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A BOLD
addition to the growing number of compact cars in the
country today is this Suzuki Alto, which was launched
last week at the Le Pavilion in Pasay City.
The
first Alto model was actually launched a little less
than 30 years ago and had already been recognized as
“fuel-efficient, stable and very affordable” at that
time. “Suzuki Philippine found it imperative to bring
in the Alto out of the company’s strong desire to
address the current transportation needs of the common
tao,” said the comebacking Kiyoshi Kawahara, who first
served as Suzuki Philippines’ president in 1988.
He added
that “with the Alto, we are hoping that Suzuki will
further be recognized in the
Philippines
as the manufacturer which continues to bring in unique
vehicles that are of high quality, that are fun to drive
and that address the needs of each consumer’s lifestyle.
This is about a Japanese-technology car that comes with
the most affordable price tag; a car that is so simple
yet packed with the more important motoring requirement
of consumers; a car that will give the Filipinos a
first-hand experience with the technology and style that
has made Suzuki a household name in the field of compact
cars.”
As of
this writing, the Suzuki Alto is the first car to break
the P400,000 barrier. The standard variant is only
P359,000, while the de luxe goes for only P398,000.
*****
PETRON
Corp.’s annual ArtPetron received five recognitions
during the 42nd Anvil Awards recently.
ArtPetron 6 earned the Anvil for the Program with
Specific Stakeholders recognizing ArtPetron’s objective
to promote Philippine art, culture, tradition and values
to the youth. ArtPetron’s external publications were
also granted marks of excellence: the ArtPetron
Calendar, ArtPetron6 Collateral, ArtPetron Coffee Table
Book, and the ArtPetron Magazine—Folio.
The five
Anvils for Excellence given to ArtPetron are an
endorsement of the project’s ideals—reaching out and
nurturing young Filipino artists. The awards also
recognize Petron’s pursuit of excellence in its
advocacies.
Petron’s
Seventh National Student Art Competition is entitled
Alay sa Palatandaang Bayan in celebration of the
Philippines’ multiracial heritage through landmarks and
architecture such as lighthouses, bridges, monuments,
town halls and other historic places.
The
contest is open to students 15 to 28 years old, and will
accept entries in three categories: oil/acrylic,
watercolor/water-based media, and black-and-white
photography. Deadline for entries is on July 27 if
submitted to Petron bulk plants nationwide, or August 2
if submitted to the ArtPetron Secretariat Office. For
more details, visit www.artpetron.com.
*****
JUST
before the election ban on road construction, several
cities in the metropolis are very busy these days. Many
roads are being closed for several days due to diggings,
which result in heavy traffic in most parts of the
cities.
We have
no quarrel with the construction and repairing of our
roads. Our only concern is that it creates traffic on an
almost 24-hour basis in most parts of the metropolis
these days.
When
monstrous traffic occurs, lots of gasoline is definitely
wasted and many commuters spend precious hours on the
road rather than in the office or schools.
What
makes the matter worst is that you can see many closed
roads that are supposedly being repaired or constructed
are actually left idle for most part of the day. Workers
can be seen reporting at around 8 in the morning and
they start their work only at
9 a.m. By 10
a.m., they can be seen hanging their boots and shovels
to rest and to take a merienda beak for some 30 minutes
before they return to work. By 12 noon, lunch is coming
up. Another merienda break comes at around 3 in the
afternoon and they “pack up” at around 4:30.
Yes,
this is the regular schedule followed in many road
construction sites in the metropolis. As a result,
construction or repair of those roads takes only some
six hours a day while monstrous traffic is produced all
the rest of the day. Often, the construction or repair
of the road goes on for several days or weeks.
In many
advanced countries in the world, construction or repair
of a road doesn’t take much time. If it’s a minor job,
it will take just a few hours while traffic is managed
all around it. Can we not do it here, huh?
I was
amazed by the way the repair work of some portions of
Edsa was made in the past for only a few hours or days,
according to their state of deterioration. I was also
surprised by the way the repair and asphalting of many
roads in our city in Mandaluyong, initiated by Mayor
Boyet Gonzales, was done. Many woke up the next day with
their roads newly asphalted or repaired since they were
done during nighttime.
Yes,
doing the asphalting and repairing at night is an
excellent way to prevent that monstrous traffic in
various cities of the metropolis. And hiring of
responsible and efficient construction companies is a
must in order to get those jobs done fast, right? |
