GOOD TRIP ni Arnel Doria

22/11/2025

Highlights:
1. Berry Christmas with vivo: Omoda & Jaecoo SUV Raffle
2. Half of PUVs fail brake test; VICOAP wants mandatory brake test
3. Is Public Transport Modernization dead?
4. Mitsubishi introduces all-new Destinator SUV

vivo
Vicoap - Vehicle Inspection Center Operators Association of the Philippines
National Federation of Transport Cooperatives
Mitsubishi Motors Philippines

21/11/2025

Chatrium Grand Bangkok Celebrates with a Spectacular
“Chatrium Grand x Trip.best : Oyster Month”

Chatrium Grand Bangkok, celebrated the grand launch of celebrated the grand launch of “Chatrium Grand X Trip.best: Oyster Month”, an exciting event filled with thrill and precision as top contenders competed in a high-energy oyster shucking competition, showcasing skill, speed, and accuracy. The celebration was further elevated by the presence of a three-Michelin-starred chef, a world champion oyster shucker, and a renowned mixologist, held at Savio Restaurant, Chatrium Grand Bangkok.

The event also marked the official launch of the “Oyster Month: A Symphony of the Sea” campaign, running throughout November, where guests can indulge in the finest selection of oysters from around the world. Served fresh, paired with premium wines, and featured in exclusive dishes curated by Chef Alvin Leung, the celebrated “Demon Chef” and holder of three Michelin stars, who personally joined to craft this extraordinary culinary experience for the launch nightThroughout November, seafood lovers are invited to indulge in the signature “Seafood Tower”, an extravagant display of ocean treasures featuring Canadian lobster, jumbo white shrimp, fresh scallops, and premium oysters from France, Ireland, and the USA, available every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.

Two-tier Seafood Tower: THB 2,399 net
Two-tier Seafood Tower with Caviar: THB 5,999 net
Three-tier Seafood Tower: THB 3,399 net
Three-tier Seafood Tower with Caviar: THB 6,999 net
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Guests can also enjoy the Oyster Cocktail Hour, featuring premium oysters imported from France, Ireland, and the USA:
6 pieces – THB 899 net
12 pieces – THB 1,599 net

Savor the “Symphony of the Sea” at Savio, Flow, and Lobby Lounge throughout November at Chatrium Grand Bangkok.

21/11/2025

Honda Cars Philippines, Inc. (HCPI) is extending its ’35 Years: Driving Dreams Forward’ promo until November 30, 2025.

Previously announced last October, it is a way for HCPI to celebrate its 35th anniversary with its customers. It aims to make the latest models more attainable by offering options such as an all-in down payment for as low as PHP 35, free periodic maintenance service for five (5) years, or up to PHP 100,000 cash discount. As an additional treat, customers can also avail of the new ‘Drive Today, Pay Next Year’ option, enabling them to get up to two (2) months of free amortization.

The ‘35 Years: Driving Dreams Forward’ and ‘Drive Today, Pay Next Year’ options can only be availed separately and are not applicable on top of other HCPI offers.

For more information, visit https://www.hondaphil.com/promos and view the latest Honda models here https://www.hondaphil.com/virtual-honda/. Customers may also visit any of the 39 Honda Cars Dealerships nationwide https://www.hondaphil.com/dealer-finder.

21/11/2025

CONNECTIVITY ON THE MOVE REDEFINED IN PARIS BY IEC TELECOM

IEC Telecom is gearing up for the Salon des Maires et des Collectivités Locales, taking place in Paris this week, to present the latest addition to its connectivity portfolio. The new solution is designed to empower first responders with dependable, high-speed communication, enhancing the quality of public services across France — particularly in remote and underserved areas.

In operational environments such as mountain roads, coastlines, forest zones, or rural-outlying communities, terrestrial mobile networks often fall short of the performance required by modern emergency services. According to OpenSignal, 5G availability in France reaches 22 % in urban areas but drops to just 13.5 % in rural zones — the largest urban-rural divide among European countries. Furthermore, average mobile download speeds in rural France are approximately 53 Mbps, compared with 66 Mbps in urban areas, highlighting the persistent connectivity gap across the country. Such variability means that crews cannot rely on stable throughput for critical tasks involving the latest technologies, such as streaming from body-cams and drones, transmitting live telemetry, or coordinating multi-vehicle responses in real time.

Addressing this challenge, IEC Telecom introduces HyphaOne Mini compact mobility-connectivity hub that delivers broadband-class connectivity on the move by combining satellite and 4G/5G networks within a single robust system. Designed for emergency-response vehicles — including fire brigades, police units, and ambulance fleets — this solution ensures seamless communication even beyond terrestrial coverage zones. IEC Telecom takes these capabilities one step further by integrating the system into its proprietary network-management ecosystem, OptiView. This advanced platform enables fleet-wide oversight of network performance, remote troubleshooting, and flexible credit reallocation from idle units to those actively engaged in operations — ensuring optimal use of resources and uninterrupted service continuity across the entire fleet. In addition, the system can be connected to a tracking platform equipped with advanced visualisation and analytics tools, allowing command centres to monitor vehicle movement, mission status, and connectivity levels in real time.

“As public services continue to digitalise, the demand for reliable, nationwide connectivity is growing rapidly,” said Gwenael Lohéac, President Europe & West Africa at IEC Telecom Group. “Solutions like HyphaOne Mini are designed for public–private cooperation, aiming to elevate civil-service operations across the country and ensure that emergency responders can depend on uninterrupted communication wherever duty calls.”

The introduction of this new solution marks another milestone in IEC Telecom’s ongoing contribution to France’s digital transformation. By strengthening the communication infrastructure of first-response fleets, this innovation supports more effective coordination of public services and helps reduce the impact of connectivity gaps on essential operations across the nation.

21/11/2025

MILO® and Philippine Olympic Committee forge long-term partnership

Cementing its commitment to nation-building through sports and shared purpose of rallying the nation to support our national athletes, MILO® Philippines has renewed its partnership with the Philippine Olympic Committee (POC), marking a continued shared vision to champion Filipino athletes and rally the nation’s support behind them, both in and out of the country.

Held at Nestlé Philippines, the ceremonial contract signing was attended by key Nestlé and POC executives, including Abraham Tolentino, POC President; Atty. Wharton Chan, POC Secretary General; Veronica Cruz, Senior Vice President of MILO® Philippines; and Carlo Sampan, Head of MILO® Sports.

MILO® and the POC have collaborated closely in nurturing the country’s athletic talent and banner the spirit of sportsmanship among Filipinos. From grassroots programs to athlete development support, both have continuously striven to make sports accessible and inspiring for all – all while instilling the MILO® values of teamwork, grit, and discipline.

“We look forward to continuing to make a difference in the lives of our national athletes throughout their journey – from their grassroots achievements until their development into elite athletes, and supporting them even beyond,” remarks Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino, POC President.

Talking of the partnership, POC Secretary-General Atty. Wharton Chan also shares, “We look forward to this renewed partnership with MILO® as an avenue to continue developing more athletes in their journey not only to become strong and efficient talents, but also to forward our advocacies such as safe sports and gender equality.”

“MILO® and the POC have long shared the same dream: to see more young Filipinos grow into their champion journey through sports,” says Veronica Cruz, Senior Vice President of MILO® Philippines. “Through our partnership, we reaffirm our commitment to nourish champions and support the new generation of athletes as well,” she adds.

Through this partnership, MILO® Philippines continues its mission of building a nation of champion athletes – through constant support and providing avenues for the rest of the nation to always stand behind them as well.

Be part of the movement to support our champions, and kickstart your own chapter journey as well. To remain updated on the latest initiatives and partnerships of MILO®, be sure to follow MILO® Philippines on Facebook.

21/11/2025

FAIRMONT HOTELS & RESORTS BRINGS DESTINATION INSPIRED SPA EXPERIENCES TO LIFE FOR 2026

World-renowned hospitality brand and one of Accor’s leading luxury brands, Fairmont Hotels & Resorts, invite guests to embark on a new journey of holistic wellbeing that celebrates innovation, a connection to the destination and wellness traditions. From the snow-capped peaks of Lake Louise to the bustling streets of Tokyo, Fairmont’s new generation of wellness offerings go beyond the traditional spa experience, encouraging guests to restore, recharge, and reconnect to both self and place.

Across its global portfolio of 96 hotels and resorts, Fairmont Wellness goes beyond traditional spa experiences, creating holistic, destination driven wellbeing that is woven into every part of the guest journey - where every experience is designed to reflect the uniqueness of its surroundings.

For more information on Fairmont’s wellness programs across the portfolio, please visit fairmont.com/en/wellness.

21/11/2025

Hitachi Vantara Launches Virtual Storage Platform One Block High End Storage to Power the Next Era of AI and Mission-Critical Workloads

Hitachi Vantara, the data storage, infrastructure, and hybrid cloud management subsidiary of Hitachi, Ltd. (TSE: 6501), today announced the launch of Virtual Storage Platform One (VSP One) Block High End, a next-generation, all-flash NVMe block storage solution designed to address the demands of most mission-critical business and growing AI workloads. Completing its VSP One data platform strategy, VSP One Block High End delivers performance, scalability, cybersecurity and data resilience, empowering organizations to confidently drive data from insight to impact. With seamless workload consolidation across open systems and mainframe, VSP One simplifies data management operations while delivering enterprise-grade security and sustainabilityEnterprises today face mounting pressure to modernize their digital core as they navigate the complexities of AI-driven transformation, massive data growth, and real-time analytics. Legacy infrastructure is increasingly unable to keep pace with the performance, resilience, and efficiency required to support business-critical and AI workloads. According to a recent report, over 70% of respondents reported that their current IT infrastructure was inadequately prepared to handle future ML and AI workload demands. As the challenge of managing data has been exacerbated by AI growth, a separate report found more than half (57%) of IT leaders surveyed storing data across on-premises, and private, hybrid, sovereign and public clouds.

From reducing latency in high-performance databases to ensuring uninterrupted access to patient records in healthcare, organizations need data infrastructure that they can trust to run their business. With the ability to scale intelligently, recover rapidly, and deliver insights instantly, VSP One Block High End is built to address these challenges by enabling faster transaction processing, enhanced user experiences, and accelerated data science outcomes, while maintaining security, compliance and operational continuity. As industries enter the era of powering the AI factory, it provides the unified data foundation to help organizations drive enhanced productivity and innovation.

“What we’re seeing across industries is a tipping point where data infrastructure must evolve or risk holding back innovation,” said Octavian Tanase, chief product officer, Hitachi Vantara. “VSP One Block High End goes beyond performance upgrade; it’s a strategic enabler for enterprises to rethink how they capture, manage, protect, and scale data in the AI era.”

VSP One is designed to address the growing complexity of data-driven operations. Built on three foundational pillars, VSP One enables:

Secure Resilience: Built-in FIPS 140-3 Level 2 certified protection, with eight nines of availability, while Hitachi’s Cyber Resilience Guarantee helps achieve near-zero data loss and rapid recovery.

Simple Performance and Management: All-flash NVMe architecture, supporting 50 million IOPS with hardware compression acceleration and support for up to 346TB per RU. VSP 360 provides unified data management operations with centralized fleet management, guided automation workflows, and mobile-enabled observability.

Sustainable Scalability: Future-proof data infrastructure that features a 4:1 Data Reduction Guarantee and automatically switches CPUs into eco mode during low activity periods, significantly reducing energy consumption and carbon footprint.

21/11/2025

The Hong Kong Suite: A Celebration of Hong Kong by Island Shangri-La

There is only one Hong Kong Suite because there is only one Hong Kong. A key milestone in Island Shangri-La’s multi-year renovation, the hotel proudly announces the launch of Hong Kong Suite. Rising high above the thriving city on the 50th floor, the suite offers sweeping views of Central and Victoria Harbour, giving guests a bird’s-eye view of the city’s vibrant pace.

There is much within the Hong Kong Suite that distils the special magic of the city itself. The views stir the heart and soul, revealing a cinematic sweep of landscapes and seascapes that form one of the world’s most iconic and dynamic skylines. Yet beyond its commanding outlook, there is something intrinsically ‘Hong Kong’ about the quiet luxury that the Hong Kong Suite represents - a pinnacle of understated elegance rooted deeply in its Asian heritage.

Intimate but never indulgent, the Hong Kong Suite serves as the definitive barometer for Asian contemporary hospitality where luxury is discrete. Airy and light-filled, its design channels positive feng shui as it bridges the sea and the mountains, while it reflects gentle nostalgia with nods to Hong Kong’s rich history.

Island Shangri-La sits at the very beating heart of Hong Kong. Opened in 1991, and used by generations of Hong Kongers for family celebrations, evenings out, leisurely spa days or to mark special festivals around Chinese New Year, mid-Autumn Festival, and Christmas, it is a busy hub of real city life.

A city hotel, Island Shangri-La nonetheless retains the calm feel of an urban resort - and the ongoing multi-year renovation has been thoughtfully planned to create spaces and experiences that ease the pace of city life. Recent developments include the opening of the award-winning wellness centre YUN WELLNESS, a serene sanctuary complete with a tranquil pool deck followed by the debut of the Family Floor which has redefined family travel, and Ming Pavilion, a new restaurant dedicated to the rich flavours of Hokkien cuisine.

The Hong Kong Suite is now available and starts at HKD60,000++ per night and includes:
- 130 sqm / 1,399 sqf
- Magnificent views across Victoria Harbour to Tsim Sha Tsui and beyond
- Luxury 1-bedroom suite with super king size bed, dining area, kitchenette, and master bathroom
- Pantry with full kitchenette equipment for finishing cooking and food serving use
- In room pantry with filter tap, duo zone wine fridge, and amenity fridge
- Complimentary Wi-Fi
- Luxurious dressing chamber concept with generous closet spaces
- Access to the Horizon Club Lounge with benefits including daily breakfast, evening cocktails
- Dedicated Butler team to help you plan your trip before you arrive
- Ceiling hanging rail for event setup, AV rack with wireless mic provision, bluetooth ceiling speaker
- Amenities
- Bath & Personal Care
- Extensive pillow menu
- Signature Bath menu
- Premium toiletries (charges may apply)
- Generous shower for 2 person with heated shower bench
- Feature bathtub (1500mm dia) fit for two person
- 21’’ Mirror TV
- Dyson hairdryer
- Skincare facial corner
- Bathrobes and slippers
- Media & Entertainment
- 65-inch flat screen television
- Complimentary Wi-Fi
- Internet Protocol television system with mirroring function
- LCD television in living room, bedroom and bathroom
- Sound bar
- Built-in Bluetooth speaker in bathroom
- Office Equipment & Stationery
- Bedside lighting, curtain controls, and wireless charging
- USB plug-in
- In-room safe
- Personal valet box
- Refreshments
- In-room maxi pantry with premium amenities
- Filtered hot and cold water drinking taps
- Guest fridge
- Coffee and tea-making facilities
- Nespresso coffee machine with capsules
- TEA CHÂTEAU machine with capsule
- Water dispenser

21/11/2025

NLEX Corp. strengthens SCTEX Safety and Reliability

NLEX Corporation, the concessionaire of the 94-kilometer Subic–Clark–Tarlac Expressway (SCTEX), has carried out a series of asset enhancement and preventive maintenance works to further reinforce road safety and provide a smoother driving experience for motorists.
“We’re focused on delivering improvements that our motorists can truly feel on the road,” said NLEX President and General Manager Luis S. Reñon. “SCTEX has long been known for its scenic and well-maintained stretches, and we are committed to upholding that reputation by continuously investing in safety and reliability.”
To ensure safer and more comfortable travel, pavement repairs covering approximately 3,700 square meters were completed from Dinalupihan to Tarlac, addressing uneven surfaces and minimizing potential driving hazards.

The company also installed 22 additional sets of rumble strips at key locations along SCTEX. These strips produce mild vibrations and audible cues for drivers, promoting more attentive and safer driving behavior. A total of 26 rumble strips are now installed across the expressway.

In addition, median or center guardrails from Dolores to Luisita are being raised by 30cm for the asphalt overlay. This adjustment maintains safety standards and preserves roadway integrity.

Earlier this year, NLEX Corporation implemented technology upgrades in SCTEX, aimed at improving toll system efficiency and enhancing overall customer experience.
“These improvements form part of our continued efforts to maintain SCTEX as a world-class expressway built on safety, comfort, and reliability,” Reñon added.

21/11/2025

Suzuki Fronx Gets 5-Star ASEAN NCAP Rating

Suzuki has achieved another major milestone as the All-New Fronx secures a coveted 5-star safety rating from the ASEAN New Car Assessment Program (ASEAN NCAP) under its 2021–2025 assessment protocol. This top rating is a powerful validation of Suzuki’s commitment to delivering vehicles that not only excite, but also protect the growing needs of today’s families and young professionals.

The tested MY25 Fronx model, manufactured in Indonesia, scored an impressive 77.70 points overall — an achievement that reflects its outstanding performance across Adult Occupant Protection, Child Occupant Protection, Safety Assist Technologies, and Motorcyclist Safety. Its strong structural design, advanced driver-assist systems, and comprehensive safety equipment all contributed to this 5-star result, reinforcing Suzuki’s global philosophy of being “By Your Side.”

At the heart of the Fronx’s safety performance is its robust HEARTECT platform, designed with high-rigidity materials that intelligently absorb and disperse impact energy to reduce cabin deformation during collisions. The structure is complemented by six airbags—covering the front, side, and curtain areas—to surround occupants with all-around protection during unforeseen impacts.

For families, child safety is an absolute priority. The Fronx features standard ISOFIX anchor points and top tether hooks, ensuring child seats can be securely and confidently installed. All seats are equipped with seatbelt reminders, reinforcing safety as a daily habit for every passenger, from front to back.

A large part of the Fronx’s 5-star achievement lies in its suite of Suzuki Safety Support technologies. These intelligent systems are designed to prevent accidents before they happen. Features such as Forward Collision Warning, Autonomous Emergency Braking, Lane Departure Warning, Lane Departure Prevention, and Lane Keep Assist help the driver stay alert and in control at all times. On busy roads, Blind Spot Detection and Rear Cross Traffic Alert provide crucial awareness of surrounding vehicles, especially motorcycles—one of the key considerations evaluated by ASEAN NCAP.

For everyday driving confidence, the Fronx is equipped with Electronic Stability Control (ESC), Anti-lock Braking System (ABS), Electronic Brakeforce Distribution (EBD), and Hill Hold Control, all working together to maintain stability and traction on varying terrains and sudden road situations. Visibility is further enhanced with Auto High Beam, helping drivers maintain optimal lighting without causing glare to oncoming vehicles.

For young professionals navigating city streets and weekend adventures, and for parents prioritizing the safety of their loved ones, the All-New Fronx delivers a reassuring blend of protection, intelligence, and reliability. Its recent ASEAN NCAP 5-star recognition is not just a badge of honor — it is a clear statement that Suzuki is committed to empowering every journey with unmatched safety.

With the All-New Suzuki Fronx, peace of mind comes standard — ensuring that every destination is reached securely, confidently, and with the people who matter most.

16/11/2025

15/11/2025

Today's Highlights:
1. Auto Focus Test Drive / Auto Salon / Transport Show / Sport Truck Show
2. Petron launches Sprint Scooter Oil
3. Cong Franz Pumaren conducts hearing on MC Taxi Law