Motoring Today Column

Mar 01, 2017

CSR-indeed an integral part of the auto industry

Top executives of the local auto industry together with their associates all came excited and eager during the awards night of the 1^st SPMJ 'Driven to Serve' CSR Awards, which was held at the Ceremonial Hall of theMarriott Grand Ballroom within the Resorts World Manila Complex.

They were all excited because for many of them, after so many years of giving back to the society that have warmly received them and supported them, their efforts are now being recognized. Further from being recognized, they are eager that their endeavors are now being closely scrutinized and reviewed thus giving them the opportunity to improve on their efforts to be of better service to the communities and citizens they are currently involved in.

SPMJ or the Society of Philippine Motoring Journalists is a non-stock, non-profit Foundation composed of editors, columnists, TV producers & hosts as well as top-notched print, broadcast and online journalists covering the motoring and auto industry beat.

After successfully embarking on a road safety project some years back the group realized that despite the numerous CSR projects that many of those in the local auto industry engage in, most of these are not aptly recognized despite the benefits that many communities enjoy with their endeavors. With such realization the 1^st SPMJ 'Driven to Serve" Awards project was born.

Aside from the fitting recognition that the award-giving exercise would achieve, SPMJ also hopes that it would also encourage those that have not embarked on a CSR project to start their own and those that are already into it to level up and do better.

The CSR projects have been grouped based on their thrust and objective, namely,Road Safety, Education & Training, Environment and Community Development. The awards have been ranked depending on the number of points given by the judges with a required minimum number for each of the following;Platinum, Gold and Silver. In some categories there are clear winners while some ended at dead heat. There is a category wherein the entries had few points separating them, which therefore couldn't produce a clear Platinum winner.

Here are the winners of the 1^st SPMJ 'Driven to Serve' CSR Awards

A. Education & Training

Platinum - Toyota Motor Philippines

Gold - Isuzu Philippines Corporation

Silver - Porsche Center Philippines

B. Road Safety

Platinum - Ford Philippines

Gold - Volkswagen Philippines

Gold - Honda Cars Philippines

C. Environment

Gold - Toyota Motor Philippines

Silver - Mitsubishi Motors Philippines

Silver - Isuzu Philippines Corporation

D. Community Development

Platinum - Toyota Motor Philippines

Silver - Nissan Philippines

Silver - Ford Philippines

The industry's top executives mostly with their partners that came all dressed to the "nines" included (in their order of arrival), Hajime Koso, president of Isuzu Philippines; Dave Macasadia, managing director of SsangYong Philippines;Raymond Rodriguez, president of Lexus-Manila who came almost as the same time as its first and immediate past president,Danny "Sir John" Isla;Ford Philippines president Lance Mosley; Tata Philippines president, Jon Fernandez;Kia Philippines presidentGinia Domingo; andMark Tieng, Managing Director of BYD Philippines.

The venue was as elegant as their guests were dressed, thanks to Resorts World Manila (RWM) who eagerly gave support to make sure of the Awards Night's successful staging.

"We are deeply involved in CSR projects ourselves that we could easily relate to the efforts of SPMJ," remarked Martin Paz, Chief Integrated Marketing Officer of RWM during my on cam interview just before the event.

SPMJ would like to express their heartfelt thanks to the project'sCooperating Sponsor, the Manila North Tollways Corporation for their unconditional support together with our major sponsors,Petron Corporation and CAMPI ( Chamber of Automobile Manufacturers in the Philippines).

Corporate Social Responsibility should be an integral part of every corporate entity's DNA.

Happy Motoring!!!

For comments & inquiries (email) sunshine.television@yahoo.com

Archive

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Ray Butch Gamboa graduated from the College of Arts and Letters of the University of Sto. Tomas. It was a course that should have been preparatory to a law degree, but the call of broadcasting aborted his plans.

At the age of 16, while still a student, Butch tried his hand at disc jockeying, landing a job at Mareco Broadcasting Network’s AM stations DZBM and DZLM. From there, Butch moved on with his illustrious career as a popular disc jockey, riding the airwaves of Bob Stewart’s middle-of-the-road music at DZXX, and ending his disc jockeying career at ABS-CBN’s DZYL and DZQL.

From there, he stayed on with ABS-CBN, covering live the proceedings at the Manila Stock Exchange and eventually entered into the world of television sales as an account manager for the premier channel of ABS-CBN Channel 2.

In the early 70’s, at the outbreak of Martial Law, Butch was one of the thousands of professionals who woke up jobless when then President Marcos declared the new status of the nation. With the closure of ABS-CBN, Butch ventured into different fields outside of broadcast. He tried his hand and with ease and success at export (Costume jewelry), real estate (brokerage), and restaurants (fast food).

In 1987, after the revolution, with the broadcast industry back to its free state, and with its irresistible call ringing in his ears, Butch made his inevitable comeback and pioneered in a local motoring show, producing Motoring Today on Channel 4 and co-hosting with local motor sports’ living legend Pocholo Ramirez.

After 4 years, he ventured into another pioneering format by producing and hosting Business & Leisure, which was originally aired on ABS-CBN’s Channel 2. The format eventually espoused similar ones in other different channels. But the clones in due course faded away leaving the original staying on airing on Channel 4 and eventually on Shop TV on Sky Cable’s Channel 13.

The following year, the pioneering spirit in Butch spurred him to produce another TV show, Race Weekend, also on Channel 4, covering circuit racing at the Subic International Raceway after the motor sport’s hiatus of 17 years. But when similar shows with duplicated formats sprouted, he decided to give way and ended the program after a year, although still enjoying unparalleled viewership.

In 1998, when the local automotive industry was in a slump, Butch contributed his share to help the ailing industry by producing another popular motoring-related show, this time exclusive to the automobile and its industry—Auto Focus, which became a vehicle for local automotive assemblers and importers to showcase their products and dwell on the industry’s latest technological developments.

In 2003, Butch teamed up with his brother, Rey Gamboa who was a former Shell executive and presently one Philippine Star’s business columnist to co-produce and co-host the TV show Breaking Barriers on Channel 13. It is a talk show that features guests who are in the news and in the middle of controversies. The program ventures to draw deeper insights into current issues to learn how they impact to our daily lives.

Today, Motoring Today on its 28th year of service to the general motoring public still enjoys its unprecedented loyal vierwership nationwide while Auto Focus, after 16 years has firmly established its niche viewership among automobile enthusiasts and on the other hand Business & Leisure is on its 24th year dishing out current business issues and lifestyle features.

Today, aside from writing weekly columns for the Philippine Star (Motoring Today on Wednesdays and Business & Leisure on Saturdays) and executive producer / host of weekly TV shows (Motoring Today, airs Sundays on Solar Sports Channel 70, Business & Leisure, airs Tuesdays on Shop TV, Sky Cable Channel 13 and Auto Focus airs Thursdays on Shop TV, Sky Cable Channel 13, Ray Butch Gamboa is currently the Chairman and CEO of Sunshine Television Production and Marketing Services Corp., President of Gamcor Management and Development Corp., Chairman of Asia-Pacific Realty Corporation, President and Chairman of Socio-Communication Foundation for Asia and Founding Chairman of the Society of Phil. Motoring Journalists (SPMJ)