Motoring Today Column

Aug 11, 2021

The nation is celebrating the achievements of our athletes in the just concluded 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics.

The Philippine Olympic team earned four medals -gold for weightlifter Hydilin Diaz,silver for boxers Nesthy Petecio andCarlo Paalam, and bronze for boxer Eumir Marcial.

This is the best overall performance ever for a Philippine Olympic team and the entire team should be celebrated. Even just qualifying for a berth in the Olympic games is an achievement in itself, and the hard work by the athletes, their coaches and trainers should also be recognized.

The medal winners are now reaping the rewards of their hard work and dedication to respective sports.

Aside from the incentives laid out by the law passed years ago to reward athletes who earn medals for the country in major international sports events like the Olympics, our four Olympic champions - they all earned that title - stand to receive gifts from private companies.

House and lots, condominium units, vehicles, million in cash have been pledged. And whatever is promised is all well deserved by each medal winner.

Phoenix Rewards

To mention some of the rewards pledged by private companies to medal winners, Phoenix Petroleum has pledged P5 million and free fuel for life to gold medalist winner Diaz, P3 million each to silver medalists Petecio and Paalam, and P1 million to bronze medalist Marcial.

The cash incentives from Phoenix will be coursed through its Siklab Atleta Pilipinas Sports Foundation, Inc., an initiative launched in 2018 to help athletes in their efforts to earn honors for the country.

One important thing to note is that Phoenix, through Siklab Atleta, is one of those who came out to help Diaz continue her quest for gold in the Tokyo Olympics when she made her cry for help back in 2019.

In a press statement, Phoenix reminds us that it granted Diaz a sponsorship worth P2 million through a memorandum of agreement signed between the company and the Philippine Sports Commission.

"I think many of us felt so much pride and joy seeing our flag being raised, and our National Anthem being played, while honoring the historic win of Hidilyn Diaz," said Atty. Raymond Zorrilla, Phoenix Petroleum Senior Vice President .

"It's all the more special for us because she is a Phoenix-athlete whose tough journey has finally given our country its first Olympic gold medal," Zorrilla.

Phoenix hopes the success of Diaz, as well as that of Petecio, Paalam, and Marcial will spur more private support for deserving athletes and sports.

"From fueling the dream, we now hope to fuel inspiration with this sponsorship. Our hope is that this is only the beginning of a golden era for Philippine sports and that more entities from all sectors extend support so we can have more golds in the future," Zorrilla said.

Stonic for Champion

One pledge to Diaz has already been fulfilled. Immediately after Diaz won the gold, Kia Philippines pledged to reward her with a top-of-line Stonic. And soon after she arrived and completed the mandatory quarantine period, a yellow Stonic was delivered.

Upon receiving her brand new Stonic, Diaz said: "Thank you sa pag-recognize sa pagka-panalo ko. Thank you so much na na-appreciate ninyo yung nagawa ko para sa bansa."

Diaz was also given the title of "Atletang Magiting," by the Ayala Foundation as part of its "Maging Magiting" campaign.

In a press statement about the turnover of the Kia Stonic to the nation's gold medalist, Ayala Foundation said the Maging Magiting campaign "calls on Filipinos to take pride in our heritage and identity, by giving honor to our national emblems such as the flag, while also embodying the call for all of us to be heroes in our own ways."

Recognizing Diaz as "Atletang Magiting" is part of the Ayala group's efforts toward collaboration and synergy across companies and units and an expression of its continuing commitment to national development, it said.

Kia Philippines is under AC Motors, Ayala Corporation's automotive arm, which also houses Volkswagen, Maxus, Honda, and Isuzu.

Mirage G4 Arriving

There's a lot more to celebrate this month aside from the success of our Olympics team.

Mitsubishi Motors Philippines is expected to roll out the New Mirage G4 before the month is over.

The on-line public launch will be held on August 28 onMitsubishi Motors Philippines Facebook page and YouTube channel.

S-Presso Club

Also celebrating an August achievement is the Suzuki S-Presso Club, or SSCP, which has been formally accepted into the Suzuki family.

Suzuki Philippines Inc . announced that SSCP has been given official recognition through an on-line event attended by the Suzuki Team led by Vice President and General Manager of Suzuki's Automobile Division, Keiichi Suzuki , and the club members headed by its president Jasper Jerome Handog.

"As we are truly delighted to officially have the Suzuki S-Presso Club on board as our Brand Ambassadors," Keiichi Suzuki to club members during the online event.

"I am very much amazed as to how we have continuously expand and grow the Suzuki family over the years. Together, as one family, we will continue to find avenues to champion the Suzuki Way of Life," he added.

Since the S-Presso's introduction inMarch of 2020, Suzuki has sold a total of 3,897 units of the hatchback..

The club started with just four members in July of 2020 and now has 616 members with two active chapters in Bicol and Cavite.

The club was created with the aim of providing special perks for members, local partner businesses and car dealerships.

A Certificate of Recognition was awarded toSSCP during the virtual recognition event, with SPH promising additional support to the club's plans, including continuous support for SSCP events and activities, digital promotions and service referrals to Suzuki dealerships.

Jabs for Drivers

The Department of Transportation (DOTr) as launched a campaign to get drivers and conductors vaccinated against the Covid-19 virus.

Dubbed as "TsuperHero: Kasangga ng Resbakuna," the campaign aims to inoculate public utility vehicle (PUV) drivers, conductors, and other transport workers through a partnership among the DOTr Road Transport Sector, the Department of Health (DOH), the Mega Manila Consortium Corporation (MMCC), theParañaque City government, and the Paranaque Integrated Terminal Exchange.

The MMCC has converted five buses of which three units will be utilized to inoculate at least 1,000 transport workers every Saturday. The campaign aims to vaccinate at 6,000 individuals.

The Parañaque City government provided the first batch of vaccines with the rest to be sourced from the national government.

Happy Motoring!!!

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