Let's Do The News! (December 29, 2016)

- President Rodrigo Duterte admitted that he is indebted to Ilocos Norte Governor Imee Marcos. In his first live interview on Philippine television after assuming the presidency, Duterte said that he has a debt of gratitude to at least three persons, including the Ilocos Norte governor. The president earlier claimed that the eldest child of the late dictator Ferdinand E. Marcos was among the politicians who funded his presidential campaign.

- PNP Director General Roland "Bato" Dela Rosa added two new commandments to the "Decalogue" of the police's campaign against indiscriminate firing especially during the New Year. Dela Rosa appealed to the public and to fellow PNP personnel not use their firearms to welcome the New Year as these threaten life and property.

- Members of the House of Representatives file complaint against Ronnie Dayan, the former driver and lover of Senator Leila de Lima, for failing to appear before the congressional body that summoned him. In a complaint filed at the Department of Justice on Thursday, Dayan violated Article 150 of the Revised Penal Code sanctioning "disobedience to summons."

- US Secretary of State John Kerry warned that Israel's refusal to stop building Jewish settlements on Palestinian territory is undermining any attempt to achieve a lasting peace int he region. In his 70-minute plus speech, Kerry said the two-state solution that President Obama and his predecessors have been pushing for is "now in jeopardy" and the continued settlement building by the Israelis is cementing "a one-state reality that nobody really wants."

- The US government has reportedly decided to take retaliatory measures against Russia for an alleged cyber attack to interfere with the US presidential election. Reports told that the actions to be taken by the Obama administration are expected to include economic sanctions and diplomatic measures. They say the administration will likely announce the measures as early as this week.

- Japanese Defense Minister Tomomi Inada has paid a visit to Tokyo's Yasukuni Shrine. Thursday visit to the shrine was her first since assuming the defense portfolio. The shrine not just honors Japan's war dead but also those convicted of war crimes after the Second World War. Inada said US President Barack Obama visited Hiroshima earlier this year, and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe paid tribute to the war dead in Hawaii's Pearl Harbor, noted that the two countries, which waged the harshest battles during the war, are now the strongest allies.

- Another criticism has drawn on Amazon's The Grand Tour, this time on last week episode's Conversation Street segment where Richard Hammond thinks that eating ice cream is for homosexuals. That comment drawn flak from the LGBT community as well as the company behind the popular ice cream bar in question.

- According to reports, Takata is preparing a deal with federal prosecutors that could lead to a billion dollar settlement that could be reached sometime in early 2017. Takata would have to plead guilty to criminal misconduct as well.

- A day after the death of Star Wars veteran Carrie Fisher, another veteran actress died, this time it's Debbie Reynolds at the age of 84. Reynolds was well-known for her 1952 musical film Singin' In The Rain alongside Gene Kelly. According to her son Todd, she was rushed to the hospital due to stroke.

TTFN!!!

Remembering 2016: 16 motoring bits

Continuing on this 2016 year in review, focus is now drawn in the world of cars. Throughout the course of this year, the world of motoring continues to change; from new models, concepts, tech, laws, even motoring shows on TV as well. Some have changed, some have left, and some stayed the same.

Time to jot down the 16 motoring-related tidbits that changed the world in 2016...

1) Bugatti unveiled the much-awaited successor of the legendary Veyron hypercar, called the Chiron at the 2016 Geneva Motor Show. The newest Bugatti comes with an all-new W16 engine producing over 1,500HP of power and 1,180lb-ft of torque. Equipped with the most modern technology made for this new car as well as the improved 7-speed gearbox from the Veyron, the top speed is limited to around 261mph. Apart from that, the Chiron comes with a new bodywork that delivers a drag coefficient of just 0.35 in Top Speed mode.

2) The 2016 Formula 1 season has been one heck of a battle between the two Mercedes-AMG drivers Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg. From Melbourne to Abu Dhabi, every moment has been one heck of a battle between them and in the end, Hamilton's title as the world champion has been snagged by Rosberg but following his championship win, Nico Rosberg made a shocking announcement that he will be retiring from Formula 1 racing.

3) Tesla made some headlines with their high-tech Autopilot feature that features autonomous driving tech following strings of accidents involving Tesla drivers engaging this feature. Following the flawed tech, Tesla worked so hard to improve the Autopilot feature until they're ready for primetime on newer Tesla models like the upcoming Model 3 saloon and the facelifted Model S, now with the more powerful P100D variant with 762HP of power and 0-60mph time is two and a half seconds.

4) Lamborghini honors the 100th birthday of its founder, Ferruccio Lamborghini, by launching a special machine called the Centenario. Sold out before its announcement at the Geneva Motor Show, the Centenario is the most powerful Lamborghini ever made with 760HP of power and 349kph of top speed. It got featured in the Forza Horizon 3 game as well.

5) The 2016 Super GT season has faced a new turn in events following the Kumamoto quakes in April that cancelled their third round that supposed to held at the Autopolis. Therefore, the final round, which was held at the Twin Ring Motegi, is a two-parter, but still, the champions of the Autobacs Super GT 2016 Series go to the #39 DENSO KOBELCO SARD RC F, driven by Heikki Kovalainen and Kohei Hirate, for the GT500 class and the #25 VivaC 86 MC, driven by Takeshi Tsuchiya and Takamitsu Matsui, for the GT300 class.

6) It all started as a motoring show run by former Top Gear presenters Tiff Needell and Vicki Butler-Henderson, among many others, that was aired on Channel 5 from 2002 and transferred to Discovery Channel UK from 2012 to 2014, and History Channel UK since last year, but now, according to Tiff's twitter message, Fifth Gear is officially finished after its 14-year run.

7) Top Gear has returned in BBC Two last May 2016...with disastrous results all thanks to radio DJ Chris Evans doing his first and only job as the new presenter of BBC's hit TV series alongside Friends actor Matt LeBlanc, Rory Reid, motoring journalist Chris Harris, racing driver Sabine Schmitz, and Eddie Jordan. After the show's unsuccessful revamp, Evans decided to quit his presenter job and let LeBlanc, Reid, and Harris, among many others to continue this show without him.

8) The 2016 24 Hours of Le Mans has became one of the most desperate motorsport events of 2016 and just as we thought that Toyota's going to win the match, mechanical failures ruined their chances of winning, giving Porsche a chance to win this year's premier endurance match in France.

9) By winning the 2017 NASCAR Sprint Cup Championship, Jimmie Johnson scored his 7th championship win, joining the ranks of other veterans like Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt.

10) Mitsubishi got embroiled in a fuel consumption scandal when Nissan found out the dirty secret behind the kei cars they made for both of them, therefore forcing them to suspend sales of these affected kei cars. Soon after, Mitsubishi has been hit hard from the scandal and therefore sealed its fate with the Renault-Nissan alliance.

11) The 2016 DTM Championship has been one heck of a ride for German's finest. With Marco Wittman and his BMW won the driver's championship this season, Eduardo Mortara and his Audi propelled their way to manufacturer title win.

12)  The two-part London finale at the 2015-2016 season of the FIA Formula E Championship really ends this season with a major twist unheard of in the world of motorsports as Sebastien Buemi and Lucas di Grassi ended up not finishing the last race but thanks to the "fastest lap" tiebreaker, Buemi wins and he is named as the FIA Formula E 2015-2016 champion. For the 2016-2017 season, big changes have occured.

13) Following the ongoing dieselgate scandal, Volkswagen announced that it will withdraw from its successful World Rally Championship career while Audi, after their long successful career, has ended their Le Mans journey as well as its World Endurance Championship activities.

14) As the countdown to the end of Australian car production looms, Ford Australia ended their Australian car production as the last Ford Falcon rolled off the assembly line. The Falcon in question is a blue XR6 saloon, which rolled off the line at its Broadmeadows plant in Melbourne since early October, three months after the last Falcon Ute rolled off the line, signalling the end of its 9-decade history of Australian production for Ford.

15) The first Ford GT has finally rolled of the production line in the Markham plant in Ontario, signalling the start of its new chapter. Following its historic class win at Le Mans, the production of the new Ford GT is more than just a Christmas miracle for the Blue Oval fans worldwide.

16) Former Top Gear hosts Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond, and James May finally returned on the airwaves on Amazon's original car show, The Grand Tour. Although the new show may have the same Top Gear chemistry like the good old days, The Grand Tour puts more emphasis on the hosts themselves aside from driving fast cars, crude humor, and celebrity casualties aside.

There are many motoring-related tidbits that changed the world in 2016 but let's leave it here and move on to the next topic later on.

Suzuki Spacia Custom Z

2017 Suzuki Spacia Custom Z

Let's introduce to the new Suzuki Spacia Custom Z, the latest addition to the Spacia lineup that features a different kind of front face that is even more unique than the regular Spacia Custom model and no matter which customers will be targeted by it, the Spacia Custom Z offers the same features from most of the Spacia range.

While the exterior looks as highly questionable as a youth wearing three noserings on his right side, the interior still retains its class-leading dimensions that fits just about anyone or anything. Apart from that, the Spacial Custom Z still comes with the revolutionary S-ENE-CHARGE system that assists the 660cc R06A engine's acceleration with a motor by adopting the Integrated Starter Generator and a Li-ion battery that specifically made for this system. With that, fuel economy is expected to be around 30.6km/L. 26.8 if you opt for the turbocharged variant, of course.

The Spacia Custom Z also comes with a dual camera brake support system, which detects the vehicle and pedestrians from about 5kph in the speed range of about 100kph and to avoid collisions, the automatic braking feature triggers with the alarm and then it stops. Other features in this new system include a lane departure warning function, and a stagger alarm function, among many others.

The Spacia Custom Z starts at 1,490,400 Japanese Yen, which is somewhat slightly more costly than a normal Spacia Custom, but it still undercuts against rivals like the Daihatsu Tanto Custom or the Mitsubishi eK Space Custom. With this new model, you now have different kinds of Spacia to choose from,

Photo: Suzuki Motor Corporation

Let's Do The News! (December 28, 2016)

- Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is set to visit the Philippines on January 12 and 13, the first head of state to visit the country under the Duterte administration, according to Foreign Affairs Secretary Perfecto Yasay Jr. Yasay states that Abe's visit reciprocates Duterte's own successful trip to Japan last October.

- The National Bureau of Investigation has now the custody of high-profile inmate Jaybee Sebastian due to death threats. Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II confirmed that Sebastian was transferred to NBI custody from New Bilibid Prison on Tuesday night.

- Former senator Ramon "Bong" Revilla Jr. requested anti-graft court Sandiganbayan to grant him furlough to visit his father for the second time this month. His father, former Senator Ramon Revilla Sr., was admitted to St. Luke's Medical Center - Global in Taguig City last December 22 due to kidney inflammation.

- Republican Arizona Senator John McCain said that despite rhetorics from US President-elect Donald Trump, the United States will remain committed to NATO and Baltic security. McCain told reporters that he and Estonian leaders discussed the outcome of the American election.

- House Republicans have proposed punishing representatives who shoot video or take photos on the floor of the chamber following a dramatic sit-in in June by House Democrats demanding a vote on gun control legislation that was streamed live online.

- French police are investigating the possibility that a text message sent from a missing Japanese student was sent by someone else in an attempt to delay the search. A 21-year-old Japanese student went missing after having dinner with another foreign student in his 20s on December 4th in the eastern city of Besancon. The head of her language school says a classmate received a text message from her at about 1130 hours on December 5th after she was absent from class in the morning.

- Veteran actress Carrie Fisher passed away at the age of 60. Fisher was famed for being Princess Leia from the Star Wars franchise and later endured drug addiction and stormy romances with veteran actors, including Harrison Ford. Her last appearance was from 2015's Star Wars The Force Awakens and filming on her next appearance in 2017's Star Wars sequel film has finished.

TTFN!!!

Remembering 2016: Best of TV

2016 has been a great year for TV shows from across the globe. From dramas, actions, fantasies, cartoons, anything you mention about TV show is what made 2016 a great year. Packed with joy, sadness, anger, disgust, and fear, couch potatoes from all corners of the world express their feelings every time they talk about their favorite TV shows, especially their new favorites.

So, as we are nearing the year's end to give way to the year 2017, what are the 16 best bits from TV that made this year great, I presume?! Oh, and I do have to warn you that there are spoilers everywhere so READ AT YOUR OWN EXPENSE!!!

1) While they were waiting for the next season of BBC's Sherlock to arrive until January 1st, 2017, fans got themselves an even better treat during the waiting game; a TV special titled The Abominable Bride. In this special, the story they all new are reverted straight to its roots and while it has the proper, historical, setting that most Sherlock Holmes know-alls know about, the recipe remains the same and actors Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman really do adapt to their roles of Holmes and Watson in the old age London, England.

2) The first half of the On The Wings of Love finale sees Leah (Nadine Lustre) and Clark (James Reid) getting married...finally, while on the second half of the finale sees the newlyweds performed live onstage! This is the first time a TV drama like this pulled off the best sendoff to one of the Philippines' hit love teams like JaDine.

3) In the finale of GMA's rather controversial, yet compelling, drama series about a transgender named Destiny Rose, moments after Destiny (Ken Chan) was pushed by Jasmine and suffered from a comatose, he survived and now he's reunited with his mother Daisy and sister April. However, Jasmine still has other plans now that Destiny's returned. Jasmine plots to kill Destiny until Destiny's dad, Lito, popped up to stop Jasmine and save Destiny, despite his hatred to his transgender son. Now that the threat to Destiny's life is finally over, the family finally reconcile with peace, although his father Lito is still unknown after he saved his life. Minutes later, Gabriel (Fabio Ide), the love of Destiny's life, admitted his true feelings to Destiny and he loves Destiny for who he is.

4) The 2016 reboot of The Powerpuff Girls on Cartoon Network shows that the return of a childhood classic isn't just more stylish than ever, it's just been refined, recharged, and reloaded to the highest POW factor. With new adventures, new and returning villains, and a new school life, this new PPG never felt so alive.

5) The Weirdmageddon finale of Disney's hit TV show Gravity Falls sees the end of the Pines twins' paranormal adventures through this mysterious town in Oregon where stranger things happening every day. It was very sad to see the end of the Pines' hilarious but thrilling adventures but fans will have this show a longing place to their hearts forever. Nothing says that this is already an instant classic 'till the very end.

6) The fourth season of Orphan Black sees Sarah Manning and the Clone Club uncover the Neolution conspiracy, even with disastrous results. From unlikely alliances, betrayals, suspense, every episode in the fourth season is explosive in every way and we can expect how it ends when the fifth and final season is coming next year. Get ready to say farewell with the Clone Club, ladies, and gents.

7) Nickelodeon's new cartoon show, The Loud House, centers on the hilarious misfits of Lincoln Loud, who lives in a household packed with ten sisters, four pets, and an endless mess of chaos one after another. Be it a power outage, Luan's pranks, sneaking on a live concert, a ride on a limo, having a crush on a tutor, or even saving Christmas, every moment is a mess out there but for Lincoln, how hard can it be?!

8) There are 100 Disney Channel Original Movies aired on TV and the 100th DCOM is Adventures of Babysitting, starring Descendants' Sofia Carson and Girl Meets World's Sabrina Carpenter in a hilarious adventure round the city, causing one heck of a ruckus with the kids until it gets sorted out without having the parents knowing it.

9) There's a new addition to the long line of Disney princesses and I'm referring to Elena of Avalor. As a spin-off from the hit TV series Sofia the First, the Crown Princess of Avalor, that is Elena, embarks on an adventure to meet new friends, explore hidden worlds, and restore the glory of her home kingdom. There's even a special episode where two iconic Disney princesses on TV, Sofia and Elena, come together as well.

10) One year has passed since AlDub became a household name in every Filipinos around the world and even though they've celebrated their very milestone with their "Imagine You and Me" film, there's still more unfinished businesses with their Kalyeserye segment on Eat Bulaga until the great moment arrived where they got married and gave birth to their twins Charmaine Nidora and Richard Nidoro.

11) The 2016 rebirth of GMA's hit fantaserye, Encantadia, is more than just a rebirth, it's the continuation that picks up where the original saga left. By witnessing the longstanding battle of the four kingdoms and the sangres that guard the four elemental jewels, the 2016 Encantadia has became one of the must-watched shows not just in the Philippines but also worldwide via GMA Pinoy TV.

12) Who says men make the most fun on their late night shows? For Samantha Bee, she broke barriers by hosting her new late night show titled Full Frontal, showing that even women can make the most fun on it.

13) The new Netflix original series Stranger Things is one heck of a scarefest for bingewatchers as bizarre-looking children became the center of this new series when people in a small town of Hawkins went missing.

14) From the world of Doctor Who comes a new spin-off show called Class. It's about the life and times of Coal Hill students trying to deal with their daily lives until they can take care with series of catastrophes they can brace themselves. War, fear, invasion, it's just another day at Coal Hill in a new Doctor Who spin-off that has more sex appeal than the other spin-off series, Torchwood.

15) The Heroes vs. Aliens crossover event of four DC comics shows is one on the many ways they can't get enough of craving with Supergirl, The Flash, Arrow, and Legends of Tomorrow. On this four-day epic crossover event, heroes from different sides of the universe band together to stop an imminent alien threat one after another until it was averted.

16) While Whovians are waiting for the new season of Doctor Who, the 2016 Christmas special, titled The Return of Doctor Mysterio, is a definitive proof that The Doctor is back. With special guests Justin Chatwin from Orphan Black, Matt Lucas, and Charity Wakefield, The Doctor made a fateful encounter with a masked superhero while dealing with a earth-threatening conspiracy.

There are so many great TV stuff happened in 2016 but let's leave it here and move on to the next topic on this yearender.

Fourth-generation Suzuki Swift

2017 Suzuki Swift

Well, this is unexpected for Suzuki to unveil a new car just before the year ends, but still, the Japanese small car company has unveiled the brand new Suzuki Swift to deliver a swift response to the motoring public that demands a compact car with the good balance of efficiency and performance at the same time. So, how can this new model shows that it's here today and ready for tomorrow's world?

2017 Suzuki Swift

First and foremost, let's take a look on the exterior design and well, what do you think? The new looks is like the best of both worlds! You have a front grille that looks like it came from the Hyundai Veloster, the front lamps look vaguely similar to the Jaguar F-Type, the side view looks like it came from the Peugeot 3008, and the back view looks like it came from its Indian-born relative, the Baleno. How simple was that? It's like a melting pot of diversity and culture all wrapped up into one freshly-made sukiyaki.

2017 Suzuki Swift interior

2017 Suzuki Swift interior

The new interior is a clear reminder why it's starting to take shape for a world-class hatchback and while this is basically more roomier than the old model, it's got lots of features you can toy around such as this nifty sat-nav which comes with Apple Carplay and (yes, really) Android Auto. When I said Android Auto, they really mean it because this is the second time a Japanese carmaker had a car with Android Auto compatibility since the Nissan Serena a while back. Anyway, don't get all hasty because while the new interior is now roomy enough to make amends at the back, its still as regular as...hmmm...a cup of coffee you had in the morning.

2017 Suzuki Swift

Now, let's move on to the really interesting bits about the new car and for the new Swift, this world-class hatchback is the first to use the brand new HEARTECT platform, which promises improved rigidity, performance and weight loss. Speaking of weight loss, the new model now weighs less than a Ford Focus or a Lotus Elise. Which means, with a car that weighs less than a ton, the handling is now more enjoyable than ever and you can really drive it over and over again as long as you don't ring a bell on anyone about what happened to this one. 

Under the hood, the new Swift offers a choice of a 1.0L Boosterjet three-cylinder engine and a 1.2L Dualjet engine. On the one with the Dualjet engine on it, it can be powered with Suzuki's Mild Hybrid technology featuring an Integrated Starter Generator linked to a li-ion battery pack. With the same kind of stuff as seen from the Ignis, fuel efficiency is about 27.4kmpl based on Japan's JC08 mode standards.

Don't forget; the one with the Boosterjet engine is mated exclusively with a 6-speed automatic, which sounds like a killjoy to the drivers, while non-hybrid models can be fitted with either a 5-speed manual or a CVT, and hybrid ones are mated exclusively with CVT. The more you know.

For the first time on the new Swift, a wide range of driver assists are offered ranging from brake assist, autonomous emergency braking, lane departure warning, and adaptive cruise controls. Sounds high-tech but don't get too obvious about these thingamajigs here.

The all-new Suzuki Swift starts from 1,343,520 up to 1,941,840 Yen and sales will start on the 4th of January. So, there you are. With all the major improvements made to ensure that this car is here today, ready for tomorrow's world, the all-new Suzuki Swift will become a strong seller for the leader of small cars in Japan, as long as someone from a Southern Asian country never get too nosy about this one because there could be some dire consequences on nosing around the new model.

Available colors: Burning Red Pearl Metallic, Speedy Blue Metallic, Pure White Pearl, Super Black Pearl, and Premium Silver Metallic.

Photo: Suzuki Motor Corporation\

Let's Do The News! (December 27, 2016)

- As Typhoon Nina (Nock-Ten) exits the Philippine Area of Responsibility, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council issued gale warnings to prevent fishing boats and small vessels from entering the rough seas. NDRRMC said strong to gale force winds associated with the the typhoon may still affect seaboards of Northern Luzon.

- Pampanga representative Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo was cleared by the Ombudsman from her involvement in the 900-million pesos Malampaya fund scam as well as three officials from the Department of Agrarian Reform due to lack of evidence. Meanwhile, the Ombudsman indicted alleged "pork barrel mastermind" Janet Lim-Napoles, and 24 others for their supposed participation in the scam.

- The Department of Health supports the law that will ban firecrackers as the implementation of the executive order prohibiting their use has been hampered due to concerns about its impact on jobs and livelihood. DOH Undersecretary Gerardo Bayugo said a legislation would be a "better tool" to ensure less firecracker-related injuries and damage during the New Year.

- Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe visited the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Hawaii to pay tribute to the fallen American soldiers. Abe arrived at the cemetery after his plane touched down in Hawaii shortly at 9 AM local time on Monday. About 50,000 people, including US military personnel who died in the Pacific and Vietnam wars, are buried here.

- The Russian authorities have ruled out the possibility of terrorism in connection with the crash on Sunday of a Syria-bound military plane. A Tu-154 plane crashed through the Black Sea off Sochi in southern Russia. The defense ministry said all 92 people aboard, including members of a military choir and soldiers, died.

- In case you missed it, a teaser trailer for the Blade Runner 2049 movie has arrived and you can see it here. Set 30 years after the first Blade Runner film, the film stars Ryan Gosling as the new blade runner LAPD Officer K while Harrison Ford reprises his Rick Deckard role from the original.

- Dream5, the teen group behind the hit closing theme songs from the world of Yokai Watch, will cease activity with its current members at the end of the year. The staff apologized to the group's supporters for their sudden announcement and offered them heartfelt thanks.

- Amazon's Original Series, The Grand Tour, will have a two-part special episode streaming this Friday. The special episode involves the presenters driving their beach buggies on their Namibian adventure.

TTFN!!!