Story & photos by Patrick P. Tulfo
THIS scribe was invited by Volkswagen toward the end of last year to observe and participate as a marshal in the Child Safety Initiative seminar held at the open grounds of the Capitol Commons in Pasig City.
Volkswagen’s Philippine Child Safety initiative campaign, which was launched two years ago, is a remarkable advocacy that aims to teach children to understand the meaning of traffic signs and the importance of following them.
The company is hoping that through the campaign, it will produce better drivers in the future.
Many may not realize it but this worthwhile initiative also helps educate adults as the participants, most of whom were no more than 8 years old, came in with their parents, who sat down with them throughout the whole proceeding.
I was able to witness many projects launched more than a year ago but it was my first time to witness former Land Transportation Office chief and Philippines’s Global Road Safety Partnership Secretary Bert Suansing conduct the seminar personally.
Suansing, who was feared by erring drivers during his stint at the LTO, was a different person altogether at the seminar, teaching children, as if he had a degree in child psychology (he is an engineer by profession).
He used colorful visual aids to get the children’s attention and occasionally punctuated it with funny anecdotes that drew laughter from the parents. But it’s the culmination of the activity that was the most-awaited part for all the participants as they got to drive an original VW toy car around a simulated track, where kids were able to apply what they learned during the seminar. This was the fun part for me, as I got to serve as a marshal around the track. While the older ones posed no problems, the younger ones were quite a handful. Kids who finished the course got their very own driver’s license printed on the same material as the real ones.
To make the event a family affair, VW displayed its latest models, which gave a chance for the parents to peek inside and inquire about the affordable payment schemes from the friendly service advisors.
There was also a display of old VWs, like a beetle dressed up as Herbie (the movie car that made the beetle a household name) and another iconic model, the Kombi, painted with flower graphics that represented the hippie generation and became one of the symbols of the 1960s.
As it was held on a weekend, lots of people who regularly go there enjoyed taking their pictures with the vehicles. There was also a sale on secondhand units from dealers, all of which were still in pristine condition. Every unit was sold to new owners, most of whom didn’t really have any plans of buying a vehicle but just couldn’t resist the opportunity of bringing one home.
You can expect Volkswagen to continue this activity throughout 2017.
Image credits: Patrick P. Tulfo