Petron Ad Spin

I am sure everyone has seen or heard the series of advertisements from Petron referring to the XTra Unleaded fuel product which highlights its supposed better mileage. Of course, with the rising prices in fuel, everyone would have noticed this and switched to Petron to save on costs, such as I did.

Then there is this one part of the series I heard on radio where ordinary folks are giving their testimonies that they experience the extended mileage of their full tank with this Petron fuel. The ad in fact asks its listeners to send Petron their own stories on extending their mileage. Hmmm... perhaps I can contribute my own story...

That prompted me to experiment by noting the consumption of my car using Petron's XTra Unleaded and comparing them with the equivalent products from Caltex and Shell. My work permits me to be constantly on the road and I have logged at least 5,000km for this little experiment. And it was after that that I realized with amazement that the Petron product actually gives me less mileage by 10-20%! Of course, my study is not as scientific as I hope it could be to be able to show proof, but I am personally convinced of my conclusion!

Have we been had? Are we fooled into believing that Petron's XTra Unleaded has better mileage than the others? If they did, then we better not patronize Petron (short of shouting boycott!).

To be fair to Petron, I made a little research on what they actually said about their product. Perhaps their advertisements said something about the better mileage versus their own older unleaded fuel products. Or perhaps they have their very scientific study that proves that their XTra Unleaded actually gives better mileage. I browsed through the internet hoping to be able to provide here a link as to what they actually said. Amazingly, their website does not say anything. I was hoping to find their story on the Honda 1114km run in 1 full tank with Pocholo Ramirez, which is basically the center of their campaign, but instead I found only these...

... It (Petron Xtra Unleaded) also contains a unique gas-saving additive that promotes more efficient combustion and lower fuel consumption

...Provides improved fuel economy for extra mileage

Hmmm... is it not odd that Petron has a major marketing campaign centering on the Pocholo-driven Honda on TV and radio but the story is not anywhere on their website? Is it not odd that there are countless press releases about the campaign but even their website's news section, events or promotions do not carry it?

So what I am left with are the press releases from the different news sites, such as the Manila Times, the Manila Bulletin, Business World, and the Philippine Star, and online automotive websites, such as from AutoIndustriya, and Motioncars.

All the above press releases did not say about how they did the run. Except for this one from the Tribune which runs contrary to what the other press releases has claimed (i.e. normal driving conditions, passed through Metro Manila traffic conditions). May I post the entire news report here before they get deleted (which I now suspect is happening).

Ilocos Norte to Sorsogon:
"Jazz" One Full Tank of Petron Xtra Unleaded

Tuesday, 06 07, 2005

What can I say, the trip was tiring and
exhilarating, and it surely turned out to be a learning experience. The Petron Xtra Econorun was created to highlight Petron's extra mileage by traveling through the whole stretch of Luzon, particularly from Ilocos Norte to Sorsogon, on just one tank of fuel. The official cars used for the test run were 2 units of Honda Jazz 1.3 M/T. The entire run, complete with photo video coverage crew, was starred by official drivers headed by Pocholo Ramirez, operations and support personnel, Ace-Saatchi representatives, Petron officers, and observed by members of the Automobile Association of the Philippines (AAP) as well as the Car Awards Group Inc. (CAGI).

It all started on the night of March 30 at a Petron Station in Pagudpud, Ilocos Norte, where the two official cars were filled up to the brim with Petron Xtra unleaded fuel. The cars were shaken or jarred to release the air in the tanks so that even the pipes leading to the tank could contain fuel. After around 45 minutes of patiently filling up the tanks of the two vehicles, Dennis Lopez of AAP, and myself as representative of CAGI, sealed the fuel cap covers. The trip meters were then reset to zero and it was time to start the run - this was at 11 p.m. The convoy consisted of 7 Honda vehicles, 2 of which were the official cars. The lead car, a Honda CRV 2.0 A/T driven by Raul Asuncion with Belle Alba (Grounds Commander), was supposed to give the convoy information by radioing the group on traffic situations up ahead, and like when it was safe to overtake, etc. The next car, or as Pocholo
Ramirez would call it, "yaya" car, was a Honda Jazz 1.3 CVT driven by yours truly, with Joey Lanuza. As "yayas" or point men, our task was to lead the official car and guide its way, within an allowable distance. The 3rd car in the convoy was one of the official cars, a Honda Jazz 1.3 M/T driven by no less than Pocholo Ramirez with Aldo Fernandez. The next car, also a "yaya" car, was a Honda Jazz 1.3 CVT driven by Barry Ortiz with Aris Ilagan (CAGI) and Rochel Tugbang (Petron). The fifth car was the second official car, a Honda Jazz M/T driven by Louis Ramirez with Sheila Ramirez. The sixth car, a Honda Civic 2.0 I VTEC A/T driven by Denise Santos with Dennis Lopez (AAP) and Inigo Jose Sinson (Ace-Saatchi), served as a sweep car ensuring that all vehicles were accounted for. The last vehicle on the convoy, a Honda CRV 2.4 real time 4WD M/T driven by Sonny Oliveros, contained the photo video coverage crew consisting of Ivan Caluloy, Joval Dioquite and Joseph Chua.

It was quite difficult to see the sights along the way since we drove at night - "Tito Poch" preferred night driving in order to avoid the daytime traffic, and the scorching heat of the day. Considering the fact that we all drove at 40-60 kph and occasionally a downhill 80 kph, it was boring and sleep inducing at times. I guess Tito Poch's choice of classical music in his car was to condition him to be patient enough to drive this slow on the expressway! Luckily our vehicles were loaded up like
mini convenient stores complete with chips, soft drinks, mineral water and thanks to Joey Lanuza, Bonamine tablets.

The only time we (in the support cars) could speed up was when we raced to catch up with the convoy after rest room breaks. Too bad for the official cars, they had to maintain their speeds in order to conserve the fuel in their tanks. To top it off, they did not use air conditioning for the same reason. We reached Tarlac, then Pampanga at sunrise of March 31, checked in at Paskuhan Hotel in San Fernando, and called it a night - or was it day? The next flag off was 10 p.m. that night, and our
destination was the Bicol region.

The expressway then had a lot of slow moving trucks, which we had to avoid, not to mention the numerous vehicular accidents we saw. It was midnight when we reached Balintawak Market, then drove nonstop (except for a few of us in the support cars that stopped for rest room breaks) till we reached Lucena in the morning of April 1. By the time we were in Legaspi, both official cars had their reserve lights on. The official car driven by Pocholo Ramirez finally ran out of gas in Sorsogon, around 50 km. short of Matnog. The Petron Xtra Econorun was finally over and the Honda Jazz 1.3 M/T travelled 1,113.9 km with 1 full tank of fuel filled to the brim. Now that's
what I call ECONOMY!

So now, it seems that this Tribune piece shows that the Petron Honda Jazz run is not performed anywhere near "normal driving conditions".

Hmm..., are we not led to believe by the Petron Ads that the Honda Jazz run was made in normal driving conditions? Are we not led to believe that the run goes through Metro Manila traffic and all? Did we not understand that the run went through under the heat of the sun (as shown in the advertisements - where all are in daylight).

Now this is serious. I think that I should make further inquiries on this. Those who can help me, please do.

A Spin on Murdered Journalists

I am not sure why, but it is human nature to give courtesy to the dead. This human nature comes from our own fears, I think, perhaps fear of the dead, or of our own death, or of what people would think of us after our own death. Whatever the reason, it is common to hear that dead people are praised or commended for the good deeds they did while alive.

Sometimes, death also can be used to bring home a point. We are so much used to venerating dead heroes. One qualification of being a hero is being dead, it seems.

And then, there are dead journalists... Other journalists, such as those with the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines, NUJP, now say that this is a direct assault on freedom of the press. Also, they say, that being a journalist in the Philippines is very risky and more dangerous than being a journalist in other countries, 2nd only to war-torn Iraq. With about 7 journalists dead already in 2005 alone (as per NUJP), the conclusions seems logical.

But this is pure spin.

Yes, there are murdered journalists, but are they just journalists and nothing else? Or are they even real journalists?

There are murdered politicians too. There are murdered leftists and rightists. In fact, there are even murdered bystanders and ordinary folks. Even our recent national hero, Ninoy Aquino, was a victim of this crime. Most of these murders are unresolved. And yes, the murderers and their masterminds are free to plot and murder people again and again.

Everyone involved in politics, not just the journalists among them, not even just those who are doing what is right, are the targets of the murders. In our country, everyone in politics is fair game. It is wrong to say that the murders of journalists is an assault on press freedom. It just shows how dirty Philippine Politics is. Those journalist who talk about press freedom this way, are obviously into dirty politics themselves.

What is sad and abominable is the fact that the murderers are not caught and brought to justice, even when sometimes everyone knows who they are. Another sad fact is that so called journalists and the leaders in our mass media are not doing anything to help but prefer to play the same dirty game of politics.

I am not Aldo, but he surely sounds like me

Today, I saw from Inq7.com a reader's (Aldo Arza, Pasig City) commentary on our mass media. I can't believe that I totally have the same thoughts. It is now clear to me that the country's problems with our mass media has already become so obvious that two persons who totally do not know each other would have the same lamentation. If there are two people, there could surely be a lot more!

Some exerpts from his piece that I totally agree with:

... I am deeply skeptical about the motives and actuations of reporters, editors and columnists. I regret that I bear this stance, but the evidence stares us all, except the rabidly blind, in the face.

Yes, those who do not see what is happening is blind (or lulled, as in "hello?").

There is so much b.s. floating around about serving the public interest and upholding the people's right to know.

Sounds like Kapuso and Kapamilya?

Bad news that is propagated bereft of facts and premised on prejudices and weightless opinion.

Hey, may I add here... even supposed good news!

I would even say the media have shifted to mercenary mode and allowed themselves to become a political tool of certain groups.

Note that merriam-webster defined mercenary as.. "one that serves merely for wages; especially : a soldier hired into foreign service". To put it more bluntly, like an assasin but on a grander scale!

Mercenaries, unprincipled politicians and demolition specialists who pass themselves off as media men are an abomination and affront to the handful of media practitioners who have adhered to the honor code of their craft.

Change, or be rendered irrelevant.

Don't worry Aldo, whoever you are... if media won't change... we'll change them!

War

Inq7.net reported that President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo today lambasted media for covering among others "Kangaroo courts, lynch mobs and witch hunts". (report here)

“I appeal to you not to be used, wittingly or unwittingly as pawns in political games for destabilization schemes," she said in a speech at a top-level management conference of the Kapisanan ng Brodkaster ng Pilipinas (Association of Broadcasters of the Philippines, KBP) in Baguio City Thursday.

This is one of the very few times I agree to what PGMA said (but never should we forget that she used the same media to succeed and get to where she is now), well I partially agree, at least. Media is not a "pawn". Media is one of the players.

Meanwhile, the same press report said that a director of the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP), Ms. Rowena Carranza Paraan, retorted that "Arroyo’s remarks were tantamount to declaring war against the media".

"Calling us a drag to democracy and tools for destabilization is declaring war against [us]" NUJP director Rowena Carranza Paraan told INQ7.net.

Excuse me, Ms. Carranza, but it seems to me that you are threatening the President. With the power naturally vested on media by democracy, you must be careful of what you say. It is one thing for the President to criticize media while media criticizes the President. But when you tell the President that you look at her statements as if she is declaring war against you, is that not a threat?

Media knows its powers. Unfortunately, their practitioners just want to profit from it. It is easy to see now that so called journalists will use this power whenever or wherever they want to use it. There is no more truth in media, only vested interests.

Indeed, media has long ago already declared war: a war against truth.