Honda Philippines, PBA Inks New Partnership to Ignite Action in PBA Commissioner’s Cup Season 2018-19

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Honda Philippines, Inc. (HPI), the number one motorcycle manufacturer in the country, recently announced its partnership with the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) at the Solaire Resort and Casino in Paranaque City.

Through the partnership with PBA, the most prestigious basketball league in the Philippines, HPI aims to touch on the lives of Filipinos by engaging in activities they love.

“Basketball has been a part of the Philippine culture and the Filipinos’ love for the sport is nothing short of amazing,” said Daiki Mihara, president of HPI. “We hope that through this partnership, HPI can extend its support to Filipino talents, especially in the PBA league.”

This year, PBA will be on its 43rd season and HPI presses on to bring the sport’s vibe closer to basketball fans. This initiative is attuned to the company’s vision of bringing the joy of mobility, especially through its safe, efficient, economical, and cutting-edge technology.

Honda, being a global brand, has sold 18 million units in worldwide sales last year and continues to build out its passion for excellence through continuous research and high technological standards for its products. With this passion for excellence, Honda wants to extend its innovations to the needs and preferences of Filipinos.

“We want to expand our sizeable foothold in the Philippines as a market leader in the motorcycle industry, by innovating technologies that improve the quality of life,” Mihara said. “We also see the value of partnering with institutions, like PBA, especially that our motorcycles appeal to the young and active fans of the league.”

Known for its innovative spirit, HPI aims to introduce the company as a market leader in motorcycles, spare parts, and power products that allows riders to have fun and proactively take part in thrill-seeking adventures.

For more information about Honda Philippines and its upcoming events, go towww.hondaph.com or follow the official Facebook page atfacebook.com/hondaph/.

Tugade Orders Immediate Rehabilitation of Zamboanga International Airport; Visits Wake of Slain CAAP Intelligence Officer

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Department of Transportation (DOTr) Secretary Arthur Tugade expressed his great dismay over the terminal facilities he witnessed in a surprise visit at the Zamboanga International Airport (ZIA) yesterday morning.

Sec. Tugade conducted the inspection, along with Aviation Undersecretary Skee Tamayo and officials of the Civil Aviations Authority of the Philippines (CAAP), to personally take a look at the current state of the ZIA, and make sure that appropriate and scheduled improvements are done following his conversation with President Rodrigo Roa Duterte.

The sorry state of the small baggage carousel, the lack of appropriate gang chairs and passenger seats at boarding areas, immediately caught the ire of the Secretary.

Further, during the inspection, Secretary Tugade, discovered multiple potholes as deep as 2 inches from end of runway 09 to runway 27. 

"Nakakadismaya! Hindi matanggap ng kalooban ko na ganito ang sitwasyon ng airport na ginagamit ng mga Zamboangeńo. Dagdagan pa natin ang atensyong  dapat na maibigay sa Zamboanga,” said Tugade.

Rehabilitation of Zamboanga International Airport

To immediately address the issues in the ZIA, Sec. Tugade ordered the immediate procurement of gang chairs to ensure that passengers will be provided with comfortable seats, as well as new baggage carousel to facilitate efficient baggage handling.

Further, Tugade mentioned that he will closely coordinate with the National Housing Authority (NHA) for the relocation of informal settlers that were affected by the Zamboanga seige.

He then ordered CAAP Deputy Director General for Operations Donaldo Mendoza and OIC Deputy Director General for Administration Ric Banayat to make sure that Allison Cargo immediately removes their containers, as the same adversely affect airport security.

The transportation secretary likewise instructed CAAP officials to ensure that the handling area of Cebu Pacific Cargo  becomes restricted, and not open.

The PhP160-million budget for asphalt overlay has recently been awarded this year. Originally, construction is scheduled to commence as soon as the winning bidder is given the notice to proceed.

However, as Secretary Tugade recognizes the need and urgency of employing a swift remedy, he gave an ultimatum to airport officials, and instructed them to start the asphalt overlay of the entire runway, as well as the repair of potholes today, to ensure the safety of the aircrafts and its passengers during landing and take off. Sealing of cracks will commence immediately.

Asphalt overlay of the whole runway will take several months, as work can only be done at night when there are no more flights till early morning.

"Pagbalik ko at hindi pa maayos ang Zamboanga Airport, pag-uuntugin ko mga ulo ninyo. Sisiguraduhin kong may mananagot dito," he said.

Visit to Slain CAAP Officer

While in Zamboanga, Sec. Tugade likewise used the opportunity to pay his respect and express condolence to the family of the slain CAAP Officer in Charge (OIC) for Intelligence Jeric Flores, who was shot dead in his house near the airport Saturday evening.

At the morgue, Tugade assured the grieving wife that all efforts will be exerted so that justice maybe served.

"Tayo po ay lubos na nakikiramay sa mga naulila ni Mr. Flores. Makakaasa po kayo na katuwang tayo sa paghahanap ng hustisya para sa kanya," Tugade said.

Apart from offering financial assistance for the wake and funeral, the transportation chief also offered to provide Flores' wife with employment should she desires.

Initial investigation of the police cites Flores' refusal to sign a ghost project worth PhP300 thousand pesos as the possible motive in the killing.

Flores is also part of the CAAP team auditing the airport says ZIA OIC Toto Alfonso, the assigned airport manager.

ZIA management has been under careful scrutiny recently as Airport Manager Naga Rascal was suspended by the Ombudsman due to alleged involvement in corrupt activities.

ICAO Lauds PH’s CO2 Emissions Reduction Plan for Aviation

Wazzup Pilipinas!

International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) Secretary General Fang Lui commended the Philippines on its voluntary submission of its State Action Plan on CO2 Emissions Reduction for International Aviation.

In a letter sent to the Civil Aviations Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) last 5 March, Secretary General Liu praised the Philippine Government for its commitment towards environmental sustainability.

“The submission of an Action Plan provides an opportunity to establish and showcase strategies to reduce aviation emission,” Dr. Liu said.

A State Action Plan is a voluntary planning and reporting tool for countries to communicate information on their activities to address international civil aviation’s CO2 emissions. It aims for better understanding of the share and projections of international aviation CO2 emissions, enhanced cooperation between all aviation stakeholders that can positively reflect on their operational areas, and the identification of the most relevant mitigation actions.

The Philippines’ State Action Plan indicates the activities undertaken by the country, as well as planned mitigation strategies that it wants to implement in the future to further reduce C02 emissions in the sky.

These mitigation measures include the development of Bio-Fuel (used cooking oil) as an alternative fuel and improve the air traffic management and infrastructure through the establishment of a performance-based navigation (PBN) system in all public aerodromes which increases airspace capacity, improves aviation safety, and reduces aviation activities’ environmental impact.

According to CAAP, the Philippines’ State Action Plan on CO2 Emissions Reduction was achieved because of the initiatives of both DOTr and CAAP, through the upright leadership of Secretary Arthur Tugade. 

As a firm advocate of clean air and environment, Secretary Tugade has been pushing for pollution reduction initiatives in all sectors of transportation. 

"Hindi lang sa mga Public Utility Vehicles nakatuon ang kampanya ng DOTr kontra polusyon kundi pati sa mga eroplano, barko, at iba pang uri ng transportasyon. Walang exempted dito. This is our commitment to global efforts in mitigating climate change," said Tugade.

In 2017, our country also proved its compliance with international safety standards by succesfully passing the Universal Safety Oversight Audit Programme of the ICAO Coordinated Validation Mission. In the audit, airports in the Philippines got an overall result of 70.19%, which is above the global average (64%), and significantly higher than the previous rating (59.94%).

Though the result notably improved than that of the previous years, Secretary Tugade challenged everyone in CAAP to exceed their performance this year. That way, the public is always assured of safe and convenient air travel in the country.