PH Motoring’s newsmakers of 2016

From Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade to Vhon Martin Tanto, the suspect in the Quiapo road rage shooting, who were the other big personalities who made Motoring news in 2016?

While the motoring public endured a busy 2016 construction season (especially along and near the NLEx-SLEx connector road construction areas), competed for limited road space, and tolerated the half-hearted if not lack of enforcement of traffic rules, the following key personalities (not necessarily in order of importance) dominated the local Motoring scene this year.

Sen. Grace Poe

President Rodrigo Duterte asked for emergency powers to fast-track solutions to the traffic mess.

After numerous public hearings, his wish might be granted as Senate public services committee chair Poe—together with the 13 other Senators—has finally given the nod to grant such powers.

The proposed measure authorizes Mr. Duterte, through his appointed Traffic Crisis Manager, to use alternative methods of procurement such as selective bidding, direct contracting, negotiated procurement, and other modes under existing laws to speed up implementation of key transportation projects.

Except for the Supreme Court, even lower courts will be barred from issuing temporary restraining orders or preliminary injunctions against the government in implementing the projects under the expanded powers.

The Senate is expected to debate and put the bill to a vote when sessions resume in January next year; if approved, the emergency powers shall be valid until June 2019.

Michinobu Sugata

Last Jan. 13, the former president of Toyota Motors Philippines (TMP) officially ended his tour of duty in the country after six successful and milestone-setting years.

It was during his term that TMP decided to revitalize Philippine motorsports by launching the Toyota Vios Cup.

That same year, 2014, TMP was inducted to the Global Toyota 100K Club when its annual unit sales reached 100,000 for the first time.

The following year, in 2015, TMP reached its one-million sales milestone while reaching a new sales record of 125,000 units, enabling the company to be ranked fourth in Asia and 13th out of 170 countries where Global Toyota has presence.

Also during Sugata’s term, TMP’s dealership network grew to 49 from 28.

Secretary Arthur Tugade

Fulfilling one of its campaign promises, the Duterte administration tasked the newly-appointed transportation secretary to ease the crippling traffic crisis in Metro Manila.

Six months have passed, and Tugade has yet to show any improvements.

He has cited several reasons for this non-performance, the most important being the continuing deliberation by lawmakers on the requested need by the President for emergency powers to deal with the traffic problem.

In August, the secretary spearheaded the creation of the Interagency Council on Traffic (I-ACT) to consolidate traffic-related agencies into one superbody.

The integration of five government agencies was meant not only to efficiently coordinate and enforce traffic regulations, but also to introduce traffic initiatives including the division of Metro Manila into 10 traffic sectors, the removal of “window hours” in the number coding scheme along Edsa and C-5, and the prohibition of weekday mall sales.

Thomas Orbos

On Aug. 19, Orbos officially took over the helm of the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA), a body charged with coordinating activities and imposing discipline among the 16 cities and one municipality and its combined population of 12 million (14 million during working hours).

So far, the MMDA is hardly making a dent in imposing discipline on bus, jeepney and tricycle drivers, including roadside vendors.

Orbos also has to contend with Metro Manila’s grossly insufficient and badly-planned public transit system, including outdated road network.

Major Joseph “Erap” Estrada

When it comes to traffic-related decisions, the Manila mayor makes some of the most audacious ones—which by the way, is what we might all need in order to enjoy significant improvements.

Estrada declared in September the entire 6.5-kilometer stretch of Rizal Avenue as well as Quezon Boulevard as a no parking zone.

That same month, he cleared Divisoria, Blumentritt Road, the Sta. Cruz-Rizal Ave. area, Binondo, and Quiapo, removing more than 3,000 illegal vendors in the process.

Then in November, following complaints of extortion activities from motorists, Estrada ordered the mass resignation of all 690 traffic enforcers of the Manila Traffic and Parking Bureau.

Rodolfo “Jun” Lozada

We came to know Lozada as an anti-graft whistleblower during the Arroyo administration. These days, he heads Galileo Software, a local firm known for developing the app that guides Highway Patrol Group cops manning the busiest highways in Metro Manila.

The application, called Parak (a Filipino word for police) or Police Accident Report Kit, allows traffic policemen to accomplish incident reports of road accidents in less than 10 minutes.

This app was designed to help speed up the clearing of vehicular accidents. It also requires these cops to take photos of the vehicle’s damage, which are among the requirements of insurance companies for insured vehicle owners to file claims in case there will be lawsuits.

On average, about 25 to 60 vehicular traffic accidents occur daily on Edsa alone, contributing to the slowing down of traffic.

Sen. JV Ejercito

After years of pushing for safer roads with the installation of speed limiters in buses and other public utility vehicles, Republic Act No. 10916 or the Speed Limiter Act was finally enacted into law on July 16.

The law provides for the mandatory installation of speed limiter devices for all PUVs to limit their top speed. These can be done through the employment of mechanical, electronic or communications systems, or the combination of these systems or similar devices capable of performing the same function.

The successful implementation of the law, however, depends on the transportation department’s completion of implementing rules and regulations (IRR), and the transport sector and stakeholders to spiritually uphold the law.

Art Balmadrid

An Isuzu Philippines pioneer, Balmadrid quietly retired as Sales Division SVP early this month.

He was with IPC when it started operations in 1996, initially as head of the Fleet Sales Department that he helped set up.

He was among the key players that helped IPC gain over 50 percent market share of the commercial vehicle market—more than 60 percent share in the light-duty truck segment, at least 50 percent in the medium category, and 35 to 40 percent market share in the heavy-duty 10-wheeler truck segment.

During his 20 years of working at IPC, Balmadrid admitted receiving occasional calls from big companies offering senior executive level positions.

Now that he is finally retired, it would not be surprising to see him leading another group to prominence.

Antonio “Toti” Zara

The Philippines’ loss is certainly Indonesia’s gain. When Zara became Nissan Philippines’ president and managing director in 2014, the company was in a revival mode.

Wasting no time, Zara kicked NPI into high gear from the onset, revamping the entire product lineup with models like the Sylphy, Almera, NP300 Navara, Juke and the NV350.

These new offerings gathered a number of accolades: the Nissan NP300 Navara was the 2015 Car Awards Group Inc. (CAGI) Best 4×2 Pickup and Truck of the Year Awardee; the Nissan Juke was the 2015 CAGI Best Subcompact Crossover SUV; the Nissan X-Trail was declared the 2015 C! Magazine Best Compact SUV and 2015-2016 Autofocus People’s Choice Best Design for Midsize SUV Award; and the Nissan NV350 Urvan got the 2015-2016 Autofocus People’s Choice Best Value for Money Van award.

No wonder NPI’s vehicle sales attained a phenomenal 60 percent growth at the end of 2015.

The popularity of the Nissan brand even surged further when Zara brought the Nissan GT Academy’s search for its next racecar driver (where breakthrough Filipino talent Joward Policarpio emerged as a Nissan GT Academy champion) to the Philippines.

He also was instrumental in the eventual arrival of the legendary GT-R sports car to the country.

Nissan Motor Co. took notice of his achievements, and in April, was appointed to head PT Nissan Motor Indonesia as its president director.

Allan Uy

The Toyota Quezon Avenue race driver was hailed overall champion in the Super Sporting class of the third season of Toyota Vios Cup.

The veteran karter ended the season with a total of 111 points, eight points ahead of his rival, overall runner-up Estefano Rivera of Toyota Alabang, and Basti Escalante of the Obengers who finished second runner-up with 90 points.

Angelina Mead King

Ian Angelo King, Victoria Court group of companies’ scion, sports car enthusiast, brains behind Car Porn Racing (a premier shop for ultra-expensive car customization), and husband of TV host and model Joey Mead King, set the Philippine Motoring world abuzz when he announced in July that he is now a she, named Angelina.

King’s friends and family took the news with full support and a sense of acceptance.

With all said and done, King is nowhere near stopping herself from continuing her true passion: cars, which we all admire.

Rep. Danilo Suarez

In November, Quezon representative and House Minority Leader batted for a 3-digit number coding scheme in order to alleviate the worsening traffic congestion in Metro Manila this Christmas season.

Had his proposal been implemented, vehicles with plate numbers ending in 1,2, 3 will be prohibited from plying Metro Manila’s major thoroughfares on Mondays; those ending with 4, 5 and 6 will be banned on Tuesdays, those ending in 7,8,9 will be off limits on Wednesdays, and so on.

Due to lack of time, the need for additional studies, and the expected huge inconvenience this would bring to motorists, the council, comprised of Metro Manila’s 17 mayors, thumbed down the proposal.

Martin Delgra

Environmentalists will hail him as their hero, but drivers, operators and majority of the riding public would certainly condemn him should his plan to phase out all 15-year-old passenger jeepneys on Philippine roads be implemented.

While taxis, buses, and AUVs have responded to the government’s PUV modernization scheme, the LTFRB chair said jeepneys remained the only public commuter vehicles unresponsive to improved public safety and convenience.

Vhon Martin Tanto

The death of bicycle rider Mark Vincent Garalde after Tanto engaged him in a fistfight following a traffic altercation in Quiapo, Manila became another classic example of extreme road rage.

Army reservist Tanto, who drove a subcompact, fled the scene but was finally arrested in Masbate on July 29, four days after a nationwide police manhunt was launched against him.

Rolito Go

Had there been Motoring newsmakers in 1991, Go would certainly have been on that list.

He made it to our list this year after the Supreme Court ordered his release last Dec. 16 after serving 20 years and 8 months in prison for the road rage killing of 25-year-old De la Salle University engineering student Eldon Maguan in 1991.

Go’s story is a reminder that losing your temper while behind the wheel is not good for yourself or your fellow road-users.

That fateful night, the construction magnate had a fight with his girlfriend, drove alone, and entered Wilson—a one-way street—in the opposite direction.

It was here where he nearly collided with Maguan’s vehicle. An altercation followed, which eventually led to Go alighting his car and shooting Maguan inside his vehicle. The student would live for a few more days.

Go, now 68, is currently battling stage four colon cancer, and is now confined at the Metropolitan Medical Center in Manila.