FRIDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2014 B3 - 1PHILIPPINE DAILY INQUIRER

LAYOUT BY PATRICK EARL E. AKVAREZACCOUNT MANAGER AGGIE PINILI Supplements Head Jong Arcano

3 tow truck variants: a Hyundai CraneTow truck, Isuzu Giga Recovery Truck andFuso Canter Double Cab First Responder.

HINOAluminumSelf-LoadingFlatbeds,AAP'snewest towtrucks

ISUZU Mega 10T Crane TowTruck, AAP's biggest tow truck

AAP’s EmergencyRoadside Servicenot just for members

are operating on the expressways byvirtue of contracts and we are willing toextend help if our services are sought.”

Mundo said that currently,AAPLingkod has a total complement of39 Emergency Roadside Service vehicles,composed of flatbed trucks and mediumto heavy capacity tow trucks deployed atthe various expressways, ready to serve24/7.

He pointed out that those who are al-ready members of the AAP are entitled toERS on the expressways free of charge.“For those who are not members yet,well, now is your chance,” Mundo said.

Mundo estimated that on a normalweekday, AAPLingkod receives andserves around 90 calls coming from bothmembers and non-members. “On a nor-mal weekend, the figures grow by at leastfive percent and on holidays, by at leastseven percent more -- all of which wehandle professionally, with utmost careand concern,” he said.

Apart from serving motorists on theexpressways, Mundo claimed that AAP’sERS is so flexible and efficient that it canalso tow vehicles out of parking base-ments and enclosed parking areas insideshopping centers and buildings by usingits Land Rover sport utility vehicle.

“We are now the only operating com-pany that can retrieve stalled vehicleseven from the parking basements andmalls,” he said. “We have a very capableSUV to do that. After getting the vehicleout of the parking area, a flatbed truck

will be waiting outside, ready to carry themotor vehicle. We provide possible solu-tions for people who are in dire straitswith their disabled vehicle.”

Furthermore, he expressed firm confi-dence in the capabilities of the ERS crewsand equipment, saying that they tow ve-hicles with care and safety. “Some treatother people’s vehicles like junk, we treat

them as a prized possession of the own-er,” he explained.

Meanwhile, Mundo said thatAAPLingkod is exploring the possibility offranchise arrangements and accreditingother towing companies as part of an ex-pansion program. “We would like to helpmore and more people with the resourcesthat we have,” he said.

THE emergency roadside service(ERS) that the Automobile Asso-ciation Philippines provides is not

just for AAP members, it is also offeredto the general motoring public.

Jose Y. Mundo, general manager ofAAPLingkod, AAP’s subsidiary for automotive ser-vices, said that through partnerships with tollwaysoperators in Luzon, ERS is made available to thosewho are not members of the national auto club aswell as members.

He referred to AAPLingkod’s partner-ships with the Manila North TollwaysCorporation (MNTC) for the North Lu-zon Expressway (NLEX, 74 kilometers);Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway, (SC-TEx, 91 km); Tarlac-Pangasinan-LaUnion Expressway (TPLEX, 88 km) andManila Toll Expressway Systems, Inc.

(MATES) for theSouth Luzon Ex-pressway (SLEX,26 km) alongwith the Sky-way O & M Cor-poration (SOM-CO, 28 km) forthe Skyway ele-vated andground levels.

“Our ERS isavailable to mem-bers and non-members alike,”Mundo empha-sized. ” In fact, we

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2014B3 - 2 PHILIPPINE DAILY INQUIRER

A group photo of the caravan participants at Batis Aramin in Lucban, Quezon before leaving for Tiaong, Quezon.

MAKING MOTORING FUNBy Gus LagmanAAP President

Monstrous traffic:How do we solve it?(Edited reprint of Gus Lagman’s column in AQ Magazine)

MAYBE I’m out of touch, but Ihaven’t heard anything fromany government agency abouthow they plan to solve the wors-ening traffic situation in Metro-Manila.

The volume of vehicles isgrowing; that’s the (yes!) happyforecast of the automotive in-dustry. Yet, no additional roadsare being added … except theskyway that will connect NLEXto SLEX. Sad to say, there’s reallyno more room at ground levelwhere more roads can beadded, or existing ones can bewidened. Our city is truly burst-ing at the seams: too high a pop-ulation, too many vehicles, andoverly saturated roads. If noth-ing is done, it won’t take toomany years before we are ren-dered immobile. Already, we areexperiencing six-hour gridlocks.

So, what can be done?I have written several times

about the need for a subwaysystem in Metro-Manila. Allthe large cities of the worldhave subway systems. Lon-don, since 1861; New York,since 1904. We don’t evenhave to look very far - there’sTokyo, Hong Kong, and Singa-pore. We’ll have to do it some-time in the future anyway, be-cause it is the ultimate solu-tion to providing mobility tothe metropolis’ millions of res-idents.

So, why not start building itNOW? Even with the moderntunnel-boring machines, it

will most likely still take somefive years to finish just oneline, so we have to start now!In the October 26, 2014 issueof this newspaper is a detaileddiscussion of a subway systemfor Metro-Manila written byformer Undersecretary Glice-rio V. Sicat of the DOTC (De-partment of Transportationand Communications). I in-vite you to read it. It talksabout most everything thatwe, laymen, need to knowabout subways.

Combined with the devel-opment of the subway net-work in the city should be themodernization of the rail sys-tem going north and goingsouth of Manila. This will helpdecongest the city. If we hadan efficient rail system, for in-stance, a worker can reside,say in Calamba in the south, orSan Fernando in the north,and still be able to commute tohis place of work in the city in30 minutes to an hour. Lessreason to squat in the city. So,let’s do it NOW!

A shorter-term solution toat least alleviate the heavytraffic a bit while we’re build-ing the subway network andmodernizing the railway sys-tem is to rid the secondaryroads of parked vehicles.These vehicles constrict theotherwise usable alternateroutes that can unclog EDSAand other major thorough-fares.

Considering, however, thatmany old residential apart-ments - and even houses - inthe city have no garage provi-sions, an alternative for carowners can be provided by thegovernment. Parking build-ings come to mind. There areso few of them today. I person-ally know only of four: onenear the airport and three inMakati. We need a lot more.

If the government can con-struct parking buildings instrategic areas, then car own-ers can be compelled to parkthere, instead of on publicroads. A good formula wouldbe for the government to pur-chase the properties and thento entice the private sector tosign a long-term lease on it forthe construction and opera-tion of the parking buildings.(Car lifts can be introduced inorder to save the space eatenup by ramps.) The private in-vestors can then either offerlong-term, or monthly leaseson these parking slots, and/oreven offer the facility on a per-use basis. Investors should beable to get a handsome returnfrom it.

These are ideas that thegovernment can further studyand implement. Or perhaps, italready has even better solu-tions, in which case, for thesake of giving the ordinary carowners a glimmer of hope, itshould make its plans public.It’s the fair thing to do.

AAP travel leads drive tourismcaravan to Quezon provinceAAP Travel, a wholly owned sub-sidiary of Automobile AssociationPhilippines, recently took mem-bers and friends on a DriveTourism Caravan to Quezon insouthern Luzon with the coopera-tion of the Department of Tourism,Quezon Provincial Governmentand Aeromed. On the weekend ofNovember 29-30, sixty-two cara-van participants visited historicaland cultural sites and tasted therich flavors of Quezon’s traditionalcuisine.

The caravan was fueled withPetron Blaze 100 Euro 4. Petrongave each participating vehicle afree Petron Value Card loaded withP1000 worth of Petron Blaze 100Euro 4, a high performance gaso-line that promotes efficient motor-ing while protecting the environ-ment.

First stop was Tayabas, which isknown for lambanog and distil-leries such as the Mallari Distilleryand the Capistrano Distillery. Thecaravan participants had lunch atKamayan sa Palaisdaan Tayabas.Accredited by the Department ofTourism (DOT), Kamayan saPalaisdaan-known for its cool andrefreshing ambience-served theirmouth-watering “Best Sinigang”followed by dessert, “Pilipit.”

After the sumptuous lunch, par-ticipants went to the MalagonlongBridge (also Puente de Malagon-long). A five-span, 136 meter-longstone arch bridge in Tayabas, thethis bridge was built by the Span-ish Franciscan Antonio Mateus in1841 and is known as one of the

oldest bridges as well as thelongest bridge made during theSpanish colonial period. In August2011, the Magalonlong Bridgewas declared a National CulturalTreasure.

The drizzle that day did notdampen the spirits of the caravanparticipants as they proceeded tothe Minor Basilica of St. Michaelde Archangel, the largest Catholicchurch in the province. The Basili-ca is also referred as the Key ofTayabas (Susi ng Tayabas) be-cause of the floor plan that resem-bles the shape of a key. Its 103 me-ter-long aisle makes it the churchwith the longest nave amongSpanish era churches in the coun-try.

After the Basilica, participantswent to Casa Comunidad, which isa famous landmark in Tayabas. Itwas first built by GobernadorcilloFrancisco Lopez in 1776 withmakeshift materials and was madeinto a grand edifice in 1831 bythen Gobernadorcillo Don DiegoEnriquez. In 1978, it was declareda National Historical Landmark.The Casa Comunidad is whereApolinario dela Cruz-known asHermano Pule-was sentenced todeath by firing squad in 1841 forleading the first major revolt in thecountry for religious freedom.

Due to the bad weather, partici-pants took refuge in the cozy BatisAramin where they spent the restof the day learning how to cookthe province’s famous delicacies,Pancit Habhab and LongganisangLucban. Situated at the foot of

mystical Mt. Banahaw, BatisAramin is a nature park for boat-ing, swimming, camping and oth-er recreational activities.

After a hearty breakfast the nextday, caravan participants went toKamay ni Hesus-a five-hectare pil-grimage shrine that also serves asa healing center. In the church onsite, healing Masses are celebratedby Fr. Joey Faller every Wednesdayand Saturday.

Next, participants went to Sari-aya at the foot of Mt. Banahaw.The town of Sariaya is noted for itsmany ancestral homes built duringthe latter years of 1800 and early1900’s. Among the ancestralhomes is the Villa Sariaya, whichlet caravan participants relive thelife of wealthy coconut hacenderosabout a hundred years ago. Cara-van participants experienced the“Tagayan ritual” wherein guestsare offered Lambanog, the localbrand of liquor, as a welcome gift.

To cap the trip, participants hadlunch at Ugu Bigyan in Lusacan,Tiaong, an area known for goodfood, zen-like garden and potteryitems. Augusto “Ugu” Bigyan is aceramics artist who gives visitorsfirst-hand experience in makingpottery with clay.

Overall, AAP members andfriends enjoyed the vast culturaland historical heritage of Quezonprovince via the Drive TourismCaravan of AAP Travel. For moreinformation on previous and fu-ture AAP Caravans, please callAAP Travel at 551-0014, 551-0025 or 0928-5074288.

AAP Senior Officials undergo practicalmotorsport safety training in AustraliaELEVEN senior track officials of AAPrepresenting different motorsport dis-ciplines underwent a Practical Offi-cials Safety Training course in Aus-tralia from October 29 to November12. as part of the grant obtained fromthe FIA Institute in this year’s OfficialsSafety Training Program in collabora-tion with the Confederation of Aus-tralian Motor Sport (CAMS). Thetraining program was conducted insequences during an actual circuitevent in Sydney Motorsport Park, thelast leg of the 2014 Shannons Nation-als and the yearly Targa High Countryrally event at Mt. Buller Mansfield,

Victoria in MelbourneThe 11-man delegation was headed

by AAP Motorsport Operations Man-ager Mark Desales, Jun Espino (Stew-ard/Race Director/Clerk of Course),Bebot Reyes (Steward/Clerk ofCourse-Circuit and Drag), Art Gue-vara (Steward-Circuit), Fil Gulfin(Chief Scrutineer), Olson Camacho(Race Director-4X4 Off-Road), OscarNuke (Race Director-Slalom), Dr.Henry Yanez (Chief Medical Officer),Robert Macapagal (Chief Extricationand Rescue), Darwin Harina (ChiefMarshal) and Rodini Rivera (event or-ganizer)

The 15-day practical motorsporttraining program was a huge successas the AAP Senior Officials were thor-oughly trained with other licensedand trained international officials ofCAMS in different fields during an ac-tual race meet. The trainees were as-signed to each area of expertise suchas in Race Control, Medical Interven-tion Vehicle (MIV), srutineering, flagmarshaling posts, Rescue and Extrica-tion, Administration, Secretariat andeven rally special stage marshals.

“All of us were delighted as we hadthis rare opportunity to have practicaltraining with Australian motorsport

officials and further enhance ourskills in officiating motorsportevents,” Desales said. “It showed the’Aussies’ that Philippine motorsport

officiating is aligned with them andwith the FIA structure. It was also agreat experience working closely withCAMS for the past three years, con-

cluding our three-year training pro-gram with them withthis course in Aus-tralia.

AAP was recentlyawarded the SilverAccreditation by theFIA Institute in offici-ating motorsportevents. The SilverAccreditation is thesecond highest levelin motorsport offici-ating next to theGold Accreditation,which requires anASN (National Sport-ing Authority) tohave a Formula OneF1 event in its terri-tory.

AAP offers special membership rates to new car buyersON September 1st, the AutomobileAssociation Philippines (AAP) start-ed offering special membershiprates to buyers of brand new cars inits bid to extend its EmergencyRoadside Service (ERS) and otherbenefits to the valued customers ofautomobile manufacturers and/ordealers

AAP's special membership is goodfor one year from the acquisition ofthe car. Unlike the regular member-ship program, the new car becomesthe member of the club and the buy-er does not have the benefits givento a regular member for another carhe or she owns.

Once membership is renewed, theexisting regular categories, mem-bership rates and benefits will ap-ply.

The special membership rates forbrand new cars are as follows:

The first car company thatavailed of the special membershiprates was BYD Philippines - SolarTransport and Automotive Re-sources (STAR) Corporation.

AAP and BYD signed a memoran-dum of agreement on October 14,2014 in the AAP boardroom at 28EDSA, Greenhills, San Juan City.BYD Philippines Managing DirectorMark Andrew Tieng, General Man-ager Jose Paolo Soriano, AAP Presi-dent Gus Lagman and AAP DirectorJacinto Mantaring were present atthe signing.

BYD Philippines - Solar Transport

and Automotive Resources (STAR)Corporation is the authorizedPhilippine distributor of BYD Auto-mobiles under BYD Auto Co., Ltd.BYD aims to become the recognizedleader in selling Chinese brand ve-hicles and rank as one of the top 10automobile brands in the Philip-pines.

AAP urges manufacturers anddealers who want to improve theirafter-sales service and increasetheir productivity to reward theircustomers with AAP's special mem-bership.

SPECIAL MEMBER CATEGORY

Meanwhile, for those who wish to become a member as an individualperson, the membership rates are the following:

AAP Senior Officials undergo practical training at Sydney Motorsport Park duringthe last leg of the 2014 Shannons Nationals event. Left to right: Rodini Rivera, Dr.Henry Yanez, Oscar Nuke, Art Guevara, Bebot Reyes, Mark Desales, Jun Espino, FilGulfin, Darwin Harina, Robert Macapagal, Olson Camacho.

AAP delegates were invited to the McLaren dealership showroom in Melbourne. Also in photo isCAMS International Training head Jodi Zylstra (3rd from left.)

AAP Officials at work during the Targa High Country Rally in Mt. Buller Mansfield,Victoria. At left is CAMS Motorsport Operations Manager Lawrie Schmitt.

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2014 B3 - 3PHILIPPINE DAILY INQUIRER

AAP Travel Conducts FirstMedia Familiarization Tourin Pasay CityAAP Travel, in partnership with the De-partment of Tourism (DOT), kicked off anew local tourism promotion programwith a one-day tour of Pasay City calledthe “Pasay Media Familiarization Tour”on November 11, 2014.

DOT-NCR Officer-in-Charge CatherineAgustin, Ana Liza Lucas and Raffy Celisof DOT-NCR, Government Service Insur-ance System (GSIS) PR Staff Officer IIINini Conwi, Pasay Tourism & Cultural Af-fairs Officer Geoge Tiopes, Mark AnthonyMercado, Felix Balagot Jr. and Dr. RicSampang of Pasay Tourism welcomedand accompanied the media guests.

The tour started at the Center for In-ternational Trade Expositions and Mis-sions (CITEM) which showcases localhandicrafts. CITEM nurtures globallycompetitive Small-Medium Enterpris-es, exporters, designers and manufac-

turers by implementing an integratedapproach to export marketing. Asidefrom admiring the export-qualityhandicrafts, the tour participants weretreated to breakfast at CITEM.

Afterwards, the tour group went tothe GSIS Museum which displays theworks of the arts community, especial-ly artists who are just starting up. TheGSIS Museum has a teacher’s corner toshowcase the importance of teachersto the society.

Next stop was the Asian Institute ofMaritime Studies (AIMS) Museumwhere the participants learned aboutthe Philippines’ rich maritime historyand how it has shaped the countrythrough the centuries.

At the Philippine School for theDeaf, the participants were welcomedwith a dance number by the students.

The pioneer school for the handi-capped in the country and in Asia, thegovernment-owned PSD is semi-resi-dential and accepts students as youngas three years old up to senior highschool.

The participants enjoyed a freshlyprepared lunch at My Mother’s Gar-den, the residence of the late NationalArtist for Architecture, Pablo S. Anto-nio, now managed by his daughterMalu Veloso, a bridal gown designer.Located at 2650 Zamora St., the housewith its unique architecture surround-ed by beautiful gardens has been de-clared a heritage institution.

Also considered as part of Philippineheritage are the 15 postwar houses inPasay set amidst lush greenery thatused to be the homes of large families.A11 Furniture Gallery, J. Lloren Atelierand Avellana Art Gallery have takenover several houses. The tour partici-pants visited each of these galleriesplus the Galleria Duemila that was es-tablished in 1975 by Italian-born Sil-vana Ancelloti-Diaz and is the longestrunning commercial gallery in thePhilippines.

The last stop in the tour was theWine Museum where Robert LimJoseph Jr., gave the participants ashort seminar on the difference be-tween white wine and red wine andwhich food items each is paired with.

For information regarding the nextFamiliarization Tour, please contact

AAP Travel at landline numbers +632551-0014, +632 551-0025, or mobilenumbers (0928) 507.4288 (Smart),(0977) 140.7631 (Globe) or email mc-

quiestas@yahoo.com, michael_quito-rio13@yahoo.com. You can also visitthe website at http://www.aaptrav-el.com.ph/.

Obey traffic rules, avoid erring enforcers, AAP VP advisesTHE Automobile Association Philippines(AAP) reminded the motoring public tofollow traffic rules and regulations, par-ticularly the road signs and symbols.

AAP Vice President Johnny Angelessaid that obeying traffic rules and reg-ulations would spare motorists fromapprehension and protect their rightson the road aside from promoting roadsafety.

“You have to know your rights and thetraffic regulations to protect yourself, notjust from erring police officers but also to

avoid accidents and other forms of mis-chief on the road,” Angeles said.

He reminded motorists that disobey-ing traffic rules will cost “a greatamount of money” plus “the hassle ofgetting your driver’s license back,which is worse.”

Some of the usual traffic violationsthat are being slapped against driversare: driving without a license, drivingwith a suspended or revoked or im-proper license, driving under the influ-ence of liquor and/or drugs and allow-

ing an unlicensed/improperly licensedperson to drive.

“Those who get caught will pay aminimum fine of P2,000 and run therisk of not getting their driver’s licenseback for a year,” Angeles claimed.

He also reminded motorists thattheir driver’s license cannot be confis-cated when they are apprehended ex-cept for the following circumstances:the driver was involved in an accident,the driver has accumulated three ormore unsettled violations, and if the

driver allowed another person to usehis driver’s license, drove against traf-fic flow, has no driver’s ID, and exceed-ed the speed limit.

Regarding erring traffic law en-forcers, he said that drivers must knowtheir rights and cite the rule of law.“Swerving is not a violation unlessdone in a reckless manner or in an areawhere there are signs present that ex-plicitly prohibit it,” Angeles pointedout.

Being the chair of the AAP Advoca-

cies Committee, he has received re-ports that many traffic enforcers areapparently preying on unknowing vic-tims. “What better way to combatthese blundering officials but to dowhat is right and know your law,” heasserted.

“If you think your rights are violatedor you have been a victim of erringtraffic enforcers, you should file a com-plaint before the Metro Manila Devel-opment Authority within five days af-ter apprehension,” Angeles concluded.

AAP and motorsport safetyCAR racing is thrilling and fun, butmaking motorsport safe is an impor-tant prerequisite to competition onthe track. The Automobile Associa-tion Philippines (AAP)--the onlyPhilippine member of the FIA (Feder-ation Internationale de l’Automo-bile), the world governing body forfour-wheel motorsport worldwide--istasked with the responsibility of en-suring safety in motor racing.

Mark Desales, AAP motorsportoperations manager, says that AAP isinvolved in the over-all conduct of arace meeting, starting with all safetyaspects of the race track, the trackofficials, competitors and spectators.He said prior to a race, his teamchecks on the whole track for anydebris . After clearing the track, AAPmakes sure that all safety equipmentis in place before the race begins, in-cluding the communication system,ambulance with doctor and medicalpersonnel, the recovery vehicle, firetruck and safety car.

“We have to do a communicationscheck to make sure that all parts ofthe communication system areworking properly,” Desales said. “Sowe check that all marshaling postshave their radios for communica-tion, their flags and fire extinguish-ers.”

Desales said that aside from safetyon the track, AAP focuses on officiat-ing, one of the most serious facets ofmotorsport. To upgrade their knowl-edge of motorsport officiating suchas fair and accurate scoring accord-ing to international standards andFIA rules, AAP sent track officials tosafety training courses conducted lo-cally by the Confederation of Aus-tralian Motor Sports (CAMS). Thecourses were held in coordinationwith AAP, using grants from the FIA

Motorsport Safety DevelopmentFund.

This year, the FIA Institute’s Offi-cials Training Program awarded sil-ver accreditation to AAP after ournational auto club worked closelyfor three years with CAMS to createan international-grade training andlicensing program for local motor-sport officials. AAP motorsport com-mittee chair Mandy Eduque, uponreceiving the silver accreditation,said that it is an affirmation of AAP’scapability to train and developPhilippine motorsport officials to in-ternational standards set by the FIA.“It is recognition of the competenceand excellence of our Filipino racingofficials,” Eduque said.

Aside from the CAMS officialssafety training program, AAP partic-ipated in the FIA Serious AccidentStudy Group (SASG) in Singaporewhich aimed to promote the higheststandard of emergency response viathe improvement of medical rescueskills, both internationally andacross championships.

AAP is authorized by the FIA topromote, regulate and sanction allfour-wheel motorsport events in thePhilippines in six Primary Disci-plines: Circuit Racing, Karting,Slalom, Car Rally/ Rally Cross and4WD Off road racing. AAP sanc-tioned the National Karting Series,Asian Karting Open Championship(AKOC), National Slalom Series,Philippine Production Car Champi-onship (PPCC), Philippine TouringCar Championship (PTCC), Philip-pine Grand Touring Championship(PGTC) and the Vios Cup.

For information about the nextmotorsport event and competitionlicenses, please call AAP Motorsportat 655-5889 local 823.

AAP Travel headMina Gabor admiresproducts in Hall Oneof CITEM.

PASAY City media tour participants in front of a famous Amorsolo muralat the GSIS Museum.

MY Mother's Garden proprietor Malu Veloso (in pink dress), her daughter Tet (inpurple dress) and AAP Travel executive director Eva Carmona (2nd from right) withPasay City tour participants in the living room of National Artist for ArchitecturePablo Antonio's heritage house.

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2014B3 - 4 PHILIPPINE DAILY INQUIRER

their peers.“Jesus Layga and Rico Araque have

demonstrated professionalism and focusin performing their tasks at hand,” AAPLingkod, Inc. general manager Jose Mun-do said.

“They delivered quality service utilizingthe latest towing equipment and tech-nique in the shortest possible time. Theirselfless action embodies the values advo-cated by AAP.”

(AAP Lingkod is a wholly owned sub-sidiary of AAP.)

AAP Emergency Roadside Service(ERS) is available 24/7 not only for AAPmembers, but also non-members. Mo-torists in need of ERS may call (02) 723-0808, 0922.860.1603, 0917.812.6000 or0918.812.6000.

Two emergency roadside service person-nel of the Automobile Association Philip-pines (AAP) recently received a commen-dation from Skyway O & M Corporation(SOMCO) for their exemplary perfor-mance and dedication to duty.

Last September, AAP tow truck driversRico Araque and Jesus Layga, respondingto a call for emergency roadside service,retrieved and towed an armored car thathad fallen on its left side along the south-bound Skyway at-grade portion in the Cu-pang, Muntinlupa City vicinity. Their res-cue effort was witnessed through closed-circuit television (CCTV) by RamoncitoPuyat and Viswanathan Vaiyapuri of theTUV Rheinland Group, in the SOMCOcommand center. They recommendedthat SOMCO give a commendation toAraque and Laygo for a job well done.

The TUV Rheinland Group is a leadingprovider of technical services worldwide.It conducted for SOMCO a BusinessCalamity Management Services (BCMS)audit in order to reduce business risks andinterruptions using detailed emergencyaction and disaster recovery plans.

In the commendation, SOMCO praisedAraque and Layga’s “exemplary perfor-mance and dedication to duty” and addedthat their alertness and courageous per-formance spoke well of their sincerity,dedication and commitment to their as-signed duties of providing Skyway mo-torists with a safe, convenient and se-cured tollway worthy of emulation by

AAP tow truck drivers commendedby the Skyway O & M Corporation

AAP tow truck drivers Rico Araque andJesus Layga show off theircommendations for a job well done.

BYD PHILIPPINES AVAILS OF AAP SPECIAL MEMBERSHIP RATESAAP and Solar Transport & Automotive Resources (STAR) Corp., the Philippinedistributor of BYD cars, recently signed a MOA extending AAP membership to BYDbuyers. Left to right: BYD General Manager Jose Paolo Soriano, BYD Managing DirectorMark Andrew Tieng, AAP President Gus Lagman and AAP Director Jacinto Mantaring.