist of things to pack and did a final visu-al scan. Staying up all night was the logical thing to doas there wasn't much time left anyway, before I'd needto roll out for the airport. I didn't want to be even a bitlate, as I-like the rest of the journalists in our largegroup on special invite by Mitsubishi-was genuinelyexcited for this grand reveal at the 44th Tokyo MotorShow held late last year. But by now the big half se-cret's out, and it's apparent that Mitsubishi isn'tpulling any stops in enticing everyone to have a goodlong look and even a drive, to check out their themuch talked-about flagship nameplate, the all-newMitsubishi Montero Sport.

REPRINTED WITH PERMISSION FROM AQ MAGAZINE

Enough of the SUA concern,as I have more faith in a globalbrand's engineering and techknow-how than the drivingskills and motives of some ofour countrymen. If there's any-thing that's glaringly positivearose from that issue, it's that ithas become a reference point tohow far advanced the new Mon-tero Sport has become, and howit's set to reinvigorate the confi-dence, admiration, and even as-piration towards the name.

After a near overwhelmingimmersion at the Tokyo MotorShow with all the latest releasesof the significant auto brands inthe industry, and being wowedby Mitsubishi's cutting-edge

technology and ambitious di-rection towards the near futureof motoring (which is leaningtowards the more desirable andcapable electric vehicles like thestunning EX ConceptCrossover), we finally set outfor the FujiGane Off-road Park,near the base of the famousMount Fuji, where we finallygot to wrap our chilled fingersaround the steering wheel ofthe Montero Sport.

After the all-important safetyand testdrive briefing, we final-ly laid our eyes on a stunningfleet of Montero Sports units,looking majestic in the crispand nippy Fuji Gane clime. Un-doubtedly, it's the Montero's en-

tirely new stunning look that'sone of its best features, if notthe best-though I'm sure itschief engineer would vehe-mently disagree. It's the futuris-tic design cues that give it asleek and smart bearing, andnone of the overboard touchesthat'd give it a short style shelflife. The ingenious DynamicShield Concept design it wasbased on, gave it an aggressive-ly sporty character that's all itsown. Care to ask the differencebetween its predecessor's looksand this new one? I'd say nightand day.

We were delighted to discov-er that the off-road track turnedout to be more challenging thanthe way the drive master haddescribed, and not the opposite,since we were all quite eager totake the Montero through itspaces and thoroughly test its

mettle. The Montero Sport hasbeen upgraded with a totallynew powerplant, a 2.4-liter, 4-cylinder, DOHC, 16-valvecleandiesel MIVEC (Mitsubishi Inno-vative Valve timing ElectronicControl system) engine. Atmaximum power, it provides181 PS at 3500 RPM, and atmaximum torque, it churns outa hefty 430 Nm at 2500 RPM.It's mated to a smooth-shiftingeight-speed automatic trans-mission.

With the numerous new carswe get to test, it feels good to beexcited again-a steep and roughuphill climb abruptly cappedthe short straight upon rollout,and if it weren't for the slipperyrocks, I believe staying on 4x2mode would've sufficed.Traversing hill posed no prob-lem as the hefty torque on tapmade it a walk in the park. Test-

ing the suspension once the ter-rain was back on level, the newMontero felt more planted,with a lot less body roll on ag-gressive cornering-the wallowyfeel its predecessor had is gone.Barreling forward on the roughat about 40kph, the suspensionsoaked in the bumps and rockswithout a problem, maintaininga plush quality on the ride whilestill providing a good feel ofcontrol all throughout. Reach-ing the edge of a deep downhillslope, we were instructed toshift to four-wheel low mode,sit back and (try to) relax, andlet the hill descent feature do allthe work.

All by itself-well, with the oc-casional steering input, ofcourse-the Montero safely andsecurely rolled down the slope,which would've probably madea Billy Goat take notice. Afterthat was a series of cambertwisting routes and chicanes foran enjoyable lap-end finale thatshowcased the Montero's driveand ride qualities quite well. Orso we thought.

Mitsubishi brought in their off-road Meister, the Gentleman Ral-ly Driver Hiroshi Masuoka-San,who is one of only four in thesport's history who has won theDakar Rally Championship backto back, in consecutive years… togive us confident little people no-holds-barred taxi rides in theMontero Sport, rally style!

I had my turn, white-knuck-led and strapped-in on the frontleft passenger seat, screamingin delight as if it was a rollercoaster ride.

In a way it was, but a lot morecomfortable. Masuoka-sanmade great use of the Montero'sleveled-up power output, virtu-ally blasting out of ruts, makingdirt plumes by carving-outturns, and literally jumping outof smoothed-out craters actionmovie-style!

We all took our turns, alongwith other Mitsubishi execswith Masuoka-San, and alwaysat the same driving intensity,and all with the same Mit-subishi Montero! It goingthrough the rally gauntlet un-scathed, and still running opti-mally as if it just rolled out of acovered garage is testament toits engineering superiority andrugged durability. The exercisecertainly made staunch believ-ers out of everyone present.

Mitsubishi may have been abit embattled with the recentmajor challenge it went through,but without a question, the all-new Mitsubishi Montero is morethan just an explosive redeemerof a flagship nameplate, it's proofof the company's unrelentingdrive to top themselves, to deci-sively exceed expectations, andcome up with one truly excep-tional ride that makes all the dif-ference.

Contact us at Automobile Association Philippines info@aap.org.ph www.aap.org.ph

ARDIE LOPEZ

FRIDAY, JUNE 17, 2016B2 - 4 PHILIPPINE DAILY INQUIRER

First AAP-Petron Caravan of 2016 Flies and Drives to Batanes

The Automobile As-sociation Philip-pines (AAP) kicked

off this year's caravan tourseries with a trip to the be-guiling island of Batanesat the northernmost tip ofthe archipelago.

Dubbed "Escaping the Urban,Soaring the Northeast, Enjoyinga Walktrip Adventure to Heav-en's Paradise," the AAP-PetronBatanes Fly-Drive Caravan wasmade possible by the Depart-ment of Tourism (DOT) RegionII, Tourism Promotions BoardPhilippines and Petron Tri-Activas the major partner."

Some 45 participants com-prised of businessmen, diplo-mats, and media representa-tives joined the trip that wasspearheaded by AAP Travel andTourism Committee chair andAAP Travel president Mina Ga-bor.

According to Gabor, the cara-van was held in Batanes to letthe participants "experience thefamous Ivatan hospitality thatthe community is knownaround the world for. We alsowant them to see the breathtak-ing natural gift of this humblelittle province."

Aside from Gabor, AAP Direc-tor Joe Ferreria joined the fly-drive caravan and found it to bea great opportunity for family

bonding like camping. Long-time caravan participants Re-gan Cua and Helen So alsojoined, along with their familyand friends. Actually, the groupof Helen So from La Union isgetting bigger and bigger --starting with five people, thegroup has grown to about 15 to20 regularly joining AAP Travelcaravans, and still counting.

Lahoz, a new participant, toldGabor: "I attended this caravanbecause I don't want to worryabout the details. I just want toenjoy my trip and bond with AAPmembers. This caravan is goodbecause everything was alreadyarranged and fixed and this isthe best way to travel with AAP."

This northernmost tip of thecountry is known for very tem-pestuous weather that makestrips to Batanes island rare. Butwith the recent tourism boomattracting many travellers,more trips to Batanes are facili-tated by enterprises such as Air-Swift Charter.

The Ivatan WayThe stark contrast between

the Ivatans' way of living fromthat of the rest of the Filipinosin the country, especially MetroManila, is a major attraction ofthis beautiful island province.It's as though Batanes is a total-ly different world. "The partici-pants' impression was that the

Ivatans are very welcomingpeople. They live very humblelives and they have so much re-spect for nature," Gabor said.

The famous Ivatan hospitalityis what first greeted the partici-pants of the fly-drive caravan up-on their arrival. A marching bandplayed festive music as theirplane landed. Staff membersfrom the Batanes Wakay Traveland Tours, wearing traditionalheadgear called "vakul," wel-comed participants with garlandsas they alighted one by one.

The group boarded six vansthat took them to their desig-nated lodgings: Octagon Bedand Dine, Beach Front Bed andDine, D'Island Lodge andRestaurant and Nathaniel'sLodge.

Batanes Mayor DemetriusPaul Narag met the group at theOctagon Bed and Dine, wherethey feasted on delectable buf-fet-style Ivatan cooking. Afterthe sumptuous lunch, Naragtalked a bit about Batanes andits people. Gabor also took theopportunity to express her grat-itude to everyone for support-ing AAP Travel's first caravantour of the year.

From North Batan toSabtang

Each day of the tour waspacked with must-see andmust-visit sites in Batanes. Par-

ticipants were able to experi-ence the various historical, cul-tural, and natural treasures thatthis tiny island has to offer.

From the majestic Mt. CarmelChapel atop Tukon Hill-which isthe epitome of the rubble ma-sonry of traditional Ivatanhouses-to the Tayid Lighthousethat offers panoramic views ofthe entire coastline of Batanes,the caravan covered every mu-nicipality.

Nature was also very much abig part of the trip with "Marl-boro Country " or Rakuh a Paya-

man and Murung Beach, themost photographed spot inBatanes, as part of the itineraryamong others.

The caravan was designed tobe "one for the books." "We or-ganize these caravans to makeour AAP members feel how rele-vant they are to our organiza-tion. We made sure that everyparticipant gets the full Batanesexperience," Gabor stated.

"With the success of theBatanes Caravan, we hope thatmore AAP members will join usin the next caravans," Gabor

added. "We are looking forwardto more exciting destinations atreasonably priced packagetours".

AAP Travel, a division of theAutomobile Association Philip-pines, was established in 2009.It was launched to serve thetravel needs of AAP membersand help boost tourism in thecountry. In cooperation with theDOT, drive caravans have beena recurring tourism activity andthis year's fly-drive tour toBatanes is the 12th of the seriessince AAP Travel began.

AAP to Participate in PhilAuto Expo 2016AS THE Automobile AssociationPhilippines (AAP) focuses on itsmembership services this year, the85-year-old auto club is keen on do-ing more for its existing members aswell as seeking to connect with newones.

On July 15-17, the Automobile As-sociation Philippines (AAP) will bejoining the PhilAuto 2016 as the na-tional auto club continues with itsbrand awareness campaign to bolstermembership numbers.

This year's biggest 2-in-1 interna-tional automotive industry show will

be held at the SMX Convention Cen-ter in Pasay City. It will be the 3rd edi-tion of the PhilAuto Expo.

According to AAP Marketing man-ager Oliver Ramos, "Most of the at-tendees, especially the participantsown at least one private vehicle. Themain cause for joining the event is totap this fruitful market."

Around 150 companies from over12 countries are joining the event.Notable companies from China, Thai-land, Malaysia, Singapore will beexhibiting at the expo.

From the Philippines, over 300 lo-

cal truck operators will be joining theaffair with the Philippine NationalTruckers Congress 2016 part of theprogram.

Since the first quarter of the year,AAP has been actively campaigning topromote membership through vari-ous auto shows and similar events.

Last May, AAP was at the 25thTransport Show and at the Manila In-ternational Auto Show in April to dis-seminate information about AAP'simproved benefits as well as invitemore people into the club.

Ramos, who has been spearhead-

ing various strategies to advance theAAP brand, said: "We have been de-veloping different programs thatwe're lining up for the whole year, allfor the sake of revving up AAP's mem-bership."

One of the strategies that the AAPmarketing manager referred to is theincreased incentives for current AAPmembers who participate in the AAPRewards Program.

Aside from the rewards program,AAP members can also enjoy existingbenefits such as 24/7 emergencyroadside assistance, free personal ac-

cident insurance, comprehensive in-surance at the lowest rate, getting aPhilippine International Driving per-mit, among others.

The 40,000-strong organization isthe biggest and oldest motoring clubin the Philippines. It is the only autoclub in the country that is affiliatedwith Federation Internationale del'Automobile (FIA).

All throughout its 85 years, AAPhas been dedicated to the promotionof road safety, motor sport, green mo-bility, and the interests of its membersand the motoring public.

Strengthening Membership Services at AAP's 85th Annual MeetingOn April 28, 2016, the Automo-bile Association Philippines heldits 85th Annual General Mem-bership Meeting at the Bahay ngAlumni in the University of thePhilippines, Diliman with hun-dreds of members attending.

The AAP board of trustees,managers and staff were alsothere in full support of the after-noon's program with the theme"Strengthening AAP for BetterMembership Services."

Gracing this year's meeting asthe guest of honor was MetroManila Development Authority

(MMDA) Chairman EmersonCarlos who commended the na-tional auto club for its steadfastcooperation with his agency.

In particular, Carlos wasgrateful for the active participa-tion and valuable inputs of AAPduring the MMDA-initiatedtransport summits that helpedidentify MMDA managementprojects.

During his speech, the MM-DA chief recognized the majortraffic problems in Metro Mani-la which has brought opportu-nities for the MMDA and the

AAP to work together to ad-vance road safety and driver ed-ucation.

Carlos said that the MMDAwill remain an ally of the cluband asked AAP to "Increaseeven more your membershipand network. Pursue with re-newed vigor your road safetyadvocacies and please continueto be a genuine partner with thegovernment in ensuring thegeneral welfare of motorists allover the country."

Following Carlos' talk, theplenary session was called to or-

der and AAP President Gus Lag-man presented the 2015 Annu-al Report. Lagman touched onthe various achievements of theclub in 2015 and mentioned theAAP Tower which was inaugu-rated that morning.

Lagman noted the stridesmade by the club to improve itsmembership services, such asthe increased incentives offeredto members who participate inthe AAP Rewards Program

The club president stressedthat "The reward points are notconvertible to cash but can be

redeemed when renewingmembership or availing ofAAP's goods and services."

Lagman capped off hisspeech with: "This year, yourClub will turn 85, the oldest andbiggest motoring club in thecountry, but still full of energyand determination to do morefor you members."

Afterwards, the canvassing ofthe ballots was completed andthe incumbent trustees wereproclaimed as AAP's 2016-2017board members.

The day's event ended with a

raffle where AAP gave away overP200,000 worth of major andminor prizes. Royce Gerald LaoChua won the top prize, a 40-inch Samsung Smart television.

AAP partners who attendedthe 85th General MembershipMeeting included PhilippinePrudential, Goodyear Philip-pines, Inc., Motolite MarketingCorporation, FPG Insurance Co.,Inc., FLT Prime Insurance Inc.,Smart Driving Corporation,Citibank Philippines, Agua Vida,Camelion Graphics Ent. Corp.and Brightways Commercial Inc.

Participants of the Batanes Caravan pose for a souvenir photo at the Petron service station whileholding Petron Value Cards worth P1,000 each.