Let's Do The News! (December 13, 2016)

- President Rodrigo Duterte admitted that seeking presidency was a mistake after almost six months into office. Duterte said it during the awarding of this year's TOYM yesterday at Malacañang’s Rizal Hall and he whispered something to business tycoon Manny V. Pangilinan that if he were to go back in time, he would have not committed the same mistake. Regarding the extrajudicial killings issue that involves the death of over 5,600 suspects in his war on drugs, Duterte insisted that his is not the killer his critics portray him to be, as he expressed readiness to "sacrifice" for his mission to rid the nation of drugs. He also admits that he purposely skipped the APEC leaders' gala a few weeks ago because he's not sick but because he wants to avoid US President Barack Obama. Right now, Duterte announced that all agencies must release documents and permits within thirty days.

- Bureau of Immigration deputy commissioners Al Argosino and Mike Robles will be filing a corruption of public official case against the bureau's intelligence chief, Charles Calima, for taking bribe money. Aside from the corruption of public official case, they will also be filing a complaint against him for allegedly violating the Anti-Wiretapping Act.

- House leaders filed a criminal complaint against Senator Leila de Lima, this time at the Department of Justice, for ignoring a summons for her to appear at a congressional inquiry. The leaders filed a complaint against the senator for snubbing a probe into her alleged role in the drug matrix at the New Bilibid Prison while she was Justice secretary.

- In the aftermath of the impeachment of South Korean President Park Geun-hye, a South Korean official says that despite the historical impeachment, there's no change in their ongoing policy over North Korea. Kim Hong-kyun, South Korea's Special Representative for Korean Peninsula Peace and Security Affairs, met reporters in Seoul after talks with his Japanese and American counterparts, saying there is no change in his government's position that the North must take clear steps toward denuclearization.

- US President-Elect Donald Trump named ExxonMobil CEO Rex Tillerson as a potential candidate for Secretary-of-state, according to reports. Tillerson's been with the energy giant for over four decades and he was named CEO ten years ago. Tillerson is known for his close ties with Russia as he was engaged in oil business in the country and is in good contact with Russian leader Vladimir Putin. In 2013, Tillerson was awarded the Order of Friendship by the Russian government.

- UN Secretary-General-designate Antonio Guterres has pledged to tackle global challenges. Guterres took the oath of office on Monday for his five-year term, which starts next year. He is a former Portuguese PM and has served as UN High Commissioner for Refugees.

- The European Union has agreed to lift the two-decade restrictions on Cuba. EU Foreign Policy Chief Federica Mogherini and Cuba's Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez met in Brussels on Monday as they signed an accord that calls for political dialogue and stronger economic cooperation through trade and investment.

- Amazon's original car show, The Grand Tour, which starred former Top Gear hosts Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond, and James May, is sadly became the most pirated show in history, worse than HBO's Game of Thrones and Netflix's House of Cards, as well as the new hit TV series Westworld.

- The return of the Little Match Girl song and the addition of the brand new Kiss Me Feather outfit are the star highlights of the sixth DLC catalog on the PS4-exclusive THE IDOLM@STER Platinum Stars game.

- There's a reason why you should return playing to Pokemon Go because Pichu, Togepi, and other Pokemon from the Johto region are here.



TTFN!!!

Suzuki Landy SGC27

Of course, with the collaboration between Nissan and Suzuki is slowly killing following Nissan's control of Mitsubishi Motors that spurs more than just kei cars, it seems that the last car of the Suzuki-Nissan partnership, the Serena-based Landy, is the only one left. Sure, Suzuki wanted to kill off the Landy from their lineup but with a little spark from their nearly extinct partnership, Suzuki decided to borrow a base-spec Nissan Serena C27 for their all new Landy minivan, just to see if their is little left for their partnership that is about to end soon.

2017 Suzuki Landy

2017 Suzuki Landy

Using a base-spec Nissan Serena C27 as its foundation, the new Suzuki Landy is an MPV that is well-fit for the working-class Japanese families in a multitude of prefectures everywhere and it's hard to tell the difference between the original and the borrowed one, the new Landy is still the same story as what others expected from the latest Nissan Serena.

2017 Suzuki Landy interior

Being an MPV, the new Landy offers anything what an MPV should offer. Dual sliding doors, a choice of six or seven seats, loads of compartments to store your stuff, different seating arrangements, USB ports to attach your gadgets, climate control, plasmacluster, there's even that signature dual back door as seen from the latest Nissan Serena; the one that can open either in half or in whole. Perfect for tailgating parties, camping trips, or anything you want to do on your day off or weekends with your family or friends.

2017 Suzuki Landy

Because the Landy is basically a base-spec Nissan Serena C27 borrowed by Suzuki for their last-ditch effort to preserve their wilting partnership, the new model comes with the improved S-HYBRID powertrain with total energy management that takes charge to the sub-battery unit, eco motor, idling stop, the MR20DD 2.0L petrol engine, and the CVT, capable of delivering just 16.6km/L. That's it.

For safety, because this is just a base-model Serena with no features as well as the ProPILOT tech from the high-end models, the Landy offers a host of driver assist features such as the Emergency Brake feature that halts the car by itself when it spots a moving object upfront at slow speeds as well as Lane Departure Warning, Around View Monitor with Moving Object Detection,

Parking Assist, Hill Hold Control, and Auto Light System, among many others.

The new Landy starts at 2,500,200 Japanese Yen (around $22,000 or 1,100,000 Pesos) and with a very reasonable pricing for a Serena-based minivan, it's a clear reminder that while it may be the last car that was part of their Nissan-Suzuki partnership that's about to be declared extinct following Nissan's takeover of Mitsubishi Motors, the Landy is an ideal family car that wants to be taken very seriously with care. It may not have most of the sweet spots as the latest Serena but the new Landy's reasonable pricing, fuel efficiency, and family-friendly features will make it yours.

Photo: Suzuki Motor Corporation

Porsche frees from EA exclusivity so other games can feature it

2017 Porsche 718 Cayman

In the world of racing video games, Porsche became synonymous with Electronic Arts (EA) and their driving capabilities are mostly (but not all) limited to street racing in the case of the Need For Speed franchise and Porsche fans had to play every Need For Speed title to drive Porsche's finest sportscars. However, everything's changed when a Porsche official revealed that the Porsche-EA exclusivity has come to a complete end.

Porsche Branded Entertainment Manager Sebastian Hornung told during a special event in collaboration with Kunos Simulazioni, developers of the critically-acclaimed Assetto Corsa simulation racing game, told that with the current situation "not desirable" anymore, Porsche's license with EA runs out this year. 

Outside EA and before Porsche got featured on Assetto Corsa, the Forza franchise jumped into the Porsche bandwagon with earlier installments and later ones via paid DLC. Then, this year, Assetto Corsa made a special partnership with Porsche to feature three separate DLC packs with the final one set to arrive on PC next week (featuring notable motorsport icons like the 908 Long Tail and the legendary 917K for the first time in racing video game history since NFS Porsche Unleashed).

Assetto Corsa aside, Sebastian Gerhart from the German motoring website, SpeedManiac, said that relationship with other game developers will change. In translation, other games may soon feature Porsche anytime "after 10 years of absence from pure simulations."

So, with Porsche freed from EA exclusivity for now, just imagine how many games outside of EA will feature Stuttgart's finest aside from Forza and Assetto Corsa over the next few years?

Report: https://www.gtplanet.net/porsche-pulls-plug-ea-exclusivity/

Porsche Panamera (971)

Much to the purists' disdain, the addition of Porsche's first-ever four-door saloon, called the Panamera is a clear sign that even though Porsche makes the best sportscars since the iconic 911, anything is possible to cater specific customers with different kinds of cars and even though this is a four-door Porsche that disgusts most purists, this four-door saloon has the authority to put luxury saloons to shame with its quickness, despite its weight that upsets the driver apart. With the arrival of the second-generation model, how does the all-new Panamera stand out the rest as a four-door supercar?

2017 Porsche Panamera

First, let's take a look at a rather questionable new design. At first glance, nothing's change from its gorilla-looking exterior. The hints that will tell you that this Panamera is new is the front that looks similar to the 718 while the back looks vaguely similar to the current 911 and the side looks very much unchanged from the previous generation. Underneath to its questionable exterior is a new platform that will be mentioned later but for now, let's look inside.

2017 Porsche Panamera interior

2017 Porsche Panamera interior

The new interior is pretty much NASA stuff meets a robotic vision of the late 21st century. On the driver's side, there are no buttons on it and instead replace with the touch panels on the dashboard, which is great as long as your fingers aren't covered with cheese or garlic or whatever messy you went through. Best to pack up a handkerchief and a hand sanitizer handy because the next time your hands are messy after grabbing some snacks with your hands, touching the new Panamera's dashboard can be very messy.

With the addition of the brand new long-wheelbase Executive variant, the new Panamera is now on the S-Class level of luxuriousness as a premium sedan and with the added rear legroom, there is a fearful regret that you might hire a driver to drive one for you, which is very sad for a Porsche that is meant to drive, not to be driven by a chauffeur of some sorts.

2017 Porsche Panamera

2017 Porsche Panamera

So, the exterior design is still like last time, the interior is not welcomed for those with dirty hands, what to expect on the new Panamera? Oh yeah, time to talk about that new platform underneath it. This new platform, couple it with its new aluminum side body, combines the riding comfort of a luxury car and the performance of a sportscar, giving the new Panamera a new kind of driving experience for a car that is meant to be driven by anyone without compromise. Take it for a drive and you will see how serious the new Panamera can be. It can be mild and grippy but drivers need to stay focused on this because when the fun is on, there's no time to be numb while driving the new Panamera because it maybe a luxury saloon made to cater even wealthiest industrialists but it is a serious sportscar underneath it. Does this car made for the driver who demands more? It maybe new but who knows, it can put its chief rivals, the Aston Martin Rapide S and the Maserati Quattroporte to shame.

Now, we get to see under the hood of the new Panamera. First, there's a 3.0L V6 (single or twin turbo), 4.0L V8 Twin Turbo, 4.0L V8 Diesel, and the E-Hybrid variant with the combination of a 3.0L V6 Twin Turbo engine and an electric motor. All models are mated with an 8-speed Porsche Doppelkupplungsgetriebe (Double Clutch Gearbox). The most powerful version, the Panamera Turbo, armed with the Sport Chrono package, produces 550PS of power and 770Nm. of torque. It can go 0-100kph in 3.6 seconds and onwards to 306kph. The E-Hybrid variant, meanwhile, features similar bits and bobs inspired from the Porsche 918 Hybrid, delivering a striking balance of performance and ecology. With 278kph of top speed, 462PS of combined power, and 700Nm of torque, its combined fuel economy promises 40km/L (2.5L/100km). Sounds scientific but it can be flattering if you ask how it works.

2017 Porsche Panamera

And then we get to the safety tech, which is unheard for a Porsche but works well on city streets. One of the coolest features on the new Panamera is the night vision assistant, which uses thermal imaging to detect people and large animals. Not as military grade as those NVGs used by troops but it can be useful while driving on darkest nights. There are other kinds of safety tech offered on the new Panamera but listing most of it can be a total waste when mentioning luxury sports cars that focused solely for driving purposes for the car enthusiasts.

Should you buy one? The new Panamera starts from 88,989 to 166,458 Euros, which sounds like a lot for a luxury saloon of that size. Sounds expensive for a luxury saloon that remains a blasphemy for purists everywhere but when it comes to rubbing the fronts of its rivals like the Rapide and the Quattroporte, the all new Porsche Panamera still wants its authoritarian trait as a Porsche remain and when it comes to making anyone jealous to test drive one, it's anyone's loss because...sigh...it's hard to describe when will we have the chance to drive one and that's way too specific for teary-eyed ones wanted to drive a Porsche someday.

Photo: Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG

Let's Do The News! (December 12, 2016)

- Senator Leila de Lima has left the country despite protests staged against her departure. De Lima left for the US to receive an award and will later in fly to speak at the Annual Conference on Cultural Diplomacy in Berlin, Germany. She will return to the country on December 22.

- President Rodrigo Duterte would respect the decision on the electoral protest against Vice President Leni Robredo, according to Malacañang officials, after Senator Antonio Trillanes IV predicted that there will be a new VP by next year. Trillanes warned Robredo not to believe the president's statement that she would finish her term.

- The House of Representatives and the Senate have agreed to pass a joint resolution authorizing the Social Security System to give its pensioners a 1,000 peso monthly pension increase starting this month and another in 2019. Earlier, the SSS board of trustees decided to respond positively to its pensioners' clamor for an adjustment.

- Last weekend, South Korean president Park Geun Hye was suspended after the National Assembly passed the motion to impeach her over a corruption scandal involving her and her long-time friend, Choi Soon-sill. In the aftermath of her impeachment, South Korea's ruling and opposition parties have agreed to work to stabilize the country's political situation. Executives of the ruling Saenuri Party and two of the three opposition parties held a meeting on Monday and agreed to establish a special parliamentary panel to amend the constitution, with an eye toward reviewing the current presidential system. Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn is now serving as interim president.

- Foreign Minister Paolo Gentiloni was named as Italy's new prime minister after his predecessor stepped down in the aftermath of the referendum loss. President Sergio Mattarella made the announcement after consulting with political parties. Gentiloni is now set to form a caretaker government and prepare for a parliamentary election.

- Meanwhile in New Zealand, Deputy Prime Minister Bill English is now named as the nation's new prime minister. The inauguration took place on Monday after last week's surprise resignation of predecessor John Key for family reasons. English was named as party leader earlier in the day at a caucus meeting of the ruling National Party.

- As you may have aware, numerous intelligence agencies in the US were united following shocking revelations that Russia interfered the November elections just so to let Donald Trump win the presidency. Last week, CIA officials presented lawmakers with a stunning new judgment that Russia intervened with the primary aim to make Trump president.

- There's a new Wake Up, Girls! anime series coming next year. This was announced during a special WUG Festa 2016 Super Live event and with the cast reprising their roles, the new series will have a brand new look and new characters as well. Who's excited?

- The first official trailer for their eighth installment of The Fast and the Furious film, officially titled "The Fate of the Furious" has arrived and car-related carnage has filled in this trailer as well as witnessing a dark turn on Dom. The film will be out this April 14th.

- Our first look for the 2016 Doctor Who Christmas Special episode, The Return of Doctor Mysterio, is here, getting everyone ready before it airs on BBC Two this Christmas Day 2016.



TTFN!!!

Forza Horizon 3: Falcon Finale

As you may have know, Ford ended their Australian car production after over nine decades of making some of the best cars for Australian people and the last Ford the Australians ever made is, of course, the FGX Falcon. It may be sad to hear about Ford ended their Australian car manufacturing, with GM's Holden following suit next year, but for me, I haven't even got the chance to say goodbye to the last Australian Ford ever made...until now.



Because Forza Horizon 3 is set in the Land Down Under and while this game is honoring the best Australian cars in history before their manufacturing days are well and truly over, it was quite an honor for a game like this to feature the last Australian Ford ever made, which is the FG-X Falcon XR8, the grand finale for Australia's iconic Falcon marque and basically a minor change version of the FG Falcon. Although basically labeled a minor change, the FG-X Falcon is one way of giving their Australian production a proper sendoff they truly deserve. Also for this last Falcon ever made, it brought back the XR8 name, which is powered by a 5.0L V8 engine that produces 450HP of power output, making it the most powerful Falcon ever made.



By putting emphasis on the XR8, Australian car enthusiasts didn't want the Falcon's efforts to go in vain by giving the FG-X Falcon a well-deserved send-off just the way they want and within a couple of generations later, this would become a future classic, where future car enthusiasts will truly remember it for many moments to come as the last Australian Ford ever made and while it sheds us so many tears in our eyes, taking one final spin with the Falcon would be rather touching as I shall be driving the Falcon XR8 on a certain event invited to modern muscle cars and hopefully, this Falcon's efforts will not go unrewarded for me.





Well, it maybe weak on its braking while wet, it maybe difficult to handle on the bends, and it maybe challenging to drive, but in the end, I gave the FG-X Falcon an appropriately grand goodbye to Australia's iconic saloon that was been part of Australia's motoring family for over nine decades. Although the Falcon is heading itself to the great highway in the sky, fans will surely remember that those who own it will carve their own memories for many generations to come and that is why the last Ford Falcon in history was made for one purpose; storing good memories for the drivers who treated it as part of the family.

So, it's an honor to meet with the final Ford Falcon in history and your Aussie V8 power will be surely be missed. Goodbye, mate.

Bubble Gang - December 9, 2016

On the December 9, 2016 episode of Bubble Gang...

- Magtago ka gags

- The Jungle Belles met a different kind of hunter who's interested in...treasure.

- Another Buhay ng Bakla session.

- In another episode of Enkangtodo, the Hangres are being helped...by a mysterious winged ally that looks delicious!

- More irritating situations are examined...

- An inmate tells the cops about a special inmate.

- More PPAP spoofs from Taran Tawoo!

- Today's Patikim ni Kim recipe is...Hotdog a la Kim.

- The beggars are dealing with the rat problem.

- Basa-basa-pik!

Forza Horizon 3: Another #Forzathon prize car

See this legendary Ferrari 250LM? I got this from this weekend's Forzathon event involving this time Ferraris. Looks like this weekend's event centers on the prancing horses, which is somewhat a contrast from last weekend's event involving Lamborghinis. But still, it took me 50 danger sign jumps to get this car, which is of course, one of the challenges from this weekend's Forzathon event.

So, what's this 250LM all about? When it was presented at the 1963 Paris Motor Show, the 250LM is the berlinetta version of the 250 P prototype, sharing the same chassis and running gear with a few changes. It was the last Ferrari to win Le Mans, and courtesy of the North American Racing Team in 1965 driven by Jochen Rindt and Masten Gregory. There were 32 of these every made, most but not all were powered by a 3.3-litre V12 engine producing 320HP of power, Originally, Ferrari intended to homologate it for racing as a Group 3 car but FIA regulations rejected Ferrari's proposal so they made less than the required 100 units, so only 32 were made. Believe it or not, it has the highest price tag ever auctioned, starting at 14.3 million dollars.

What you're looking at here is a legendary machine with its racing pedigree and its outrageously high value, meaning that its a treasure that deserves to be kept by those who desired to live the legend and to be honest, I am more than happy to live the legend but there's a different story to that because there's something fishy going about...this legendary horse. A point I made moments later...

That was one part of the hand feels like it couldn't move while turning the wheel or was it really a glitch? No one knows but despite the slight glitch occurred, the Ferrari 250LM is more than enough to satisfy a driver like me who demands more challenges. Looks like there's going to be more Forzathon events happening with event cars coming out over the course of this month.

The Grand Tour - Episode 4

The Grand Tour Episode 4

On the fourth episode of Amazon's original car show, The Grand Tour, the boys are solving a major environmental problem involving eco-friendly materials used on cars by driving their Discovery-based cars using the sustainable materials of their choosing. James May's car is made of mud while Richard Hammond's car is like a habitat for wildlife and Jeremy Clarkson's car is made mostly of bones and animal skin, which is rather scary.

On their way to a disclosed location to do some endurance racing against certain opponents in question, the gang are venturing through the woods while pieces of materials are falling apart, well mostly for James. During the trip, his idea of a mud-bodied car didn't work so he tried polluting the nature for some alternatives. He tried bricks but it didn't work so he tried hay instead. As they make it to the race, their sustainable material cars got beaten up by cars with steel bodies real good.

During the episode, Jeremy Clarkson's making the case on the Porsche 911 GT3 RS, the hardcore version of the Porsche 911, and tries comparing it to the BMW M4 GTS, the hardcore version of the BMW M4. Then, Jimmy Carr is the latest casualty in this episode's Celebrity Braincrash, and the gang found out a clever way how criminals smuggle people using cars.

Forza Horizon 3: The Tiger's Treasure

No. There's no such thing as the fabled Yamashita treasure hidden somewhere Down Under but there's a next best thing to that; another barn find rumor!

It's located not too far from Surfers Paradise and what's inside could be a hidden treasure that has been respected by classic car aficionados everywhere. It's a rare piece of automotive history that needs to be notice. With my gear ready, it's time to find out what could this month's barn find be.

And this month's barn find is...




Well, gee willickers. I can't believe it's the legendary Sunbeam Tiger, a powerful V8 version of the car James Bond briefly drove in the opener of Bond's first film, Dr. No. In short, it's the high performance version of the Sunbeam Alpine. This is the Mark II version of the Sunbeam Tiger and with 633 of these ever made, it became a rare gem on the road. It's powered by a 289ci (4.7L) V8 engine sourced from Ford and it delivers 200hp of power, a 0-60mph time of 7.5 seconds, and top speed of 122mph. That doesn't sound quick by modern standards but the V8 noise from this thing is way top of your lola's playlist, that's for sure.

If I'm surprised, I managed to drive it to see if the Tiger lives up to its treasury status.



Now that is how the tiger's treasure feels like! Well, with 17 barn finds found Down Under, I wonder what's next on the list of barn finds that are soon to be told? Only time will tell when will they notify me the next treasure that needs to be unearthened and take it for a spin.

THREATS FROM NORTH KOREA: US military: N.Korea can mount nuclear weapon

A senior US military official says North Korea has the technology to mount a nuclear weapon on a missile. The official expressed the view that Pyongyang has obtained technology to deliver a miniaturized nuclear warhead on a ballistic missile.

The official made the remark on Thursday without offering evidence to support the claim or stating the type of missiles involved and added that the North may not have the re-entry technology needed for missiles to return through the atmosphere without burning up and hit their target. The official pointed out that one of the reasons for the North's repeated missile test launches is to gain such technology.

The US Defense Department has officially stated that it is unclear the Korean Peninsula has the technology to make a miniaturized nuclear warhead.

Source: NHK World

Let's Do The News! (December 8, 2016)

- According to Malacañang officials, the complaint filed from the self-confessed hitman from the alleged Davao Death Squad, Edgar Matobato, against President Rodrigo Duterte is only aimed to distract the chief executive from his duties. Presidential Communications Office Assistant Secretary Ana Marie Banaag said "the complaint is nothing but harassment." and stressed that the president is immune from suit. Matobato filed complaints against President Duterte and his son, Davao City Vice Mayor Paolo Duterte, for the alleged crimes of murder, torture, and kidnapping.

- Meanwhile, President Duterte has signed Executive Order 10, which seeks to create a consultative committee that will review the 1987 Constitution. The president noted that there is a need to review the constitution to ensure that the mandate of the people is "responsive to changing times."

- As the chairmanship of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations next year, the Philippines is expected to take the lead role in keeping the South China Sea issue on the table. According to an expert from a top think tank, the Philippines is the key to keeping the South China Sea agenda for ASEAN discussion. The Philippines and Vietnam, which is also a claimant state, are expected to be the "vocal of the issue."

- The BRP Andres Bonifacio, the latest ship to join the Philippine Navy, has arrived early Friday from California, where it underwent sea trials before joining the Philippine fleet. US Ambassador to the Philippines Sung Kim congratulated the Philippine Navy on their newest addition.

- An earthquake with a magnitude of 7.8 struck near the Solomon Islands in the South Pacific Ocean.The US Geological Survey says the quake struck shortly after 0430 hours local time on Friday. Its focus is estimated to be about 200km southeast of the island country's capital Honiara and 41km deep.

- The new generation Subaru Impreza has won the 2016-2017 Japan Car of the Year while the latest Audi A4 won the Import Car of the Year, Nissan Serena wins the Innovation Award for its ProPilot tech, BMW M2 Coupe wins the Emotional award, Daihatsu Move Canbus wins the Small Mobility award, and the special award goes to the Honda NSX.

- A new Lexus is set to be unveiled at next month's North American International Auto Show. Could it be the new LS?

- See how the upcoming Nintendo Switch works from the recent Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon clip.

TTFN!!!