FRIDAY, AUGUST 16, 2013 B3 - 1PHILIPPINE DAILY INQUIRER

FAQs about R.A. 10586:The Anti-Drunk and DruggedDriving Act of 2013

What is R.A. 10586?Republic Act 10586, otherwise known as “AnAct Penalizing Persons Driving under the In-fluence of Alcohol, Dangerous Drugs and oth-er Similar Substances,” is the law that penal-izes persons who operate motor vehicles whileunder the influence of alcohol and/or danger-ous drugs.

What law did we have beforeR.A. 10586?

The Philippines has an existing policy un-der the Land Transportation and TrafficCode (RA 4136) which prohibits drivingwhile under the influence of liquor or nar-cotics. However the penalties are light andonly a few drunk drivers ever get arrestedbecause there is no standard procedure fordetermining whether a motorist is DUI ornot.

The 1991 Local Government Code alsogave local government units the power toimplement their own traffic managementsystems, examples of which are the MakatiTraffic Code (City Ordinance 2003-089)and the City Ordinance 2005-039 ofCaloocan City. Under these ordinances,drunk drivers are penalized with a paltryP2,500 fine, imprisonment or both.

Are random tests allowed underthe law?

No. The law states that there must beprobable cause before a deputized law en-forcer can apprehend a motorist on suspi-cion of DUI. Indications of DUI includeswerving, overspeeding, lane straddling,weaving, sudden stops, poor coordinationor the evident smell of alcohol on a person’sbreath. However, to prevent drugged driv-ing, Sec. 15 of R.A. 10586 authorizes theLand Transportation Office (LTO) to con-duct random terminal inspections andquick random drug tests of public utilitydrivers.

Who are authorized to enforcethe provisions of this Act?

The LTO may deputize traffic enforce-ment officers of the Philippine National Po-lice (PNP), the Metro Manila DevelopmentAuthority (MMDA) and cities and munici-palities to enforce the provisions of thisAct.

What are the tests for DUI?The initial tests to assess and determine

intoxication are field sobriety tests whichinclude the horizontal gaze, the one-legstand, the walk-and-turn and other similartests as determined jointly by the Depart-ment of Health (DOH), the National PoliceCommission (Napolcom) and the Depart-ment of Transportation and Communica-tions (DOTC).

What happens if I fail the fieldsobriety test?

If you fail the field sobriety test, the dep-utized law enforcement officer will deter-mine your blood alcohol content (BAC)through the use of a breath analyzer or sim-ilar measuring instrument. If the law en-forcement officer has probable cause to be-lieve that you were driving under the influ-ence of dangerous drugs, it shall be his dutyto bring you to the nearest police station tobe subjected to a drug screening test and, ifnecessary, a drug confirmatory test as man-dated under R.A. 9165.

Is the alcohol and chemical testingof drivers involved in motor vehicleaccidents mandatory?

A driver of a motor vehicle involved in avehicular accident resulting in the loss ofhuman life or physical injuries shall be sub-jected to chemical tests, including a drugscreening test and, if necessary, a drug con-firmatory test as mandated under R.A. No.9165 to determine the presence and/orconcentration of alcohol, dangerous drugsand/or similar substances in the blood-stream or body.

What if I refuse to undergothe mandatory tests?

A driver of a motor vehicle who refusesto undergo the mandatory field sobriety

‘The DOTC, DOH and Napolcom arejointly preparing the implementing

rules and regulations and willpromulgate them before the end of

September 2013’

FAQS ABOUT/ B3-2

THIS bus crashed offthe road because thedriver was drunk.

FRIDAY, AUGUST 16, 2013B3 - 2 PHILIPPINE DAILY INQUIRER

AAP conducts RoadSafety Seminarin Malacañang

driving habits.AAP vice president and Road Safe-

ty Committee chair Johnny Angeles,the main speaker, said: “Every day,around the world, some 3,500 per-sons are violently killed in roadcrashes. These people leave homeand never return, adding to the longlist of people killed globally on theroad.”

Rally Racing champion Vip Isa-da, who also spoke at the seminar,talked about defensive driving andhow it can save the lives of bothdriver and passengers. Isadataught the participants how tocombine practicality, convenienceand safety when driving a motorvehicle.

As part of theseminar, Angelesled the partici-pants in takingthe Road SafetyPledge in supportof the United Na-tions Decade ofAction for RoadSafety 2011-2020campaign whichaims to save fivemillion livesworldwide.

MORE than a hundred drivers of theMalacañang Motorpool attended theRoad Safety Seminar conducted bythe Automobile Association Philip-pines (AAP) at the Mabini Hall ofMalacanang last month. The semi-nar aims to upgrade the driving skillsof participants and teach them safe

FAQs about R.A. 10586...and drug tests shall be penal-ized by the confiscation and au-tomatic revocation of his/herdriver’s license in addition toother penalties provided hereinand/or other pertinent laws.

What are the penalties forviolating R.A. 10586?

If the violation did not resultin physical injuries or homicide,the penalty of three months im-prisonment and a fine rangingfrom P20,000 to P80,000 shallbe imposed.

If the violation resulted inphysical injuries, the penaltyprovided in Article 263 of theRevised Penal Code or thepenalty in the next succeedingsubparagraph, whichever ishigher, and a fine ranging fromP100,000 to P200,000 shall beimposed.

If the violation resulted inhomicide, the penalty providedin Article 249 of the Revised Pe-nal Code (reclusion temporal)

and a fine ranging fromP300,000 to P500,000 shall beimposed.

In addition, the nonprofes-sional driver’s license of anyperson found to have violatedthis Act shall be confiscated andsuspended for a period of 12months for the first convictionand perpetually revoked for thesecond violation. The profes-sional driver’s license of anyperson found to have violatedthis law shall be confiscated andperpetually revoked for the firstconviction. The perpetual revo-cation of a driver’s license shalldisqualify the person from be-ing granted any kind of driver’slicense thereafter.

Will the operator and/orowner of the offendingvehicle be held directlyliable?

The owner and/or operatorof the vehicle driven by the of-

fender shall be directly andprincipally held liable togetherwith the offender for the fineand award against the offenderfor civil damages, unless he orshe is able to convincinglyprove that he or she has exer-cised extraordinary diligence inthe selection and supervision ofhis or her drivers in general andthe offending driver in particu-lar. This applies principally tothe owners and/or operators ofpublic utility vehicles and com-mercial vehicles such as deliv-ery vans, cargo trucks, contain-er trucks, school and companybuses, hotel transports, cars orvans for rent, taxicabs and thelike.

How is the governmentpreparing to enforcethis Act?

Within four months from theeffectivity of this Act, the LTOand the PNP shall acquire suffi-cient breath analyzers and

drug-testing kits to be utilizedby law enforcement officers anddeputized local traffic enforce-ment officers nationwide givingpriority to areas with high re-ported occurrences of acci-dents. To acquire this equip-ment and for the training semi-nars of deputized law enforce-ment officers, the LTO shall uti-lize the Special Road SafetyFund of the Motor Vehicle Us-er’s Charge. Additional yearlyappropriations for the purchaseof breath analyzers and drug-testing kits shall be providedannually under the General Ap-propriations Act.

Will there be a drivereducation campaign onR.A. 10586?

Every applicant for a motorvehicle driver’s license shallcomplete a course of instructionthat provides information onsafe driving including, but notlimited to, the effects of the con-

sumption of alcoholic bever-ages on the ability of a person tooperate a motor vehicle, thehazards of DUI of alcohol, dan-gerous drugs and/or other simi-lar substances, and the penal-ties for the violation thereof. Ev-ery applicant for a professionaldriver’s license or for renewalthereof shall undergo this driv-er’s education course. The driv-er’s license written examinationshall include questions con-cerning the effects of alcoholand drug intoxication on the

ability of a person to operate amotor vehicle and the legal andpecuniary consequences result-ing from violations of the provi-sions of this Act.

When will theimplementing rules andregulations (IRR) of R.A.10586 be promulgated?

The DOTC, DOH and Napol-com are jointly preparing the IRRand will promulgate them beforethe end of September 2013.

AFTER the success of the first OfficialsSafety Training conducted by the Con-federation of Australian Motor Sport(CAMS) under the auspices of the Auto-mobile Association Philippines (AAP)and with funding from the FIA Founda-tion’s Motor Sport Safety DevelopmentFund last year, 34 local motor sportmarshals were chosen to form a ‘coregroup’ and were invited to attend thetwo-day Officials Safety Training on Ju-ly 20-21, 2013. The Motor Sport SafetyDevelopment Fund was set up in 2008as a charitable fund to help progressand improve safety, training and educa-tion in motor sport worldwide. The FIAInstitute manages the programmes ofthe Fund on behalf of the FIA Founda-tion. This includes the Officials SafetyTraining Programme under which thisactivity was conducted.

AAP formed the core group in pursuitof its goal to make the Philippines one ofthe countries recognized as capable ofofficiating international motor sportevents.

“The objective of this whole exercise

is to put together a structure for officiat-ing in this country such as it is [done] inmore developed countries,” AAP MotorSport Committee chair and concurrentAAP director Mandy Eduque said. “We’dlike to put up a program to accredit offi-cials according to the same sort of classi-fication that’s being done in other coun-tries.”

Apart from having the distinction ofbeing a part of the core group, the mar-shals will be responsible for teaching,training and passing all the knowledgethey have learned to the next batch ofmotor sport officials and trainees.“We’ve selected you as the most capableof transferring the know-how of whatwas learned last year and this year, andas we are able to generate more offi-cials. It’s no good if you learn and it juststays with you,” Eduque said.

Training the trainersOn the first day of the training course,

the participants learned the dynamics ofeffective training and handling of peo-ple and were assessed in terms of their

ability to choose the appropriate re-sources, materials and activities whentraining people. They were also ratedduring a 10-minute presentation togauge their training skills.

The second day focused on leadershipdevelopment and team building, therules and regulations on and off track,event operations management struc-ture, the rights of motor sport marshalsand the code of ethics. After the success-ful completion of the program, each onereceived a Certificate of Participation

CAMS trainer Jodi Zylstra revealedthat CAMS is working closely withEduque and AAP Motor Sport opera-tions manager Mark Desales to help lo-cal race marshals develop their skills.“The enthusiasm that you have as mar-shals here in the Philippines is obviouslyvery strong. And as Mandy pointed out,the FIA institute has a best practiceframework for Officials Safety Trainingin motor sport and we’re very keen tosee AAP achieve the ‘Progress towardsExcellence’ accreditation standard thisyear,” Zylstra said.

AAP and CAMS train marshalsfor accreditation to officiate

at international motor sport events

CAMS trainers and local participants at the AAP Officials Safety Training course with the FIA Institute streamer.

RALLY champion driver Vip Isada demonstrates thecorrect driving position in a simulator

AAP Travel to conduct Laguna DriveTourism Caravan in September

AAP TRAVEL, in partnership with theDepartment of Tourism Region 4A, willonce again lead an exciting DriveTourism caravan, this time through theprovince of Laguna on Sept. 21. Caravanparticipants will get the opportunity tofeel the rhythm of the countryside with-out traveling too far away from Manilaand will discover why Laguna is consid-ered a traveler’s genuine paradise.

An abundance of nature’s wonders inLaguna promises to refresh the mind,body and spirit while an energizing, sun-ny ambience will accompany caravanparticipants in various recreation andfun outdoor activities.

Los Baños Mayor Caesar Perez, PilaMayor Wilfredo Quiat and Liliw MayorEricson Sulibit have pledged support forthe AAP Travel event and the involve-ment of their respective communities in-cluding marching bands to welcome car-avan participants and the setting up ofspecial bazaars. “We’ve been waiting forthis kind of project to come to our town,”Liliw Mayor Sulibit said. “This willshowcase not only the handicrafts ofLiliw but also the myriad other attrac-tions and activities that we have to of-fer.”

A major sponsor, the iconic outdoorequipment brand Coleman, will join thecaravan to make the road trip more en-joyable via an assortment of food, drinksand giveaways.

Experience natureand relive history

Caravan participants will visit a multi-hectare farm in San Pablo which isknown for its warm hospitality amid alandscaped flora of magnificent hard-woods, rich shrubbery, ornate vines,thriving bromeliads and a selection ofrare plants that were painstakingly nur-tured for people to admire. Mini aviariesdotting the area that showcase theprovince’s local fauna will be included inthe farm tour.

After a leisurely tour of the farm, theparticipants will time-travel to an under-ground cemetery built in the 18th centu-ry by Franciscan missionaries. Thecemetery is enclosed by a unique circu-lar structure with intricately-designedwalls, wrought iron gate and a red-tiledwalk leading to a small chapel where analtar-like structure is located. Tomb-stones are embedded at the under-ground level and in the brick walls of thecemetery. At the heart of the cemeterylies a crypt which, according to history, iswhere the local Katipuneros, the mem-bers of the secret revolutionary societyKatipunan, convened to overthrow theSpanish regime.

At lunch time, travelers will visit thequaint town of Liliw nestling within thefoothills of Mount Banahaw. Well-pre-served homes and well-ordered commu-nities that reflect the spirit of Liliweñoswho have adapted to the changingneeds of the times are located across thetown. Traditionally a rich agriculturalarea, the townsfolk have improved theirlivelihood by opening boutiques andstores specializing in modern-dayfootwear, handbags, accessories andfood stalls selling delicacies for whichLaguna is famous. The town’s mainstreet of Gat Tayaw is lined with attrac-tive retail outlets for ladies and chil-dren’s accessories.

See the heritage sitesand museums

People looking for a town rich in his-torical significance will find Pila the per-fect place to visit. Pila has a wealth ofcultural remnants and is dotted withhouses that date back to the early Ameri-can period. A portion of the town hasbeen declared a heritage site by the Na-tional Historical Institute. This heritagesite encompasses the Pila Church, the Pi-la Museum, the town plaza and thehouses along the streets of Rizal,

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FRIDAY, AUGUST 16, 2013B3 - 4 PHILIPPINE DAILY INQUIRER

sons you need balance, youneed coordination when youdrive.”

AAP president Gus Lagmanagreed that the BAC limitshould be set at .05. “In theUnited States it’s .08, but theywant to bring it down to .05. Ifthey can convince the govern-ment to reduce it from .08 to.05, they’ll be able to cut downroad crashes by half. So wemight as well start where the USwants to go and draft our BACto .05 while we still don’t havethe IRR.”

Dr. Clarito Cairo Jr., medicalspecialist of the DOH NationalCenter for Disease Preventionand Control, who is a memberof the technical working groupdrafting the IRR, revealed somedetails being discussed withinthe group.

Dr. Cairo said the technicalworking group is considering in-stalling dashboard cameras inthe vehicles of deputized lawenforcement officers who willfield-test drivers suspected ofDUI. The rehabilitation of alco-holics is another possibility thatis being discussed for inclusionin the IRR.

Asked when the IRR wouldbe made public, Dr. Cairoreplied that the committee,which meets weekly, is “still inthe process of finalizing the in-clusion of sobriety checkpointsand patrols , especially duringpayday and weekends.” Thedeadline set for the completionof the IRR is Sept. 20, 2013.

rolling by asking the panelists,“How much is too much?” Dr.Passmore said that according tointernational research, the crashrisk for (driving) four-wheel ve-hicles at around .05 BAC level isabout 30 percent higher than[someone with] a BAC of zero.For motorcycle riders, the crashrisk at .05 BAC is 40 times high-er than zero.” BAC, the acronymfor blood alcohol content, is themost commonly used metric indetermining the level of alcoholintoxication of a person.

Dr. Passmore pointed out thatimpairment of one’s ability tooperate a motor vehicle variesfrom person to person becausethe consumption of alcohol in-volves the metabolism. He not-ed that the metabolism rate ofFilipinos is faster than Cau-casians and that females canmetabolize faster because theyhave more body water thanmales.

Dr. Go stressed that the onlysafe consumption is no con-sumption if you are going todrive. “The message that weneed to give to the public is notto drink before you drive. I thinkthat’s what we need to raise forconsideration in drafting theIRR,” he said.

Dr. Ocampo suggested thatthe BAC limit should be basedon grounded and sound inter-national standards and be ad-justed according to the Filipinosetting. “The BAC [should] be atlevel .05 or .06, but zero for mo-torcycle riders. For obvious rea-

THE AUTOMOBILE AssociationPhilippines (AAP) focused onRepublic Act 10586, otherwiseknown as the Anti-Drunk andDrugged Driving Act of 2013, inan effort to raise public aware-ness and thresh out issues sur-rounding its enforcement. Withthe theme: “Implementing theNew Law on Driving Under theInfluence (DUI)”, AAP invitedrepresentatives from the techni-cal working group drafting theImplementing Rules and Regu-lations (IRR) of R.A 10586 tothe 6th Usapan AAP last July 25.Usapan AAP is a monthly inter-active media forum emceed byjournalist Cito Beltran.

The government agenciesdrafting the IRR are the Depart-ment of Transportation andCommunications (DOTC), De-partment of Health (DOH) andNational Police Commission(Napolcom), but only a DOHrepresentative, Dr. Clarito CairoJr., showed up despite confirma-tions earlier made by the DOTCand Napolcom to attend. TheWorld Health Organization(WHO) sent two representa-tives: WHO Western Pacific Re-gion technical officer of violenceand injury prevention Dr.Jonathon Passmore and WHOnational professor/officer fornoncommunicable diseases Dr.John Juliard L. Go. Dr. OrlandoOcampo, University of thePhilippines-Philippine GeneralHospital (UP-PGH) trauma cen-ter head completed the panel.

Cito Beltran got the ball

6th Usapan AAPtackles DUI Law

AAP Travel to conduct...Burzagon, Rivera, San Antonio and Bonifacio.

The caravan will also take the participants to the Makiling Botani-cal Gardens where a diorama exhibit of Philippine wildlife, mini wa-terfalls, gurgling creeks, natural swimming pools as well as naturetrails can be viewed. The place is also the cultivation site of an exten-sive variety of woody plants which are used for scientific, educationaland ornamental purposes.

Lastly, AAP Travel will tour the participants inside the famous Inter-national Rice Research Institute (IRRI) in Los Baños. The IRRI has apermanent exhibit of artifacts and implements used in world-widerice growing as well as a learning center for rice production research

and global rice production. The Los Baños Municipal Hall houses fes-tival booths and will greet caravan participants with colorful and up-beat community presentations as it celebrates Banamos festival.

This year 2013 marks one decade of the Bañamos Festival in honorof the town’s patroness Nuestra Señora de Aguas Santas (Virgin of theHoly Waters). Bañamos, meaning ‘to bathe,’ carries the theme“Papuri’t Pasasalamat Nuestra Señora de Aguas Santas: Viva Ba-ñamos sa Bagong Los Baños” which also coincides with the town’s396th founding anniversary as a municipality.

For further information about the Laguna Drive Tourism caravan,please call AAP Travel at 551-0014, 551-0025 or 0928-5074288.

MAKING MOTORING FUN

MOTORING should be fun. Not only be-cause it can bring one from Point A toPoint B, but also because it allows one toenjoy the scenery along the way. Thereare the many shades of green that are therice fields, as one travels along the NLEX;the kilometers upon kilometers of co-conut trees on both sides of the southroad, most standing erect towards the sky,or uniformly bent to one side, telling themotorists how the constant strong windshave permanently oriented their bearing --- a few of them, however, appearing ev-ery once in a while with trunks so oddly-shaped that it makes you wonder how

those ever came to be.But there are “bad trips” (pun intend-

ed) in motoring, too. And they occurmostly while driving on the streets of theurban areas, particularly Metro Manila.Here are a few of my pet peeves:

1. Getting out of my neighborhood andinto J. P. Rizal, I would have to turn left orright in a T-junction. It would normallyhave been an easy maneuver, except for ajeepney that is almost always there,blocking the whole intersection, as thedriver stretches his neck looking for po-tential passengers. Blow your horn andthey’ll give you that dagger look - oh, Iknow exactly what they’d say should youbother to confront them, “Naghahanap-buhay lang naman ako.” (I’m just trying toearn a living.”)

2. Along the same street, that ever-pre-sent jeepney stops right in front of me, atthe middle of the road, not bothering to

bring the vehicle near the curb, to load orunload passengers. This usually happensonly when you’re in a rush and the oppo-site lane is full of vehicles, thus makingovertaking impossible.

3. Waiting for the light to change in amajor intersection, I would notice one car,then two, then several cars counter-flow-ing on my left. What makes it worse isthat the traffic enforcers would ignorethem, even allowing them to turn rightfrom that leftmost lane position! The traf-fic enforcers, in effect, reward them for vi-olating traffic rules. The least the en-forcers should do is to stop them and or-der them to go back to the end of the line.That should discourage these motoristsfrom repeating the violation in the future.

4. Traffic along the Manila-bound laneof the Tagaytay road is always heavy - asin “stop-and-go” - on Saturday and Sun-day afternoons because of the uncon-

trolled Mendez crossing. It’s not unusualfor this line of vehicles to stretch some fivekilometers, forcing some of them to over-take along the shoulder on the right.That’s not too bad and it doesn’t botherme much. What’s really bad are thosewho overtake on the opposite lane, thenwhen they see an approaching vehicle,swerve to the far shoulder on the left!

5. Along the same road and for the en-tire length of the Aguinaldo Highway, Iwould pass dozens of those useless, yetexpensive, “rumble strips”. The Depart-ment of Public Works and Highways callsthem “calming devices”, although theyhave the opposite effect on me as I getstressed out every time I pass over them. Imust have owned some 20-30 cars since Ibought my first one in the 1960s. It wasonly a year ago that I experienced havingto replace a windshield because of a crackthat would spread, presumably because

of the jarring effect of these “rumblestrips” on my car. Why can’t we just installroad signs along the shoulder that indi-cate speed limits like those in other coun-tries? The cost of two or three of those“calming devices” can buy a police patrolcar that can apprehend speeding drivers.

AAP is engaged in several projects thathopefully will not only make our roadssafer, but will also correct some of theabove-described anomalies. In coopera-tion with the Land Transportation Fran-chising, and Regulatory Board (LTFRB),the University of the Philippines NationalCenter for Transportation Studies andToyota Motor Philippines Corporation,we regularly retrain PUV drivers via a 3-day seminar. AAP is also preparing a train-ing program for traffic enforcers, whichwill include learning how to drive. Thiswill be piloted in one of the Metro Manilacities, then replicated later in the othercities and towns.

We continue to dream and work forsafer and fun-filled motoring in thePhilippines.

‘How safe are our tollways?’

THE 5TH Usapan AAP, a monthly interactive mediaforum emceed by journalist Cito Beltran, addressedthe question of tollway safety on June 27, 2013. Thepanelists were Toll Regulatory Board (TRB)spokesperson Julius Corpuz. Skyway O&M Corp.(Somco) president Manuel Bonoan, Manila NorthTollways Corp. (MNTC) assistant vice president Jen-nifer Jane Go and South Luzon Tollways Corp.(SLTC) spokesperson Tony Reyes.

MNTC AVP Jennifer Jane Go and SLTC spokesper-son Tony Reyes talked about the road safety mea-sures being implemented at the North Luzon Ex-pressway (NLEX) and South Luzon Expressway(SLEX) and how effective they are in preventing acci-dents.

Go explained how the NLEX management hascontinually made innovations in the safety featuresof the expressway system to minimize the impact ofroad crashes. Go said that specialized metal guardrails and impact attenuators on toll barriers, specifi-cally designed to absorb energy during road colli-sions, are strategically placed along the expressway.“Upon impact, the flat surface [of the guard rails] ab-sorbs the energy from the collision, stops the vehicleand does not add injury as opposed to fish-tailedguard rails which penetrate through the vehicle andinjure the drivers and passengers inside,” Go ex-plains.

Reyes, meanwhile, emphasized the SLEX manage-ment’s initiatives in educating the public on road

safety and reminding people about following roadsigns, adhering to the speed limit and maintainingvehicles in good condition.

TRB spokesperson Julius Corpuz revealed that amore affordable alternative to the current E-Pass sys-tem may be implemented by the end of the year. TheE-Pass for the SLEX and Skyway costs nearly P2000,which is roughly the same as the Easy Trip Tag for theNLEX. The planned E-Pass will utilize a radio fre-quency identification system (RFID) and will be con-siderably more affordable but unlike the current E-Pass, will be vehicle-specific and cannot be trans-ferred from one vehicle to another.

Regarding safety measures on the Skyway, Sky-way O&M Corp. president Manuel Bonoan said thatthere is a record keeping system that monitors all theroad incidents on the six-lane elevated toll express-way. “Somco has a comprehensive, detailed accidentreporting system in place. It details how the accidenthappened and whether it is the driver’s fault, vehiclefailure or if there are any deficiencies in the road sys-tem.” Bonoan added that while the number of acci-dents on the Skyway has gone down significantly, heis still not happy about it because the number is stillhigh. “On the average, the incidents on the express-way are a little more than a thousand each year.[But] we have 24/7 patrols and CCTV along the en-tire stretch of the expressway and we do apprehend[violators], especially those who overspeed on theSkyway.”

5th Usapan AAP asks

THE PANELISTS at the 5th Usapan AAP (from left): Manila North Tollways Corp. (MNTC) assistant vicepresident Jennifer Jane Go, South Luzon Tollways Corp. (SLTC) spokesperson Tony Reyes, Toll RegulatoryBoard (TRB) spokesperson Julius Corpuz and Skyway O&M Corp. (Somco) president Manuel Bonoan withAAP president Gus Lagman and vice president Johnny Angeles.

WHO national professor/officer for noncommunicable diseases Dr. John Juliard L. Go, WHO WesternPacific Region technical officer of violence and injury prevention Dr. Jonathon Passmore, Dr. OrlandoOcampo, University of the Philippines-Philippine General Hospital (UP-PGH) trauma center headand DOH representative, Dr. Clarito Cairo Jr. at the 6th Usapan AAP.

AAP Travel joins Farm Campand Farm Tourism Conference

ALONG with more than 300 participants fromdifferent parts of the country, AAP Travel joinedthe recent Farm Camp and Farm Tourism Con-ference spearheaded by the Department ofAgriculture, Department of Tourism and theDepartment of Agrarian Reform.

The conference highlighted the importanceof diversifying farm operations by includingtourism activities to increase the income offarmers and to showcase the produce of vari-

ous localities. It also placed tourism as a vitalpart in innovating farm operations since ithelps to create jobs, provides a venue to pro-mote local arts and crafts and supplies healthy,organic food products to local hotels, resortsand restaurants. Small and medium farm en-trepreneurs shared their success stories andthe major role played by farm tourism in de-veloping their businesses, livelihood and qual-ity of life.

Asia Pacific Drive Tourism Conferencescheduled next year

ON JAN. 30 to Feb. 2, 2014, the Automobile Associa-tion Philippines (AAP) through its subsidiary AAPTravel, in partnership with the Department ofTourism (DOT), will hold The Asia Pacific DriveTourism Conference and Exhibition at the historicSubic Bay Freeport Zone. Aside from the DOT, theconference will have the support and cooperation ofthe Department of Interior and Local Government(DILG), Department of Transportation and Commu-nications (DOTC), Department of the Environmentand Natural Resources (DENR) and the Subic BayMetropolitan Authority (SBMA).

The tourism industry has been playing a majorrole in convergence programs with various sectorsof the economy. National policies are tappingtourism as a significant component to pump primeeconomic growth. One of the potential areas of do-mestic tourism is Drive Tourism which is defined as

a form of touring whereby traveling individuals orgroups drive their motor vehicles to visit the variousscenic destinations of the country.

But instead of driving straight to the destination,the Drive Tourism caravan moves through a tourismhighway or road network that allows participants tosee the many attractions in between the start andend destinations. The caravans are also organizedby themes (examples: heritage, adventure, beach)for a fuller, more focused travel experience.

The Asia Pacific Drive Tourism Conference envi-sions the tremendous impact it will generate, notonly in terms of tourism activities, but also in con-tributing to saving lives, costs and the environment.It will also support the United Nations Decade of Ac-tion for Road Safety 2011-2020 by making thetourism highway not just more fun but also safer foreveryone.

CONFERENCE participants with Stefano Calabrese (fourth from left), a farm tourism consultant fromItaly and AAP Travel president Mina Gabor (third from right).

From page B3-2

Things that take the fun out of motoringBy Gus Lagman - AAP President

FRIDAY, AUGUST 16, 2013 B3 - 5PHILIPPINE DAILY INQUIRER

Nature’s Village Resort appoints AAP Travel as general sales agentAAP TRAVEL has been appointed byNature’s Village Resort of NegrosOccidental as its general sales agentin the Luzon region. The appoint-

ment comes at a most opportunetime as AAP Travel is continuing toexpand its operations in Luzon andother parts of the country while Ne-

gros Occidental is earning its markas a destination of choice for bothlocal and foreign tourists.

AAP Travel assistant vice presi-

dent Eva Carmona said the appoint-ment plays a crucial part in promot-ing local tourism in the country, “Wesee this as a step forward not just in

strengthening our ties with partnerestablishments, but also in promot-ing local destinations in differentparts of the Philippines,” she said.

“With the help ofour partners, AAPTravel will contin-ue to do its part [inpromotingtourism] by offer-ing only the bestproducts and ser-vices to those whowish to experiencethe beautiful sitesin the country.”

Nature’s VillageResort, one of themost popular ac-commodations inNegros Occiden-tal, was namedone of the world’stop ten eco-friend-ly hotels in 2012by internationalbooking websiteAgoda. The hotelscored four out offive stars in theWebsite’s rankingsystem which isbased on customerreviews. It rankedhighest in terms offood and diningand hotel cleanli-ness.

The hotel alsowon the “ASEANGreen Star HotelAward” along withother high-end ho-tels in the countrysuch as the EDSAShangri-La Hotel,Hilton Resort Cebuand Sofitel Philip-pine Plaza duringthe ASEAN GreenHotel RecognitionAwards at the Em-pire Hotel inBrunei Darus-salam in 2010. Formore than 10years, Nature’s Vil-lage Resort hascontinuously pro-vided qualitytourism productsand excellent cus-tomer service to itsclients.