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Author Archives: Lester Dizon

2021 Toyota Vios 1.3 XLE CVT: The Beauty of Simplicity and Ubiquity

Merriam-Webster defines the word “ubiquitous” as “existing or being everywhere at the same time; constantly encountered; widespread”. Ubiquitous is an accurate word to describe Toyota Motor Philippines‘ front-wheel drive (FWD) four-door subcompact sedan, the Toyota Vios. Now on its third generation, the Vios is one of the most popular and best-selling nameplates in the local automotive market. Everywhere you look, ...

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Bridgestone Philippines Breaks Ground on Classroom Donation Project in Mangaldan, Pangasinan

The hot balmy Friday afternoon of May 14, 2021 witnessed the ceremonial groundbreaking of the three-classroom, single-story building at the Talogtog-Bateng Elementary School in Mangaldan, Pangasinan, which is donated by Philippine Allied Enterprises Corporation (PAEC), the official importer and distributor of Bridgestone tires in the Philippines. The construction of the classrooms was done in coordination with the Department of Education ...

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2021 Maxus V80 Comfort: Driving to a Mission of Hope in Pangasinan

Our job as motoring journalists often brings opportunities to help our less fortunate countrymen. Before the National Capital Region (NCR) was placed under the so-called “NCR Bubble” lockdown towards the end of March 2021 to stem the spread of the Coronavirus, we were tasked to chronicle Bridgestone Philippines’ donation of classrooms to the Talogtog-Bateng Elementary School in Mangaldan, Pangasinan through ...

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2021 Kia Stonic EX A/T: Speedy Tonic Against The Common Crossover

A portmanteau is a blend of words in which parts of multiple words are combined to form a new word, such as “motel”, which was coined by blending the words “motor” and “hotel”. It was not surprising that Kia Motors, the Korean car brand with “The Power to Surprise” motto, used a portmanteau blending “speedy” and “tonic” to name its ...

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2017 Toyota 86 M/T: Scratching An Itch That Needed To Be Scratched

Sales records show that private vehicles with automatic transmissions (A/T) currently outsell vehicles with manual transmissions (M/T), especially after vehicular traffic in the country has turned from bad to worse. The number of A/T units in the car manufacturers’ test fleets also reflects this sales phenomenon and buyers’ preference. Most of the new vehicles sent to us for evaluation have ...

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2021 Chery Tiggo 7 Pro: And The Hits Just Keep On Coming!

Despite the pandemic situation in 2020, we got to test drive the entire crossover/sport utility vehicle (SUV) model line-up of Chery Philippines. We were quite impressed with all the models, starting with the entry-level Tiggo 2 subcompact crossover vehicle, to the more-upmarket Tiggo 5X Lux compact SUV, to the fully-equipped Tiggo 7, and up to the top-of-the-line Tiggo 8. After ...

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“No More Jazz”, Says Honda Cars Philippines

Honda Cars Philippines, Inc. (HCPI), the automobile business unit of Honda Motors in the Philippines, officially announced the discontinuation of the 5-door subcompact hatchback, the Honda Jazz. Introduced in the Philippine market in July 2004, the Honda Jazz was launched as an exciting and innovative vehicle in HCPI’s roster of models. Since its introduction in the country, the Jazz has ...

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Finding Miniature Treasures and a Conundrum During Quarantine

When the government placed Metro Manila under Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ) in March 2020 to control the spread of the COVID-19 virus, my wife Shawie and I took the opportunity to declutter our home, especially the other part of our duplex that I use as my office – slash – mancave. Since we have been working from home (WFH) since ...

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MDPPA Looks Forward to a More Active Role in Road Safety for 2021

The Motorcycle Development Program Participants Association, Inc. (MDPPA), the Philippine association of motorcycle manufacturers, is looking forward to a more active role in its advocacy for road safety this year. The MDPPA recently inducted its 2021 Board of Directors which is headed by Norminio “Boying” C. Mojica of Suzuki Philippines, Inc (SPH) as President; Virgilio A. Montaño of Kawasaki Motors ...

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Team HRC Motul Unveils Strong Bid for the 2021 World Superbike Championship

At the start of 2020, Honda Racing Corporation (HRC) returned to the Motul FIM World Superbike Championship (WSBK) as a full factory squad. Despite the season becoming shortened by the pandemic, Team HRC garnered valuable track time and experienced great success. For the 2021 season, Team HRC will field two top riders, Alvaro Bautista and Leon Haslam, who will benefit ...

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