B 4 - 1FRIDAY / DECEMBER 16, 2016

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AUTOMOBILE ASSOCIATION PHILPPINESAAP REMINDS PUBLIC ABOUT THEDANGERS OF ILLEGAL ROAD RACES

A s the only member in the

Philippines of the Federa-

tion Internationale de l'Au-

tomobile (FIA), which gov-

erns all four-wheel motor sport

worldwide, the Automobile As-

sociation Philippines (AAP) is

tasked with the authority and

responsibility to uphold FIA

rules on safety in motor car rac-

ing.

"AAP is keen on promoting

road safety, especially in motor

sport events," Mandy Eduque,

chairman of the AAP Motor

Sport Division said, "since one

of AAP's missions is to promote

a sound environment for mo-

torists and the general public as

well. As much as possible, we

want every motor sport activity

held in the country to be safe."

However, there are some

motor sport happenings in this

country, such as "fun races",

that ignore or flout the FIA's

safety guidelines and thus can-

not be sanctioned by AAP. In ef-

fect, races not sanctioned by

AAP are considered illegal.

It is possible that the race

organizer does not know about

the FIA safety guidelines or the

AAP, but in some cases the orga-

nizer does know but chooses to

ignore them. AAP goes out of its

way to reach the organizer to

advise and recommend safety

measures that would lessen the

risk of injuries, damage to prop-

erty or even the death not only

of participants, but also specta-

tors, during the race.

A case in point is Cannon-

ball, a 1,000-kilometer, 24-hour

endurance race of car and mo-

torcycle enthusiasts running on

a prescribed open route from

Manila to North Luzon. The

Cannonball Philippine race first

took place in 2015 and another

one is scheduled for January 6-7,

2017, but this time the distance

has been reduced to 500 kilo-

meters within 12 hours.

Eduque, who is a former ral-

ly driver, said that in 2015, AAP

invited the organizer of Can-

nonball PH to a meeting about

safety issues, but never got a re-

ply. Stories had been circulating

about incidents that occurred

during the Cannonbal en-

durance race, some narrated by

participants or witnesses.

"Staying alert over 24 hours

is in itself a driving hazard,"

Eduque said. While he is glad

that the duration has been low-

ered to 12 hours, he is worried

about the Aritao route, which is

a segment of the prescribed

route and which is well-known

to veteran rally drivers.

He pointed out that the pre-

cipitous Aritao segment won't

allow high speeds and a reckless

driver can go off the road into a

ravine: "It's a long way down to

the bottom. This is cliff country.

The shorter distance and dura-

tion are good, but the Aritao

segment not so good."

Eduque also noted that the

Cannonball Run in the United

States, after which the local one

is patterned, has always been

considered an illegal race and

this is why the organizers never

publicly say when it will be held.

But the U.S. Highway Patrol is

always on the lookout for it and

arrests for speeding periodical-

ly take place.

Eduque is concerned that

aside from Cannonball, illegal

races, fun runs and other car

racing events not sanctioned

by AAP are proliferating.

"These illegal races are usually

oooB4-4

MSDP BATCH 1FINALISTS CON-

CLUDE TRAINING BYJOINING PHILIPPINE

ENDURANCECHALLENGE/B4-2

AAP TravelConducts Faith-based Tourism inManila and Cebufor PortugueseGroup/B4-3

B 4 - 2 FRIDAY / DECEMBER 16, 2016

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MMMAAAKKKIIINNNGGG MMMOOOTTTOOORRRIIINNNGGG FFFUUUNNN

Touring and Rumble StripsBY GUS LAGMANAAP President

I t's been a long time since I

last logged so many kilome-

ters in a short span of time.

After four nights in Berlin,

we rented a van from Europ-

car on November 23, 2016. By

the time we returned the van

in Vienna on November 28, I

had logged 1,031 kilometers.

I was only supposed to fly

to Vienna to attend the FIA

week-long conference and

Annual General Assembly,

and then fly back to Manila

right after. But five people (in-

cluding my wife), who wanted

to experience the Christmas

markets in Europe, tagged

along, so five days became

two weeks - two weeks that

cost me a fortune. We started

the tour in Berlin one week be-

fore the conference. We then

drove to Prague and Cesky

Krumlov in the Czech Repub-

lic and Bratislava in Slovakia,

before ending the driving tour

in Vienna, Austria.

I would at least have en-

joyed the drive better if the

van were new, if the GPS were

built-in (they gave us an old

Garmin), and if the gear shift

were automatic. But no, I

wasn't so lucky this time.

This article, however, is not

really about the trip; it's more

about an observation that a Fil-

ipino couldn't help but notice. I

drove the 1,031 kilometers

through four countries, with-

out ever going over a single

"rumble strip"! Fantastic!

In the Philippines, drivers

encounter them in all kinds of

roads - in expressways, in

highways, in city roads, even

in subdivisions! You'd even

see them in places where they

become road hazards … in

bends, for example. Your vehi-

cle loses traction as you go

over those rumble strips.

Rumble strips are meant to

alert a driver who might be

falling asleep while negotiat-

ing a very long stretch of road,

say 50-100 kilometers. Even

then, there are very few coun-

tries in Europe that use them.

But as most drivers will attest

to, that rationale has been lost

in this country.

I remember driving some

years back, along the short

distance from the Sta. Rosa ex-

it along SLEX, towards the

start of the zigzag to Tagaytay

- maybe two kilometers? - and

encountering eleven such

rumble strips! Why?!

On the southbound ap-

proach to the Alabang flyover,

there are three thick sets of

rumble strips that really serve

no purpose. And then, they

added one more as you go up

the fly-over. Again, why?

Some say that those help

to slow down the vehicles.

They don't. I have yet to see a

vehicle slowing down because

of a rumble strip. In other

countries, when they want

drivers to slow down, they

post road signs with speed

limits. As one approaches a

city, it's not uncommon to see

road signs saying, for exam-

ple, 110 (kph), then 80, then 60.

Those are effective because

violators are apprehended.

But rumble strips do serve

one good purpose when they

are installed on the outside lane

markings. They warn the driver

that he is veering out of his lane

towards the shoulder. In other

countries, those rumble strips

have saved many lives.

It's a pity that we are using

an otherwise good implement

incorrectly - an error caused

by ignorance that has also cost

us a large amount of money.

MSDP BATCH 1 FINALISTS CONCLUDETRAINING BY JOINING PHILIPPINE

ENDURANCE CHALLENGETHE first batch of finalists of

the Motor Sport Development

Program (MSDP) culminated

their extended training by prov-

ing their mettle in the 2016

Philippine Endurance Challenge

(PEC).

On December 3-4, MSDP fi-

nalists Polo Bautista, Raymond

Cudala, Jero Consing, Chenee

Ang Jimenez, Paolo Santos and

Bernard Michael Santos placed

10th out of 12 teams in their

class (FM2 division).

AAP-MSDP program head

and concurrent motor sport de-

partment operations manager

Mark Desales said that the plac-

ing of the young racers in the

event proved that their careers

as race car drivers are set to

flourish.

The six finalists accumulat-

ed a total of 112 laps, which is six

laps away from the ninth spot in

their division. The group also

reached the best time of 2 min-

utes and 36.386 seconds.

"Kudos to these kids who

have shown great potential in

their racing careers early on.

They have proven and will con-

tinue to prove their worth if

they would continue to practice

the lessons they have learned

from the MSDP program," De-

sales said. "Your AAP and MSDP

family are definitely proud of

you. We know that we will be

seeing you at competitions,

hoisting trophies."

The six youngsters were

among the 181 MSDP partici-

pants who showed willingness

to be trained by the pool of vet-

eran race car drivers headed by

MSDP lead instructor Vip Isada,

a 10-time National Rally Cham-

pion.

Aside from Isada, the men-

tors include his son and fellow

rally driver Ivan Isada, Robbie

Hermoso (seven-time national

co-driver and navigator cham-

pion), Art Guevara (the only Fil-

ipino rally driver to win two ti-

tles: National Rally Champion in

2000 and Navigator Champion

in 2003), Bebot Reyes (a highly

experienced race organizer and

official) and Milo Rivera (2014

National Slalom Champion,

2015 Driver of the Year Golden

Wheel Awardee and FIA Young

Driver Ambassador).

Isada expressed confidence

that the 2015 finalists will go the

distance and make podium in

future events.

Meanwhile, Desales assured

the 2016 finalists and forthcom-

ing batch of MSDP participants

that they could also achieve

greater racing should they be

"passionate in learning the

ropes from the Philippines' best

race car drivers. All participants

can harness their talent should

they be willing to be taught un-

der the MSDP," he said, encour-

aging all to watch out for the

next grassroots training course.

Motor Sport Development Program'sNumbers Show Positive Growth

AS the year ends, the Automo-

bile Association Philippines--

the only Philippine affiliate of

the FIA (Federation Interna-

tionale de l'Automobile) that

governs all four-wheel motor

sport worldwide--reported that

the numbers of AAP's Motor-

sport Development Program

(MSDP) have grown positively.

AAP Motor Sport Opera-

tions Manager Mark Desales,

who heads the MSDP, said that

more and more youngsters are

aspiring to take their driving

skills to a whole new level by

joining the program. The MSDP

was launched by AAP with FIA

funding more than a year ago.

"We are glad that more teens

are interested in learning about

motor sports," Desales said.

Desales revealed that driv-

er-participants almost doubled

to 226 in this year's program

which was held in various parts

of the country, compared to on-

ly 181 in 2015. The MSDP train-

ing session in Libis, Quezon City

conducted on National Heroes'

Day this year attracted around

50 participants.

"It was the biggest batch of

students of all the training ses-

sions we have done since MSDP

was launched last year," Desales

said. Those who attended were

new to the program and some

were older than the 16-19 age

group the program is target-

ing.".

MSDP lead instructor Vip

Isada, a 10-time National Rally

Champion, added that the pro-

gram got almost the same num-

ber of participants in Cagayan

de Oro, when AAP extended the

MSDP's reach outside key cities

in the archipelago.

"We started with teaching

Module 1 at MSDP events in

Quezon City, Bacolod, Cebu and

Davao," Isada said. "This year,

we expanded our training pro-

gram to Modules 2 to 6 for the

succeeding visits."

The MSDP curriculum, bro-

ken down into nine modules,

combines classroom-type lec-

tures, hands-on workshops and

practical driving tests and fo-

cuses on road safety and motor

sport driving techniques.

The first batch of MSDP par-

ticipants who were selected as

finalists (Polo Bautista, Ray-

mond Cudala, Jero Consing, Ch-

enee Ang Jimenez, Paolo Santos

and Bernard Michael Santos)

completed the nine modules

and underwent further training.

After this, they competed in

three slalom events, three time

attacks and three circuit club

races this year.

Two of the six young drivers

were promoted to compete in

the Philippine Touring Car

Championship Series.

The MSDP journey of the six

finalists culminated when they

competed in the eight-hour

Philippine Endurance Challenge

on December 4.

"These kids developed the

skills and showed the champi-

on's attitude when they were

being coached by veteran race

car drivers," Desales observed. "

I look forward to their finishing

podium style in future events

that they join. I am proud to

have helped them towards a ca-

reer in motor sport."

As the 2015 MSDP batch goes

on to bigger achievements, a

new batch of finalists from the

2016 MSDP was chosen last

month to undergo advanced

training in 2017: Carlos Marzo,

Andre De los Santos, Arman

Marcayda, Bien Madriaga,

Miguel Reyes and Hazel

Ramirez. Desales was pleased to

note that 17 young MSDP gradu-

ates completed Modules 1 to 9

this year while the learning con-

tinues for the rest who are still

taking the program.

The AAP-MSDP was made

possible by co-presenter Mazda

Philippines in partnership with

Seaoil Philippines, Dynamics

Suspension, Autoperformance

PH, Aeromed Ambulance Trans-

port, Walter Light and Sounds,

Time Attack Manila, Rota

Wheels, Hazardboy Perfor-

mance, TS Tuning, FORS, Race

Motorsport Club, SpeedLab,

Hotpipes, K&N Performance,

Dynapack and Kart Plaza Manu-

facturing.

PGRSP AND BIOEQ SHOW ELEMENTARY SCHOOL STUDENTS HOW TO BE SAFE ROAD USERSBIOEQ Energy enlisted the aid

of the Philippine Global Road

Safety Partnership (PGRSP) in

educating elementary children

about the value of road safety.

On December 9, more than

100 students of the Barangay

Medina Elementary School in

Cavite participated in the inter-

active Road and Pedestrian

Safety Training. Several teach-

ers, barangay kagawads and

Bioeq staff volunteered to assist

in an afternoon filled with fun

and informative activities

teaching kids how to be more

careful on the streets, how to

follow traffic signs, how to keep

safe when crossing the road and

what drivers see when driving.

"We need to ensure that you

students do your part so that

you don't just become a number

adding to the statistics of road

crash victims," said PGRSP Sec-

retary General Alberto Suans-

ing. "The most important thing

you can do right now is to learn

how to obey traffic rules."

PGRSP's Suansing first held

a briefing for the teachers and

the barangay kagawads. He

talked about how road crashes

are not mere accidents anymore

and how neglecting the laws of

the Land Transportation and

Traffic Code results in injuries,

damage to property and worse,

loss of life.

He stressed that about 500

children around the world die

every day due to road crashes

which is why we, as adults,

should do better in making sure

that children in the Philippines

do not add to that number.

During the afternoon, stu-

dents from kindergarten to

Grade 6 were divided into

groups for the different road

safety activities.

In "Shine a Light," Metro

Manila Development Authority

(MMDA) Institute of Traffic

Management Officer-in-Charge

Tony Pagulayan taught the stu-

dents that they should wear

clothing that makes them more

visible to drivers on the road ,

such as light-colored apparel or

better still, clothes made out of

reflective material.

Pagulayan showed the stu-

dents that at their young age,

their eyesight is still limited, so

they cannot rely on what they see

up front. The children felt like

they were being tricked with the

optical illusions shown to them.

Safety Organization of the

Philippines, Inc. Vice President

for Internal Affairs Loy Reyes

showed the students videos on

various road safety tips. He ex-

plained to them the different

scenarios they may encounter

when crossing the street and

what to do in those situations.

At the "Road Safety Park,"

AAP advocacies manager Cyn-

thia Reyes divided the students

into smaller groups and had

them follow the instructions for

getting from one place to anoth-

er inside the park. Children had

to apply what they had learned

from the video such as stop-

ping, looking and listening be-

fore crossing the street.

Finally, the "Blind Spot" ac-

tivity allowed children to expe-

rience what a driver sees when

seated behind the steering

wheel. Suansing had a student

sit in the driver's seat and then

explained how the driver can

overcome the blind spot with

the help of the side mirrors and

rearview mirror.

In 2009, the PGRSP was es-

tablished as the local chapter of

the Global Road Safety Partner-

ship which is based in Geneva,

Switzerland. The PGRSP aims to

reduce the number of road acci-

dent victims in the Philippines

through informative, educa-

tional, technical, and empower-

ing programs. The PGRSP is

chaired by AAP President Gus

Lagman and its secretariat is lo-

cated in the AAP Tower.

A A P

MSDP finalists hugged one another after the team completed112 laps in 8 hours at the 2016 Endurance Challenge.

Motor Sport DevelopmentProgram (MSDP) Mazda2car #12 leads another car atthe Philippine EnduranceChallenge 2016.

B 4 - 3FRIDAY / DECEMBER 16, 2016

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Good Job! Four AAP North Luzon Expressway (NLEX) stationEmergency Roadside Service (ERS) drivers were awarded for theiroutstanding performance and dedicated service by the CITI HRMCorporation, a manpower agency, during the agency's ChristmasParty at the Lotus Garden Hotel in Manila recently. AAP ERSOperations Manager Mark Desales (4th from left) and AAP ERSCentral Operations Manager Raymond Mendoza (extreme left)proudly stand alongside the awardees: Elvis Magtalas (2nd fromleft), Ferdinand Marcos (3rd from left), Alfrey Jose (2nd fromright) and Mark Padernal (extreme right).

AAP TRAVEL CONDUCTS FAITH-BASED TOURISM IN MANILAAND CEBU FOR PORTUGUESE GROUP

WHEN AAP board member and

AAP Travel head Mina Gabor

went to Portugal in 2015 to

speak about spiritual or reli-

gious tourism at a conference

attended by 500 delegates from

around the world, she jumped

at the chance to organize a

faith-based tour in the Philip-

pines for a Portuguese group.

After all, the Philippines and

Portugal share the values of

Catholicism, which is the domi-

nant religion in both countries.

"The next great cycle that is

fast gaining ground and one

that is most sustainable is spiri-

tual, religious or faith-based

tourism," Gabor noted after-

wards in an article about her

Portugal trip that was pub-

lished in Business Mirror. AAP

Travel, a division of the Auto-

mobile Association Philippines,

was established in 2009 to serve

the travel needs of AAP mem-

bers and friends and to help

boost tourism in the country.

The five-day "Grandeva-

sion Philippine Tour" orga-

nized by Gabor and AAP Travel

started on November 28 and

ended on December 2, 2016,

taking 19 Portuguese visitors

to some of the country's reli-

gious, cultural and historical

sites in Manila and Cebu.

On the first day of the tour,

guests were whisked away to

the historic walled city of In-

tramuros that houses the

Spanish defense fortress of

Fort Santiago and the "Mother

of All Churches," the Manila

Cathedral.

At San Agustin Church,

Parish Priest Fr. Arnold Sta.

Maria, OSA toured the guests

around the church's two-

storey museum where cen-

turies-old artifacts and sacred

relics are displayed.

Early the following day, the

group went to Sta. Maria, Bula-

can, where they were wel-

comed and blessed by Father

Fernando Cenon at the Dioce-

san Shrine of Mary, Mother of

Eucharist and Grace.

Here, the group got to ex-

perience the manifestations of

holy images in the rose petals.

The visitors were given a rose

petal that they pressed against

their chest while the priest

prayed over them. After the

blessing, the tourists were

asked to raise the petals

against the light to see what

image would appear.

Some saw images of

cherubs while others saw im-

ages of the Blessed Mother. It

is said that the image seen on

the rose petal is the one watch-

ing over or guiding the life of

the devotee.

"The experience brought

tears to the eyes of some of the

visitors. You could really feel

how passionate they are about

their faith," AAP Travel opera-

tions manager Michael Quito-

rio said.

Next, the tour group mo-

tored to the spiritual oasis of

Our Lady of Mount Carmel

Church in Lipa, Batangas

where they took their time

basking in the tranquil retreat.

In the evening, Gabor invit-

ed the group to her home for

dinner. The visitors were en-

joying themselves so much

that at one point, some formed

a conga line and danced

around the dining tables.

On the third day, the group

flew to Cebu. First on the itinerary

was the Heritage Cebu Monument

where various historical scenes in

Cebu, such as the procession of the

Sto. Nino and the Battle of Mactan,

are sculpted on concrete, brass,

bronze and steel.

At Magellan's Cross, the group

was told the story of how Chris-

tianity was brought to the shores

of Cebu. Visits to the Basilica Mi-

nore Del Sto. Nino, Fort San Pedro,

Casa Gorordo Museum and the

Taoist Temple followed.

On the fourth and fifth days of

the tour, the visitors were given

free time to relax on the beach or

enjoy what Cebu City had to offer.

A A P

A group from Portugal jetted into Manila for AAP Travel'sGrandevasion Philippine Tour. Their four-day tour began with a photoop at the Fort Santiago entrance arch in Intramuros, Manila with AAPBoard Executive Assistant Mabelle Galvez (1st row, 2nd from left)assisting.

B 4 - 4 FRIDAY / DECEMBER 16, 2016

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AAP Supports ASEAN NCAP's ‘Stop the Crash’ Initiative

A AP Advocacies Manager

Cynthia Reyes attended the

Association of Southeast

Asian Nations New Car As-

sessment Programme (ASEAN

NCAP) event held at Sepang In-

ternational Circuit in Malaysia

on November 28-30.

Organized by the Malaysian

Institute of Road Safety Re-

search (MIROS), the event

demonstrated motor vehicles

with car safety technologies,

presented the ASEAN NCAP

Grand Prix Awards 2016 and

launched the Stop the Crash ini-

tiative. Consumer groups, poli-

cy makers and government offi-

cials participated in the pro-

gram.

"During the demonstrations,

they let us experience car tech-

nologies that prevent car crash-

es such as electronic stability

control, motorcycle anti-lock

braking system and au-

tonomous emergency braking,"

Reyes said.

At the ASEAN NCAP Grand

Prix Awards, individuals, com-

panies and motor vehicle mod-

els were recognized for valuing

road safety.

The vehicles that scored

highest in child occupant pro-

tection and adult occupant pro-

tection for each vehicle class

bagged the awards for best safe-

ty performance. The newest

award category, affordable

safety, was given to low-cost car

models that garnered five stars

in the ASEAN NCAP crash safety

rating

Stop the Crash initiative

launched

But the true highlight of the

2016 ASEAN NCAP event was

the launch of the Stop the Crash

initiative which, according to

Reyes, promotes and conducts

independent research and test-

ing programs that will assess

the safety and environmental

characteristics of motor vehi-

cles and their comparative per-

formance and disseminate the

results to the public.

Malaysia's Minister for

Transport Y.B. Dato' Sri Liow

Tiong Lai announced that the

Malaysian government intends

to respond to the call of the

Global NCAP in promoting road

safety through the use of car

safety technologies.

He revealed that by June

2018, the Malaysian govern-

ment intends to legislate the in-

troduction of electronic stabili-

ty control (ESC) on all brand-

new vehicles.

The ESC is an anti-skid tech-

nology which is said to be the

most relevant car safety inno-

vation since the seat belt. It can

prevent collisions caused by

loss of control.

Thousands of lives saved in

car crashes have been attribut-

ed to the ESC, which became

mandatory in the United States

and Europe in 2012.

At the launch, Global NCAP

Secretary General David Ward

called to the stage Ismail and

Reyes to join him in front of ev-

eryone. There, he recognized

both representatives for their

respective associations' contin-

uous efforts to promote road

safety.

"He wanted to acknowledge

ASEAN FIA Clubs such as ours

and Malaysia's and extend his

gratitude for our relentless sup-

port to the ASEAN NCAP," Reyes

said.

AAP PARTNERS WITH MNTC FOR NLEX-SCTEX ROAD SAFETY FORUMTHE AUTOMOBILE Association

Philippines teamed up with the

Manila North Tollways Corpo-

ration (MNTC) to promote the

importance of following traffic

regulations at the NLEX-SCTEX

Fun Drive and Road Safety Fo-

rum event of December 4.

The event, held at the Shell

of Asia Station in Guiguinto, Bu-

lacan, was attended by mem-

bers of the auto club Cars and

Coffee Manila headed by Darf

Mercado and the Any Time All

the Time (ATAT) Motorcycle

Club headed by Marc de Joya.

At the Road Safety Forum,

AAP Advocacies manager Cyn-

thia Reyes presented the facts

and figures pertaining to road

crashes. She said that over 34

road deaths occur daily in the

Philippines, while outside

Metro Manila, the estimated in-

cidents are low compared to the

reported fatalities.

Among the causes of road

crashes, speed limit was high-

lighted because drivers often

exceed speed limits when driv-

ing on open roads such as ex-

pressways like the NLEX and

SCTEX, where the maximum

speed limit for cars is 100 kilo-

meters per hour.

"We want to constantly re-

mind motorists, whatever type

of car they are driving, to obey

traffic rules especially the speed

limit. Along these expressways,

drivers tend to overlook the

mandated speed limit because

they think that there's nobody

to apprehend them," said Reyes.

She also said that based on

the data collated by Philippine

National Police-Highway Patrol

Group (PNP-HPG) for 2015,

18,332 out of 22,200 total road

crash fatalities-or 79 percent of

the total road crash fatalities-

are due to driver error.

"It doesn't matter what type

of motor vehicle you are driv-

ing, whether it be a super car or

a super bike, everyone should

obey the traffic rules anywhere

all the time," Reyes stressed

Reyes and her staff distribut-

ed copies of the Land Trans-

portation and Traffic Code

(Republic Act 4136) to the audi-

ence to inform them of the speed

limits on various types of roads.

After the talk, she showed

videos of road crashes that

ranged from minor car crashes

with only cars being damaged to

major road crashes where mo-

torists and even pedestrians

were injured or killed.

Meanwhile, MNTC Motorist

Facilities and Special Projects

Head Toti Palileo, said that

though the MNTC has support-

ed dozens of road safety aware-

ness activities, the NLEX-SCTEX

Fun Drive and Road Safety Fo-

rum was the first one where

MNTC was the main organizer.

Palileo said that prior to this

event, MNTC had been involved

as a sponsor or partner of fun

drives. He added that the deci-

sion to partner with AAP was al-

ready automatic.

"AAP has been one of the

main pillars of road safety in our

country," Palileo said. "It is the

top choice for providing towing

services on the major express-

ways. AAP shares the same road

safety advocacy with MNTC,

thus making them the perfect

partner for the NLEX-SCTEX Fun

Drive & Road Safety Forum."

done in the streets in the ab-

sence of safety procedures and

FIA-trained race marshals.

AAP is not and never will be in-

volved in such unauthorized

races and they do not repre-

sent the Philippine motor

sport scene."

What's more, AAP will not

issue competition licenses to

drivers who participated in ille-

gal road races and if they al-

ready have a competition li-

cense, it will be revoked.

He stressed that those who

participate in illegal races have

no immunity to traffic viola-

tion or criminal charges. Sec-

tion 56 of Republic Act 4136

clearly states that "if, as the re-

sult of negligence or reckless

or unreasonable fast driving,

any accident occurs resulting

in death or injury of any per-

son, the motor vehicle opera-

tor at fault shall, upon convic-

tion, be punished under the

provisions of the Revised Penal

Code."

Finally, Eduque expressed

concern that "Other than poten-

tial catastrophes, illegal races

could create a tremendous neg-

ative effect on organized, legal

motor sport activities in gener-

al. Whenever an accident occurs

during an illegal road race, there

is a knee-jerk public reaction

that motor sport events are not

safe. This is contrary to its real

essence."

AAP REMINDS PUBLIC ABOUT THE DANGERS OF ILLEGAL ROAD RACES

A A P

FROM B4-1

Global New Car Assessment Programme (NCAP) SecretaryGeneral David Ward (center) recognized the ASEAN FIA-affiliated motor clubs as represented by AutomobileAssociation Philippines advocacies manager Cynthia Reyesand AA Malaysia's Ahmed Ismail for continuously supportingthe ASEAN NCAP.