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A BANNER
list of more than 130 automobile makes and models, and a
bunch of improved voting and voting-tally features were
among those presented at the official launch of the
Petron 2008 Auto Focus People’s Choice Awards.
Brought
to the motoring public by Sunshine Television (STV),
with BPI Family Savings Bank and Goodyear Philippines as
major sponsors, the annual nationwide people’s poll to
determine the Philippines’ most popular makes and models
has the following upgrades—a nine-month poll period that
began March 1, an improved Auto Focus polling web site,
public access to real-time results that update every 10
seconds, and an on-site audiovisual display/public
voting module that will tour key cities all over the
country—in order to avoid questions about vote-rigging.
Key
executives and leaders of the local automobile industry,
sponsors, as well as the motoring media, attended the
opening ceremonies on February 29 at the Valle Verde
Country Club in
Pasig
City.
The poll was officially declared open by Department of
Trade and Industry (DTI) senior undersecretary Thomas
Aquino, newly appointed Land Transportation Office chief
Alberto Suansing, Petron vice president for marketing
Joey Campos, Goodyear Philippines managing director
David Morin, BPI vice president Herbert Tuason and STV
chairman and chief executive officer Butch Gamboa.
Aquino
congratulated the automobile industry for surpassing the
100,000-unit sales benchmark for the first time in 10
years and jump-starting 2008 with a 17-percent
year-on-year increase in January. He expressed his
pleasant surprise at the number of makes and models now
available in the country and highlighted the relevance
of the People’s Choice Awards to a car-owning and
-buying public that has now become more discerning than
ever before. He also assured automobile manufacturers
and distributors the DTI would continue its efforts at
creating the most favorable business climate possible,
and help sustain the resurgence that the industry is now
enjoying.
Gamboa
expressed his appreciation to the industry, the media
and the sponsors who will be participating in the
awards. “I am thankful to all the manufacturers and
distributors who have been with us since the awards
started in 2005, and who have made us a main medium in
their communication process with their customers. As we
progress into our fourth year, we at STV are happy to
have heeded the feedback you’ve given us over the years,
and deliver to you an awards program bigger and better
than it has ever been in the past.”
The
Petron 2008 Auto Focus People’s Choice Awards’ first
audiovisual display/voting center was first exhibited
over last weekend at the BPI Auto Madness motor show at
Robinsons Mall in San Fernando, Pampanga, and will be
seen from March 7 to 9 at Robinsons Mall in Iloilo City.
The
public can vote online by logging on at
www.autofocus.com.ph. and completing a simple
one-time registration procedure. A self-registered
password brings up the voting page for both the models
and Automobile of the Year categories. Voters simply
tick off their choices and press the “Submit” tab.
Weekly updates will be made on STV’s Auto Focus and
Motoring Today TV programs, along with Philippine Star’s
motoring section.
The
Petron 2008 Auto Focus People’s Choice Awards is also
supported by the Philippine Star, Solar Sports, Top Gear
Philippines, UBIX Corp., Asahi Glass, with Jam 88.3 FM,
Wave 80.1 FM, Magic 89.9 FM and 99.5 Hit FM as radio
partners. |
