Motoring Today Column

Apr 05, 2023

Safe Travels, Everyone

Holy Week is a time for reflection for the whole of Christendom. To reflect on the Passion of Christ. On how He suffered and died for our sins, and through His resurrection promised all the faithful eternal life with the God the Father.

Holy Week has also become the time for many to head out of Metro Manila to observe and enjoy the long holiday with friends and families in hometowns in the provinces.

Over the years, it has also become a time when expressways and national highways are strained by the deluge of motorists heading out of and back into the metro.

Provincial buses and terminals are also strained by the flood of passengers especially at beginning and end of the long holiday.

Transport authorities, local government units, and tollway operators have learned from the horrors of past carmageddons and chaos at terminals to implement measures to mitigate the sufferings of motorists and passengers.

Safe Trip

Metro Pacific Tollways Corporation anticipates that a 10 to 15 percent increase of the volume of traffic at its tollways - the NLEX-SCTEX, theManila-Cavite Expressway (CAVITEX), theCAVITEX C5 Link, and the Cavite-Laguna Expressway (CALAX).

MPTC that over 1,500 traffic and toll lane management personnel will be deployed to ensure the smooth flow of vehicles, especially at high-volume plazas such as Balintawak, Mindanao, Bocaue, Tarlac, and Tipo in NLEX-SCTEX; Kawit andParañaque in CAVITEX; and Biñan, Sta Rosa and Silang East in CALAX.

MPTC is also reactivating the "Safe Trip Mo, Sagot Ko (SMSK)" motorist assistance program from April 5 to 11.

However, MPTC president Rodrigo E. Franco is right to remind motorists that "while the company continues its initiatives to boost expressway safety and convenience, it is also important for motorists to observe traffic discipline and practice safety."

Additional Buses

The Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board has also moved to ensure there are enough buses to meet the increased demand during the Holy Week.

Earlier it announced that it has processed special permits for at least 712 bus units to augment the number of buses going from Metro Manila to the provinces and vice versa in time for the Holy Week and for at least a week more.

The special permits are valid from March 31 to April 17.

LTFRB Technical Division chief Joel Bolano said bus terminals in Metro Manila would be inspected to ensure ample facilities for passengers, especially at the Parañaque Integrated Terminal Exchange and the Araneta Bus Terminal in Cubao, Quezon City.

Expects more than a million passengers to pass through its facilities before and after the Holy Week, the Paranaque Integrated Terminal Exchange said it was prepared to ensure the commuting public's welfare through Oplan Biyaheng Ayos: Semana Santa 2023.

Jason Salvador, PITX corporate affairs and government relations head, said the PITX would be working closely with bus companies and transport operators to ensure connectivity and the sufficiency of trips and transport options for all passengers.

Seoul Mobility

We now have the award winning Kia EV6 available in the country. Now many should be asking: When will the Kia EV9 arrive on local?

Kia Motors unveiled the Kia EV9, the brand's second fully battery powered SUV, at the Seoul Mobility Show and it's looks as amazing if not more so than the EV6.

Sunshine Television's Jenny Bleza and Wee Gamboa were privileged to have been invited byKia Philippines, to witness the unveiling of the EV9 at South Korea's largest mobility industry exhibition.

Along with other representatives from Philippine print, broadcast, and on-line publications, STV also got to personally experience the digital sights and sounds at the Kia360.

Kia360 is described as an experience center and a stage for all independent artists to showcase their talents and aspirations with the world.

Kia360 is also where Kia showcases its new brand offerings, including future mobility lifestyles, electrified sustainable mobility solutions and design innovations.

We thank Kia Philippines president Manny Aligada, as well as Timmy De Leon, Catsy Manahan and Kit Bati, for the invitation and for taking care of the Philippine delegation so well, as well as making the experience fun and very informative.

Happy Motoring!!!

For comments & inquiries:

(email) sunshine.television@yahoo.com

(website) www.motoringtoday.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)