Comelec checkpoint protocol

We recently had an on-cam interview with the lady spokesperson of the PNP Highway Patrol Group, Police Superintendent Elizabeth Velasquez (I understand, the former HPG media officer, Col. Edwin Rey Butacan, who always made himself free for interviews and media info requirements has just been recently promoted and assigned to Baguio City) when we gathered that they have been tapped by the Commission on Elections to form part of Comelec Checkpoints that’ll be put up all over the country to ensure a peaceful and orderly election.

The objective of the interview, which was aired on the Motoring Forum segment of the TV show, Motoring Today, was to advice motorist on the proper decorum and what to expect when encountering such checkpoints.

The first we learned was how to discern if the checkpoint is a prescribed one or bogus. According to the HPG lady officer, all legitimate checkpoints, aside from being located in well-lit areas, have marked police cars parked and with uniformed police or military personnel in attendance at all times.

The objective of the checkpoint is to determine if there are firearms in the vehicle, which are banned from being carried outside of residence during the Election Gun Ban period, and whether the vehicle is legitimate with proper documents.

Motorists are being advice to put on their vehicle interior lights upon encountering these checkpoints so that the police can readily make a visual inspection of the immediate inside of the vehicle and to have, as required by law, all the documents of the vehicle, like its registration, invoice, etc. relevant to show proof of the vehicle’s legitimacy in order to avoid delay and for easy passage.

We advise motorists and vehicle owners to have a positive view of these checkpoints as they indeed help maintain peace and order in our society, especially during these volatile times of the country’s election period. 

The Mirage is real—a winner

The Mitsubishi Mirage, currently one of the best-selling subcompact cars in the country, gave its owners and those who are bent on having it more reason to celebrate their decision with the latest accolade it received from the Car Awards Group, Inc. (CAGI) as the 2012-2013 Car of the Year.

The Mitsubishi Mirage GLS MT was afforded top honors after scoring highly in the subjective testing as well as in the instrumental and tract test by CAGI’s team of technical experts.

CAGI is an organization of motoring journalists from the country’s print, broadcast and online publications. Yearly, qualified automobile entries for the Car of the Year Award—Philippines (COTY—P) are being test-driven by the members, who themselves vote on the numerous awards. 

Congratulations to Mitsubishi Motors Philippines Corporation (MMPC) for the award. No wonder our friends from Mitsubishi, Froy and Arlan can’t seem to wipe off the smile in their faces nowadays.

Ford unveils all-new Ford EcoSport in Thailand

I failed to join the group of journalists who witnessed the grand launch of the Ford EcoSport during the recently held 34th Bangkok International Motor Show, simply because the schedule to fly out of the country was right after the day of Caltex 2013 STV Auto Rally Corporate Challenge and the days of prior hectic preparation for the rally didn’t help either. It was a good thing that my son, Ray Louis, was young enough and strong enough to still have the energy to take on the trip despite the lack (absence would be more apt) of sleep the night before, to help make sure that the much-awaited auto industry motorsport event would run glitch-free.

Not having been able to attend any staging of the Tokyo Motor Show yet, my son “Wee” came home highly impressed with what he experienced in Bangkok. In fairness, the Bangkok Motor Show may be still a long way from that being held in Japan every two years, but it is now already considered the best in the ASEAN region.

That’s probably the reason why Ford chose it to be the venue for the much-awaited debut of the all-new Ford EcoSport. “The all-new Ford EcoSport is yet another milestone in our product-led transformation across the region” said Matt Bradley, president of Ford ASEAN, who himself presented what’s touted as “an SUV for the City” during the launch ceremonies right during the well-attended motor show. “It marries the best of both worlds—fusing the maneuverability and fuel economy of a compact car with the practicality and robustness of an SUV in a contemporary package” he declared.    

Ford Philippines president Randy Krieger was filled with confidence during his on-cam interview regarding the Ford EcoSport’s acceptance in the Philippine market when he said, “The all-new EcoSport offers a high driving position, superior water-wading capability and an array of smart features such as Ford SYNC connectivity system, making it a perfect vehicle for city driving and out-of-town exploring”

Yearly sojourn

By the time this column comes out I will be in Athens, Greece for a 4-country summer trek, which includes Turkey, Jordan and Israel, with my wife Babes, my brother and fellow Star columnist, Rey and his wife Evelyn, together with their youngest daughter, Ina. 

It’s a tight four-day-per-country itinerary and I’m not sure if I could come out with my column for the next two weeks. But who knows, I just might be able to grab some motoring-related issues that I can share with you. Otherwise you’ll hear from me two weeks from now. Of course after my trip I promise to pass on to you any observation regarding motoring in these countries that could positively impact on ours. 

Happy Motoring!!!

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