A Sign of Good Things to Come

MANILA, Philippines - I have come across countless stories of epic road trips, more often than not boasting about the powerful engines that drive them to their destinations, and the hidden gems that they find along their way... Yet, ever in the faint background is the neglected story of the trip’s road safety. And although it may not be an equally charismatic topic, it is certainly one of the more critical ones.

Over the years, road safety has become an increasing concern of our government. With a growing number of towns rapidly developing as they are continuously fueled by local tourism, so do increase the incidents of road accidents, and casualties resulting from these. Then there are the naturally accident-prone locations, such as mountainous regions with winding cliffs and no railing; provincial thoroughfares that are dimly-lit or sometimes not lighted at all; and booming towns with really tight local highways, but an inversely proportional volume of vehicular traffic. Road accidents have in fact, become the leading cause of death in individuals younger than 25 years old. It is only logical then, that the local governments start addressing this issue through more efficient implementation of safety rules, and the launching of further road safety advocacies.

As the harsh reality is, however, not all our local governments have the sufficient resources to seamlessly address these hazards. And this is one example of where I think the essence of Corporate Social Responsibility is most appreciated: As is with the case of BPI Family Savings Bank (BFB), and their partnership with the City of Tagaytay.

It was only recently, this end of January, that BPI Family Auto Loans – the arm of BFB that is the industry leader in consumer car loans – launched its campaign entitled “Safe Drive”. It is one of the company’s landmark advocacies, aiming to help tourists and local motorists alike drive safely through the province’s winding and curved roads. Under this project, several informational signs (showing directions to adjacent towns) and warning signs (declaring upcoming curves, etc.) were installed in strategic areas, to safely guide the passing motorists. Present during the launch and installation, were BFB President, TG Limcaoco, BFB Senior Vice President, Dave Sarmiento, Jr., BFB staff and members of the motoring media.

The additional road signs that were installed are intended to complement some of the already existing, warning and informational road signs along Tagaytay’s thoroughfares. BFB hopes that these will eventually assist motorists in remembering the fundamentals of road safety and responsible car ownership.

So the next time you find yourself going on another impulsive road trip to cool and breezy Tagaytay, why not pay more attention to the road signs? After all, he who is sensitive to the signs, shall never be caught off-guard.