Motoring Today Column

Nov 15, 2023

Biggest Test Drive Fest Returns

The Auto Focus Pre-Christmas Test Drive Festival (PCTDF)presented by CALTEX, the country's biggest outdoor motoring event of its kind, returns for another long weekend of fun learning what car to buy this holiday season.

From November 16 to 19, a wide range of sedans, SUVs, sports cars, multi-purpose vehicles, vans and pickups, as well as hybrids and full electric vehicles will be available for test drives at Block 16 of the SM MOA Concert Grounds .

We are again elated and privileged to partner with Caltex and the prime movers of the automobile industry.

They share our vision and mission of providing the motoring public with a veritable and convenient one-stop shop where they may see, compare and test drive various cars of their choice.

Organized annually by Sunshine Television, the multi-brand drive festival helps those looking for the perfect vehicle for their needs become well-informed and knowledgeable before that final buying decision is made.

Just as important, they get the best deals and offers available to them at the festival.

The list of participants includes: Changan, Ford, GAC, GWM, Honda, Hyundai, Isuzu, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Subaru, Suzuki, and Toyota.

Rethinking Busway

Every day a kind of reality show takes place on the EDSA Busway .

It's kind of a comedy but with sad or even tragic consequences.

The actors are personnel of the Metro Manila Development Authority and the private motorists of the four- and two-wheel kind.

The show is all about the cat-and-mouse game played by MMDA personnel and the motorists who like driving or riding on the EDSA Busway lanes where only EDSA Carousel bus units are allowed.

The game is played wherever MMDA teams lay down traps along segments of EDSA to apprehend and cite motorists and motorcycle riders violating the EDSA Buswayban.

It's funny watching what many social media commenters dub the "EDSA patintero" - with the MMDA playing "taya" and trying to herd motorists to the side to cite them for the violation.

The sad thing is that what is a happening daily is not taken seriously by motorists and the general public.

To some motorists it truly is a game, gambling that on that day or hour, there is no one enforcing the ban.

And if the MMDA team is there, it's game on for the EDSAPatintero.

It is no longer if but when something tragic occurs and someone - MMDA personnel or motorists, rider, or backrider get seriously injured by the game.

The fine for the violation seems not enough to deter recalcitrants as exemplified by social media posts of MMDA catching the same motorists at the same place and hour where they were apprehended a day earlier.

The MMDA has aired proposals to increase the fines and make it more prohibitive.

Of course these would be met by criticism that it would be anti-poor.

A few-a popular influencer included-who suggest more out-of-the-box solutions like making the EDSA Busway run the opposite way.

Others suggest that perhaps a three-strike policy can be more easily enforced - three confirmed violations and licenses are suspended or cancelled.

This comic/tragic reality show may have a few more seasons to go as the Department of Transportation is working on privatizing the EDSA Busway or EDSA Carousel.

According to news reports, DOTrexpects to continue overseeing the operations of the EDSA Busway or EDSA Carousel at least for two years more while the process of its privatization continues.

According to Transportation Undersecretary Timothy John Batan , the DOTr expects the contracted consultant, Deloitte , to submit its feasibility study on the EDSA Busway privatization in the first semester of 2024.

This will then be presented to the National Economic and Development Authority for final approval which takes around another six months.

Only after NEDAgreenlights the initiative will the DOTr bid out the EDSA Busway to the private sector most likely by 2025, Batan estimated.

Meanwhile, Batan assured commuters who have learned to depend on the EDSA Busway the DOTr will shoulder the operations and maintenance of the EDSA Busway until it is turned over to the private sector.

One question remains: How will the private operator ensure its operations are not hampered by motorists who still want to play patintero on EDSA ?

Happy Motoring!!!

For comments & inquiries:

(email) sunshine.television@yahoo.com

(website) www.motoringtoday.ph

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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)