The past three months have been extremely busy for the motoring beat and for yours truly. Two trips to China with BYD and Omoda & Jaecoo and Japan with Honda. Those were working trips, although with some free time along the way. 

But the last couple of weeks were reminiscent of some months in the past when events came one after another and in many cases were held on the same days.

Last 6 November, Lexus Philippines opened the new Lexus Manila Gallery at Bonifacio Global City in Taguig. It is bigger and has additional facilities like a virtual golf room and massage chairs on its second floor. But I miss the tree that was maintained in the middle of the lobby of its previous showroom.

12 November was tough as we had to cover three events on the same day. Vinfast launched its industry-first Residual Value Guarantee (RVG) Program, a buyback vehicle initiative that will redefine aftersales confidence in the electric vehicle sector

Next was Petron at the Seda Hotel at BGC. They had a festive launch of the new scooter/motorcycle oil called Sprint.

In the evening, it was the turn of the Bank of the Philippine Islands to host their media thanksgiving night, which was full of fun games and raffle prizes. The party had the theme “Once there was a dream,” so several attendees came in their astronaut, athlete, bride, soldier, contractor, doctor, and a lot more attire. 

I opted to wear my 1996 Atlanta Olympics jacket, now a collector’s item. It was my dream to cover big sports events, and Atlanta was one of the most memorable.

13 November was equally a tough day. Forvia, distributor of car parts and accessories like windshield wipers, horns, and speakers, to name a few, launched the new Hella engine oil from Germany.

That same day saw the opening of the four-day Autofocus Pre-Christmas Test Festival at the SM Mall of Asia Concert Grounds in Pasay City.

It was an opportunity for prospective car buyers to test drive various vehicle models in one venue. The Manila Auto Saloon also opened at the SMX Convention Center at MOA. The event is very popular with car enthusiasts and lovers of sports cars, SUVs, and outdoor products.

On 14 November, Land Rover Philippines held its Land Rover OCTA Experience at the Alviera Country Club in Porac, Pampanga.

Isuzu Philippines Corporation will have its off-road driving event in Laoag City and Paoay in Ilocos Norte for the new D-Max on 18-20 November. Kia Philippines, meanwhile, will have its test drive in La Union on the same days.

On  24 November, Changan will feature its vehicles in a test drive to Villa Escudero in Tiaong, Quezon.

On  25 to 26 November, we fly to Tacloban City to cover the graduation of another batch of Isuzu-TESDA scholars in the city. This has always been an emotional event as selected but deserving students from various regions get to present their diplomas to their parents after being away from them for almost two years. We always end up teary-eyed after seeing the scholars embracing their parents or siblings after graduation.

On the same days, Jetour Auto Philippines conducts its media drive of the new Jetour T1 SUV from Manila to Subic in Zambales.

Do we hear any complaints? No, because the more events, the better, which shows the automotive industry is alive and kicking.

A few reminders, though, for driving during the holiday season- leave early to avoid traffic, have a lot of patience, give way to other motorists and other road users, especially pedestrians and cyclists, and drive safely all the time.