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Petron’s
ongoing awareness campaign for clean air through the use
of cleaner fuel is very laudable.
The
company is busy heralding its new product—Petron Diesel
Max, which will ultimately revolutionize the use of the
lowly regarded diesel fuel. And one exciting event it
hosted was the Petron Diesel Max Clean Diesel Trek, a
grueling six-day, two-leg event that crisscrossed the
northern and southern parts of Luzon.
The
event culminated yesterday and it will just be a matter
of time before the exciting results of the trek, as far
as the emission standards are concerned, will be made
known. Three Ford Rangers and three Ford Everests served
as the official vehicles. Their emissions were tested
using the high-tech Bosch Diagnostic Emission Testers.
The tests were done in accordance with stringent Euro 4
emission standards with the use of the Petron’s fuel.
Though
deep in preparation for the Tokyo Motor Show, I gladly
accepted the invitation of Petron to join the the first
leg, which consisted of a long, three-day southern drive
from Manila to Naga, Lipa and then back to Manila. We
headed first to Naga City in Camarines Sur, where we
were welcomed by an ongoing clean-air advocacy campaign
by a local media partner. While spreading the word on
the “cleanliness” of the Petron Diesel Max, free
emission tests were done on various diesel-engined
vehicles that gassed up in the Petron station where we
arrived.
The next
day, we zoomed back to
Lipa
City,
where another exciting information campaign on the
importance of clean engines to environment protection
was being broadcasted through a local radio station
there. After camping there overnight, we motored back to
the Petron C5 Diego Silang station, where another
information campaign, blared out through a local FM
radio station, was also going on.
I was
able to drive the Ford Ranger for more than 250
kilometers from
Naga City to Lucena, and I was impressed not only with
the vehicle but also with the kind of diesel we used.
Although the ride throughout was bumpy, I felt a
relative smoothness with the way the vehicle responded
to my acceleration.
For the
whole distance that I drove, I never had to put my
accelerator foot flat on the floor even when passing a
speedy vehicle in front of me. We drove through the very
slick and ever-dangerous “Tatlong M” in Quezon province
twice but the vehicle and diesel fuel gave us nary a
problem. It was my first time to pass through those
steep mountains but I never entertained the idea that I
could not make it.
UNKNOWN
to many, a Filipino driver made it big in Japan recently
as he bested the finest auto-driving instructors from
the Asia-Pacific Region and Europe last month.
His name
is Federico “Jonjie” Paguio and he is chief instructor
at the Honda Safety Driving Center (HSDC). He topped the
two-day 11th Safety Japan Instructors’ Championship held
at the Suzuka Traffic Education Center. The event was
organized by the Driving Safety Promotion Center of the
Honda Motor Co. Ltd. (Japan) to test the diligence of
Honda instructors in upholding the company’s
high-quality standards in automobile and motorcycle
instruction. Participants underwent a battery of tests
that put their driving expertise, coaching capabilities
and presentation skills on center stage. Paguio was
joined by Ghilbert Cababa of the HSDC who was entered in
the motorcycle division.
“Joining
the 11th Safety-Japan Instructors Championship is an
important step toward the much-awaited opening of HSDC
next year. Winning the competition is an important
achievement that will benefit the students of HSDC in
the near future. This annual competition is our
laboratory. This is where our quality instructors and
effective courses will come from,” said Arnel Doria,
general manager of HSDC, which will be opened to the
public in March next year. It is located at Km. 17 East
Service Road, South Superhighway,
Parañaque
City.
AND also
unknown to one
Toyota
car buyer several weeks back, the Vios she had purchased
would win her big bucks. The car that was the 500,000th
vehicle sold in the Philippines by the biggest car
manufacturer in the country today, Toyota Motor
Philippines Inc. (TMP).
I
understand Carla Marie Bengson was given a P100,000
bonus for being chosen as the lucky Toyota 500,000th car
owner during the elaborate presentation by TMP, which
recently marked 19 years of its operation. But Carla
won’t be the only lucky one as TMP continues its
P500,000 rebate raffle promo for those who buy Toyota
vehicles from October 7 to 31 this year. There will be
five lucky winners of P500,000 rebate each during the
raffle draw on November 9.
For
every purchase of any of the participating models,
consumers will be given one raffle coupon. In addition,
Toyota Savings Plus (TSP) and flexible financing
packages also make the Innova, Altis and Avanza more
affordable. The TSP can be used for accessories,
chattel mortgage, Land Transportation Office
registration, discounts, or Toyota Financial Services (TFS)
financing package. For the Corolla Altis, TSP of up to
P70,000 is offered for the S grade, and P50,000 for the
G, E and J grades. Through the TFS financing scheme,
the Altis J-grade can be purchased for as low as P72,300
down payment at 10 percent, or P6,579 monthly payment
for 50-percent down payment. Zero-percent interest is
also applicable for specific financing terms, valid if
down payment and monthly amortization is paid in full,
upon approval of TFS. Similar financing schemes of TSP,
zero-percent interest, low down payment or low monthly
amortization, are also applicable for the Innova and
Avanza. TSP for select variants of the Innova and
Avanza is at P30,000. |
