Motoring Today Column: Rail Resolve

Oct 12, 2022

Rail Resolve

If there were doubts remaining about the resolve of the Marcos Administration to retain mass rail transport as a priority, that should now be put to bed.

Two developments confirm this.

The first is the government signing four civil works contracts totaling$1.87-billion with theAsian Development Bank (ADB) for the construction of the South Commuter Railway Project (SCRP).

The second is President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. leading groundbreaking rites for the construction of theOrtigas and Shaw Boulevard stations of the Metro Manila Subway Project (MMSP).

Many feared for the SCRP, as well as for other major railway projects, after financing fizzled out during the transition from past to the new administration.

With the ADB fully supporting the government's railway projects, the future of rail transport returning to fore appears secured.

The President himself confirms this, reportedly saying: "We welcome this development at the time when we are going full speed ahead towards modernization and our transport system."

Adds Department of Transportation Secretary Jaime Bautista : "This ambitious railway project will bring back the culture of railway in the Philippines."

At the signing ceremony, ADB Deputy Director General for Southeast Asia Winfried Wickleiny said: "This project will open tremendous opportunities for economic integration across Metro Manila and neighboring provinces and create a significant positive impact on the local economy."

Earlier, the President led groundbreaking ceremonies for the construction two subway stations right in the commercial district.

The start of construction will see the closure of a portion of Meralco Avenue in Pasig City from Capitol Commons to Shaw Boulevard .

There will be a lot of pain for motorists and commuters as well as businesses affected by the road closure.

And as more subway stations are constructed, the MMSP will cause more pain.

This is of great significance. This shows the government has the political will to push through with a project that will for a number of years be a great source for dissatisfaction and complaints among the motoring and the general public.

The gain however is certainly all worth it, withTransportation Secretary Bautista describing the Metro Subway as the crown jewel of the country's mass transit infrastructure system.

When completed, the subway is expected to accommodate more than 370,000 passengers daily while reducing the commute time from Valenzuela to Bicutan to just 45 minutes.

Riding The Dream

Kim Atienza is certainly living out a dream.

Kuya Kim, as he is more commonly known, is living a full life, being a cyclist, marathoner, triathlete, TV personality, even after a stint in the House representing the fifth district of Manila.

He is also riding a dream, being a brand ambassador for BMW Motorrad.

Says the man himself: "Owning a BMW motorcycle has always been a dream of mine, ever since I saw the BMW R 50 in my neighbor's garage. It has the power, the safety features, and the performance that really makes riding a joy. Thankfully, BMW Motorrad in the Philippines has enabled me to own the BMW R 18 last year."

BMW Motorrad is happy to have given Kuya Kim the opportunity to get his dream ride, and wants the ride to continue.

After all it's all about drawing motorcycle enthusiasts like Kim Atienza into adventure riding while creating more awareness for BMW's Rider Education and Road Safety advocacies.

Says Spencer Yu, SMC Asia Car Distributors Corp. president , "With Kuya Kim as our partner in building the community, we are not only expanding our riding groups, but we are also spreading our cause to create riders that advocate for proper rider education and road safety through his various platforms."

T-Sure Surety

Toyota has a program or product that already has a good reputation. It's called the Toyota Certified Used Vehicle (TCUV).

Toyota Motor Philippines (TMP) is rebranding that product which will now be known as T-Sure.

It certainly is a great name for a program that aims to provide an alternative to consumers who are looking for worry-free car purchase options without compromising quality, value, safety, and excellent service.

And according to TMP senior vice president for marketing Masatoshi Toiya T-Sure provides peace of mind "to those trading in an old vehicle or buying a pre-owned car."

But it's not only changing the name, it is also about improving the operational efficiency of the Toyota dealer network and addressing the concerns of used car customers, says TMP.

One major improvement is the expansion of T-Sure dealer outlets nationwide which offer trade-in deals and selling of pre-owned cars.

As of September, the T-Sure dealer outlets number 29 with TMP targeting to increase this to 33 by yearend.

TMP also assures customers of fair pricing using the T-Sure Used Car app with a built-in pricing tool showing real-time price range of various models, depending on quality level and local market pricing.

Happy Motoring!!!

For comments & inquiries:

(email) sunshine.television@yahoo.com

(website) www.motoringtoday.ph

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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)