SLEX - all primed up

There has been a great improvement in the quality of travel in the South Luzon Expressways (SLEX) compared to how it was the last two years when road upgrading was being implemented.

I had an on-camera interview with the president of South Luzon Tollways Corporation, Mr. Isaac David within the segment Motoring Forum of last Sunday’s edition of the TV show Motoring Today (Sunday, 4 pm, Solar Sports, Global-Destiny Cable Network with multi replays on the Viva Prime channel throughout the week) and he was proud to say that most of the construction is finished or just about to be done this year.

The first he cited was the rehabilitation of the Alabang Viaduct, which was deemed unsafe if only for its mere age and use. It is fully completed but not fully functional only because it awaits the completion of the Bicutan-Alabang Skyway extension.

There is also “Toll 3” that connects the SLEX to the Star Tollway, which would make travel from Makati or Alabang to Batangas City a real breeze without having to pass traffic prone areas along the usual route.

The construction of the main Toll Plaza that would be put up at the end of SLEX would commence, according to Isaac as soon as the official turnover from PNCC takes effect and the old toll booths would be replaced by new ones that are more convenient and effective for travelers.

There’s always the motorists’ inconvenience during road repairs and upgrades but a little patience and in time travel would get to be more comfortable and convenient.

2010 Honda CR-V launch

“We first announced the arrival of the 2010 CR-V last December, and we are very happy to share with everyone that a total of 190 customers (as of January 21) have already placed reservations even without seeing the actual unit yet. We are very grateful for this welcoming indication,” thus declared the youthful Honda Cars Philippines (HCRP) president Hiroshi Shimizu during the media launch for their initial market offering for the new year.

This is the kind of “blind” loyalty that this well-established compact SUV from Honda has been enjoying in the country since its very successful launch in 1997 and its eventual worldwide acceptance.

With its predecessor, the 3rd generation CR-V registering a record cumulative sales of almost 9,000 units, HCPI expects the newly-launched 2010 Honda CR-V to equal if not greatly surpass such sales chart-topping performance.

Such expectations may be founded on what’s added to the already highly-esteemed CR-V such as; new designs for the bumper and chrome grille for what could be a wider and more powerful stance, new seat fabric design for the 2.0 variant and black leather seats with grey-stitched accents for the 2.4 model, an adjusted suspension system for better handling and comfort, additional seals and insulators for improved noise, vibrations and harshness levels, safety features like dual SRS and side airbag which intelligently detects weight, height and positioning of the front passenger to determine whether to deploy the airbags or not, to name some.

It was also announced during the launch at the Greenbelt 5 in Makati that the 2010 CR-V continues to generate 170 ps @ 5800 rpm of max power for the 2.4 variant and 150 ps @ 620 rpm for the 2.0 li model with its i-VTEC engine technology.

The price of the 2010 CR-V ranges from P1.545m for the top-of-the-line 2.4 S-X 4WD in Brilliant White Pearl to P1.275m for the 2.0 V MT 2WD.

Aside from the good news of a new offering in the market, Shimizu-san also took the opportunity to make known the sterling performance of the 3rd generation Honda City, which was launched last year, “It achieved 8,882 unit sales which happened to be the City’s highest annual sales ever chronicled since it was locally introduced in 1996”. Aside from the City’s contribution, Shimizu-san also added that there was also the sales of other models like the Civic, Jazz, CR-V and Accord that make up the remarkable 20% growth that HCPI registered during the challenging times of 2009.

A trip to any of the showrooms of Honda Dealerships that can be found all over the country for a closer look and more details and even a test drive can do wonders for the inquisitive minds and the decision-making process of those contemplating on having one.

Congratulations to Honda Cars Philippines!

BMW rises up to the challenge

STV, Sunshine Television is embarking on a project of producing a TV documentary special centering on the adventures and misadventures that can be experienced by families traveling together by land within Europe. The challenge is to be ably to prepare a commonly-decide itinerary of sights to see and a corresponding line-up of hotels and restaurants for sleeping and eating requirements while going through the itinerary.

This project was conceived when my family was joined by 3 other families for a cruise covering some western Mediterranean countries last year. My ever TV-oriented mind thought of producing such a special TV documentary but this time seeing Europe by land.

When Bobby Rosales, the friendly and outgoing president of Asian Carmakers got wind of the project with such challenging transport requirements for about 15 people together with their luggage, he immediately reacted and said, ”This is right down the alley of BMW and remember, you’re talking of Europe.”

I was thinking that such dynamism to face such challenge combined with the vaunted organizational skills of his marketing director, Maricar Parco, how can I go wrong?

So, right at that BMW lunch hosted by Bobby and Maricar for January birthday celebrants namely, Top Gear EIC Vernon Sarne and myself, together with my wife Baby who Bobby insisted should join, BMW was outright declared as the “Official Car” of the “European Family Sojourn” TV special.

This TV special hopes to become a “what to do” and “what not to do” guide to Pinoy travelers who want to stretch their budgets while seeing the world.

Last year I ran a similar series on my other weekly column here on The Philippine STAR (Business & Leisure, every Saturday), that time centering on the dos and don’ts of taking cruises and it solicited quite a number of reactions and more questions from readers who wanted to be further enlightened on the topic. I expect to generate similar interests if not greater – how to be a backpacker without being a backpacker while traveling in Europe.

Motoring Tip of the Week

Without meaning to plagiarize, I would like to pass on to you every week some of the “What to do” inputs that the PNP Highway Patrol Group under the impeccable leadership of its Director Police Chief Superintendent Orlando M. Mabutas, has on its HPG Primer. And for this allow me to thank PNP, HPG’s C, PCRD/PIO Edwin Rey Butacan for sharing these inputs with us.

What to do when your motor vehicle is involved in a vehicular accident

1) Call and wait for a Traffic Investigator to conduct initial investigation of the accident.

2) Allow the Traffic Investigator to draw a sketch of the relative positions of the motor vehicles (MV) involved and sign the sketch together with the other involved party. Also allow the investigator to take photographs of the possible damage/s to the motor vehicles involved and the entire accident area.

3) Allow the Traffic Investigator to check the involved Motor Vehicle/s physically purposely to examine the damages and evaluate how the accident transpired.

4) Join the Traffic Investigator to the nearest police station for further investigation regarding the incident and recording of the incident into the Police Blotter.

5) Submit yourself for interview by the traffic investigator as to the 5Ws and 1H (Who, What, When, Where, Why and How) of the incident and reduce your narration into a SWORN STATEMENT (Sinumpaang Salaysay).

6) Submit the following pertinent documents to the Traffic Investigator:

For Insurance Claim

• Statement of both drivers

• Photocopy of Driver’s License

• Photocopy of OR/CR

• Photocopy of Insurance Policy

• Picture of damaged portion

For Filing in Court

• Sworn Statements of both Parties

• Photocopy of Driver’s License

• Photocopy of OR/CR

• Medical certificate in case of Injury

• Picture of Damaged Portion

• Post Mortem/Death Certificate (if necessary)

• Affidavit of Complainant from relative of the injured or Dead victim

• P200.00 filing fee RA 9279

• Estimate of Damage

7) Secure a Police Report from the Traffic Investigator/Officer.  

Keeping all these in mind will not only help reduce the aggravation when a traffic accident occurs it’s a all-important guide on what should be rightfully done in such situations.

Happy Motoring!!!

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