Starting ‘em young

PNP Chief Director General Ronald de la Rosa and his wife Nancy (right) are joined by Petron AVP for Corporate Affairs Charmaine Canillas in cutting the ceremonial ribbon.

Child actors from FPJ’s Ang Probinsyano of ABS-CBN join other kids at the PNP-Petron Road Safety Park inauguration.

Supportive of the United Nations Decade of Action for Road Safety 2011-2020, Petron Corporation and the Philippine National Police (PNP) have teamed up to open the country’s first interactive children’s road safety park.

The joint project is in response to the United Nations’ call on member nations to come up with their own road safety action plans to help reduce road crashes worldwide by half by 2020.

Recent studies found that every day, 100 Filipino children become victims of road crashes, which is why traffic road injuries are now the second most common type of accidents for children ages 5 to 12.

The inauguration of the PNP-Petron Children’s Road Safety Park was timely as the United Nations Global Road Safety Week begins on May 10, and May has been declared Road Safety Month in the Philippines by a Presidential Proclamation.

In the road safety park, children can enjoy hands-on driving experience and learn at the same time road safety rules and courtesy at a young age.

Located in the garden-compound of the Police Community Relations Group (PCRG) in Camp Crame, the park features a driving lane that winds across traffic markers and that is surrounded by fence-mounted streamers with safe driving tips and bigger-than-life wax figures of popular action heroes like Superman, Batman, the Hulk, Spider Man, Wonder Woman and Iron Man.

Aside from the “theme park” vibe created by the super heroes, the park also has its own Petron station to create a “real world” feel.

Before PNP Chief Director General Ronaldo de la Rosa and his wife Nancy de la Rosa cut the ceremonial ribbon together with Petron Foundation general manager and Petron AVP for Corporate Affairs Charmaine Canillas, a row of miniature vehicles were parked to one side, waiting for the ceremonial drive by child actors led by Xymon Ezekiel Pineda (who plays Onyok) and Awra Briguela from FPJ’s Ang Probinsyano, ABS-CBN’s high-rating prime time series.

“As we know, the best time to rear responsible adults is while they are young,” Petron Corporation president and CEO Ramon S. Ang, who was not present, said in a message read by Canillas.

“The PNP-Petron Children’s Road Safety Park aims to reach school children and instill in them values of responsibility, respect and patience early on. With a vision to create accident-free roads through responsible motoring, the park is open to all to increase road safety awareness.”

Canillas said: “Petron has always been a strong advocate of road safety. We have been sustaining programs that ensure safer journeys for all for over 30 years. Through this park, we can start them young and share safety awareness while teaching the values of responsibility, respect, and regard for rules.”

Miniature vehicles await young drivers.Bigger than life size figures of popular super action heroes like Superman line the track of the PNP-Petron Children’s Road Safety Park with streamers of safe driving tips on the fences and a Petron fuel pump. PHOTO BY AIDA MENDOZA

Child actors from FPJ’s Ang Probinsyano of ABS-CBN join other kids at the PNP-Petron Road Safety Park inauguration.

The road safety park builds on the partnership between Petron and the PNP under the Lakbay Ligtas program, which utilizes Petron service stations to increase police visibility nationwide.

Currently, 300 Petron stations are already participating in the project, and this is expected to expand to 1,000 by year-end.

The oil company plans to invite the Department of Education to help promote road safety among the millions of primary school children in the country, with the PNP-Petron Children’s Road Safety Park as a principal learning venue.

Petron said admission to the park is free, subject to the existing regulations at Camp Crame, which is the headquarters of the Philippine National Police.

Before entering the park, visitors will be briefed by the PCRG on road safety rules and practices.