IN its recent Media Thanksgiving dinner, Toyota Motor Philippines (TMP) made the night filled with love and caring as it donated P2 million for the victims of the Taal Volcano eruptions.
What a commendable show of charity, indeed.
In his speech, TMP Chairman Alfred Ty also thanked the motoring media “for what we have accomplished together.” Touching. His speech in full:
“Good evening and Happy New Year! It is my pleasure to see all our good friends from the media join us here today, to celebrate what we have accomplished together.
“A full decade has passed, and the Philippine automotive market grew by 140 percent to 410,000 units in 2019. The last 10 years could be characterized as a period that tested the industry’s resilience, at the same time, we saw trends of technological advancements not only in cars but also in the way we communicate.
“Among other things, the industry owes its growth to the support given by motoring journalists. Your honest reviews and stories, as well as the discussion forums generated by your articles, motivate us to do better every day. For this, I would like to express my deepest thanks to all of you.
“Recognizing the significance of its responsibility as industry leader, Toyota Motor Philippines beefed up its efforts to stimulate the market through various customer service and value-added activities, resulting in sales of 162,011 units and a share of 39.5 percent for the year. Of this number, 54,028 were produced locally in its Santa Rosa manufacturing plant, furthering our commitment to the development of the local automotive industry.
“TMP’s locally assembled flagship passenger car, the Toyota Vios, which is entered under the Comprehensive Automotive Reform program, remained as the country’s best-selling vehicle with 33,181 units sold. This puts Toyota on track to deliver its commitment under the program.
“With our 2019 momentum, we are moving forward with cautious optimism. While experts anticipate an economic rebound in 2020, many of the projections are built on volatile environments—global financial conditions, US-China trade negotiations and consumer-spending behavior.
“In the domestic front, the Philippine economy is expected to grow at a faster pace backed by government spending, better inflation rates, and monetary settings.
“However, for the automotive market, we project a modest, single-digit growth for the first half but, as in the past, we remain optimistic for a stronger second semester.
“As industry leader, it is Toyota’s role to drive the industry back to sustainable growth. We will continue to be this country’s solid partner in nation-building. In fact, as of end 2019, TMP has paid a cumulative total of P384.3 billion in duties and taxes since the start of our operations.
“Despite the downturn of 2018, Toyota Motor Philippines maintained its work force of 2,195 Filipinos, on top of thousands employed by its network of 71 dealers nationwide.
“Toyota will lead the transformation toward the future of mobility, while enriching lives with safest and most responsible ways of moving people.
“Before I end, allow me to request everyone in this room to continue inspiring everyone with your positive stories to highlight the automotive industry’s positive contribution to the country.
“Finally, may I ask everyone to please show the real meaning of Filipino hospitality to our new president, Mr. Atsuhiro Okamoto.
“Friends from the media, please raise your glasses and join me in this toast: Cheers to a more prosperous 2020!”
Echoing the essence of Ty’s speech, Sherwin Chualim, first vice president for Marketing Division, said: “We sincerely thank the media and the motoring public for their trust and confidence in Toyota throughout the years.”
Skyway update
SINCE February 1, the Skyway ramp from Alabang-Zapote road has been opened from 5 to 9 a.m. only to give way to construction work in the area.
Ramon S. Ang, president and CEO of San Miguel Corp. (SMC), said this was done to facilitate speedy work in time for the December 2020 opening of the Skyway extension.
The scheme was agreed upon by Skyway, the Muntinlupa Traffic Management Bureau and Filinvest Alabang Inc., said SMC’s Jon Hernandez.
This plan was scrapped last December due to high traffic volume in the weeks leading up to Christmas.
SMC also said that personnel on the ground can make judgment calls on suspending construction work, and reopening the lanes if traffic volume is extremely high.
“We understand that this is an inconvenience for many of our motorists, and we’d like to, again, ask for your patience and support. We monitor traffic 24/7, and we assure you we will do all we can to make traffic manageable,” said Ang.
“However, we all know that we have a big task at hand here, and that is to build a long-term solution to the traffic situation in the South. Your cooperation and continued observance of traffic rules and safety will be a big help toward realizing this goal,” he added.
Earlier, Skyway served advance notice to the public for the closure of one southbound lane of Skyway at grade, the northbound lane of the West Service Road, and the Alabang southbound exit and Bunye southbound exit toll plazas, starting February 16. The lane closures will last up to March 30.
This is to give way to bored piling and column installation, which were also deferred from the original December 2019 schedule.
PEE STOP Paulo Subido has resigned as Top Gear Philippines editor in chief after replacing Vernon B. Sarne in 2017…Rosemary Cruz is also leaving Mitsubishi Motors Phl on February 14, creating a void too hard to fill as she did a splendid job attending to media concerns for many, many years. Sigh….