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Itching for a road trip? Here are your travel essentials

February 28, 2022 3:53 p.m.

With COVID-19 cases declining, various local government agencies have recommended that Metro Manila’s pandemic restrictions be downgraded to Alert Level 1 this March.

This means traveling, without regard for age and co-morbidities, will now be allowed. Dining in at restaurants, visiting tourist attractions and entertainment venues, and going for staycations are now possible at full on-site capacity. However, owners and organizers should ensure minimum health measures, like proper ventilation, wearing of face masks, and proper handwashing, are implemented.

When this happens, will you be ready to pack your bags and travel up north for a quick weekend getaway? Shake off the cabin fever – prepare for that long overdue road trip and enrich yourself with better countryside views, the fresh air, and local delicacies.

Here’s a quick guide to help you prepare for this much-needed break:

1. Bring your vaccination and booster cards.

To be sure, it is recommended that adults and vaccinated children have their vaccination and booster cards ready for inspection. Depending on where you’re coming from, some local government units (LGU) might check for Negative RT-PCR/Antigen tests. For example, Baguio City still requires this for children aged 12 to 17 years old.

2. Tourist passes

Depending on the LGU, there might be areas that still require tourist passes. Best to check for the latest updates on your destination’s websites before hitting the road.

3. Still observe health protocols

For your safety, especially when you are traveling with family and friends, it would still be recommended to always wear your face masks, observe social distancing, and always disinfect with isopropyl alcohol and disinfectants.

4. Pre-book your accommodations

If you’re planning to stay longer than a day, it is recommended that you confirm accommodation with establishments ahead of time. Check for their requirements and restrictions so you and your travel buddies will be ready. This saves you the hassle of looking for a place to stay when you are already at your destination. With everyone wanting for a break, these hotels and resorts might even be fully booked!

5. Prepare your vehicle

If you are planning to bring your own car, it would be best to have it checked by your suking mechanic. For those of us who stay and work at home, it is recommended to have our vehicles serviced first for good measure. If your car is in tip-top shape, checking for BLOWBAG (brakes, lights, oil, water, battery, air, and gasoline) is a necessity before going on that long drive. Have your back-up water, tools, and early warning device (EWD) on the ready for any incident.

6. Plan your trip

Aside from securing accommodations and preparing your itinerary, it is also important to plan your routes and stopovers. Program your destinations on Waze or Google Maps. For emergencies when travelling north or south, always keep the expressways’ hotline handy. Good thing that there is only one hotline for the North Luzon Expressway (NLEX), Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway (SCTEX), Cavite-Laguna Expressway (CALAX), and Manila-Cavite Toll Expressway (CAVITEX) at 1-35000.

7. Check and reload your Easytrip account

When the use of radio-frequency identification (RFID) was mandated by the government in 2020, toll operators like NLEX improved their RFID services to ensure the safety and convenience of motorists. One of these providers, Easytrip Services Corp, continues to uphold this mandate through its improved RFID account management. As the innovation arm of Metro Pacific Tollways Corporation (MPTC), MPT Mobility’s Easytrip now offers various services for its registered users under myeasytrip web. Through the myeasytrip Customer Account Management System (CAMS), registered users can now do the ff:

– Check their balance and passages

– Generate their statement of account (SOA)

– Get the latest updates and advisories from Easytrip

– Get a chance to participate and win in different promos

To register your Easytrip RFID or to check if you are already registered, try this link here. Once registered, you can create your myeasytrip CAMS account here.

Reloading is also much easier as most of the Easytrip’s reloading merchants credit the loads in quick-time. For a list of reloading merchants, please check here. If you still don’t have an Easytrip RFID, subscription and sign up are so easy, just click here.

MPT Mobility will soon launch a new mobility-related services app, MPT DriveHub. All of MPT Mobility’s services like Easytrip will be on this app. MPT DriveHub will be available for download on Google Play Store and Apple App Store on March 1. 

MPT Mobility president and general manager Raul Ignacio has announced, “The digital solutions our business units will offer are all about improving mobility for Filipinos, addressing a variety of customer needs and providing life conveniences via a digital interface.” This is something to look forward to, especially when planning for trips.

With these reminders, you and your loved ones can surely have a safe and relaxing trip. Always keep yourself healthy and safe travels.

NEWS

Paolo and Miguel from Ben&Ben join Toyota Motor Asia’s ‘Move Your World Beat’ Campaign, bringing Filipino Music to a regional stage

9:46 p.m. September 13, 2026

Twin brothers Paolo Benjamin and Miguel Benjamin from Filipino indie folk-pop band Ben&Ben are bringing Filipino creativity to the regional spotlight as part of Toyota Motor Asia’s Move Your World Beat, a new culture initiative developed with creative partner VIRTUE Asia.

Through the campaign, the duo joins artists from across Asia in transforming everyday Toyota vehicle sounds into original musical compositions that celebrate creativity, collaboration, and cultural expression.

The campaign brings together established and emerging artists from across Asia to collaborate, experiment, and inspire the next generation to express their cultures through contemporary sound. The initiative also serves as an ongoing platform where Toyota empowers Asia’s creators to tell stories through music while celebrating both cultural heritage and innovation.

“At its heart, Move Your World is about Toyota’s commitment to the communities in Asia – the freedom to move, and the thrill and joy of moving forward together. With Move Your World Beat, we bring that same spirit to music, a universal language that unites our communities and moves us all a little closer,” shared Jaja Ishibashi, General Manager of Toyota Motor Asia. “By supporting creators and bringing different voices together, we hope to inspire new forms of expression and show that when we move together, we can create something greater than any one of us could achieve alone.”

As the Philippine representatives, Paolo and Miguel join a regional lineup of creators which includes Malaysia’s Belle Sisoski, Pakistan’s Natasha Noorani, Singapore’s Shye, Thailand’s Valentina Ploy, and Vietnam’s 2pillz. Launched through a TikTok-led creator programme, each artist will produce an original track using the sounds of a Toyota such as subtle clicks and ambient hums to engineered tones and reimagine them through their own distinct musical style.

By transforming the functional sounds of a vehicle into creative expression, the campaign highlights the idea that movement is not only physical, but also cultural and emotional. Each composition reflects the artist’s unique musical identity while contributing to a broader body of work that celebrates Asia’s diversity through a shared creative language.

The campaign will culminate later this year with the release of a regional collective beat, bringing together the musical contributions of artists from six countries into a single collaborative work that resonates across Asia.

Beyond this year’s rollout, Move Your World Beat is intended to continue as an ongoing platform, with each participating artist’s content contributing to future collaborations that celebrate creativity, community, and cultural exchange across the region.

For more information, follow Toyota Motor Philippines on FacebookInstagram and X, and join the ToyotaPH community on Viber.

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NEWS

Grab boosts ride safety for teens with ‘Grab for Family’ Feature

12:22 p.m. September 8, 2026

Grab Philippines is giving Filipino teens greater independence while helping parents stay connected to their journeys with the introduction of Grab for Family.

The feature enables teenagers aged 13–17 to book rides independently, while giving parents and guardians real-time visibility into their journeys and added safety controls throughout the trip.

The growing use of Grab Family Accounts among Filipino households points to the increasing role of shared mobility in everyday family life, with sign-ups more than doubling over the past year. Once onboarded, family members take about 70% more rides in their first month – underscoring the importance of shared access in making everyday mobility more convenient and more efficient for everyone under one roof.

With Grab for Family, parents no longer have to choose between giving their teenagers greater freedom and staying informed about their journeys. Once a teen is linked to a Family Account, parents can receive real-time trip updates, follow rides on a live map, communicate with the teen and driver, and access additional safety tools throughout the trip.

“Safety and peace of mind have always been important to how we serve families on Grab. We’re continuing to build on that by making it easier for parents to stay informed about their teens’ journeys, while giving teenagers the support and confidence to move around more independently,” said Grab Philippines Head of Mobility CJ Lacsican.

Keeping parents connected without getting in the way

At the core of Grab for Family is real-time visibility. Through Live Ride Tracking, Trip Monitoring and automated trip notifications, parents can stay informed without having to repeatedly call or message their teens during a ride.

Parents receive updates at key points of the journey, including when a driver is assigned, vehicle details are available, the passenger is picked up, the destination is reached and the trip is completed. A live map also allows parents to follow the ride as it happens.

The monitoring experience is designed to provide added visibility when a journey does not go as expected. Parents can be alerted about unexpected stops or route deviations, while the platform can also check in with the passenger through in-app prompts to help confirm that they are safe.

Built-in safeguards from pickup to drop-off

 

 

 

 

 

 

“As a Grab driver-partner and a mother myself, I understand how important it is for parents to feel assured that their children are safe whenever they use ride-hailing services,” said Lisza Buscaino-Redulla, President of the United Transportation Coalition Philippines, Inc. “Many families rely on platforms like Grab for the daily commutes of their teenage children, which is why we welcome the introduction of the Family Account as an important step toward giving parents assurance that their children get to wherever they need to be safely.”

More information on Grab for Family is available through the Grab app and official website.

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NEWS

DigiPlus earns 3 honors at 22nd Philippine Quill Awards

11:10 a.m. September 6, 2026

DigiPlus Interactive Corp., the country’s leading digital entertainment provider behind BingoPlus, ArenaPlus, and GameZone, earned three Awards of Excellence at the recently concluded 22nd Philippine Quill Awards for communication initiatives spanning business growth storytelling, integrated financial and sustainability reporting, and responsible gaming advocacy.

Organized by the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC) Philippines, the Philippine Quill Awards is one of the country’s most prestigious recognition programs for business communication, honoring organizations and professionals whose work demonstrates strategic thinking, creativity, and impact.

DigiPlus received Awards of Excellence across three categories, namely Audio/Visual, Publications, and Social Media, reflecting the company’s continued commitment to purposeful and engaging communication with its stakeholders.

In the Audio/Visual category, DigiPlus’ Dating Gawi: A Celebration of Trusted and Timeless Digital Entertainment for Filipinos earned an Award of Excellence. Developed amid significant changes in the Philippine online gaming industry, the emotionally resonant short film drew on nostalgia, trust, and continuity to reassure audiences that safe, seamless, and regulated entertainment remained accessible through DigiPlus’ official platforms. Centered on the familiar invitation, “Oh ano, dating gawi?”, the campaign generated nearly 7.9 million views.

The DigiPlus 2024 Integrated Report: “Reimagining Fun, the Filipino Way,” received an Award of Excellence in the Publications category. Anchored on global reporting frameworks, the report brought together DigiPlus’ record performance, sustainability priorities, responsible gaming leadership, and climate risk assessment into a clear and engaging stakeholder narrative. Inspired by Filipino carnival classics, the report transformed corporate disclosure into a distinctly DigiPlus publication that reflects the company’s drive for innovation, Filipino identity, and commitment to responsible growth.

Another Award of Excellence recipient is DigiPlus’ entry in the Social Media category, “Ang Gaming, Dapat Fun-Fun Lang!” Responsible Gaming Campaign. The year-long social media campaign used entertaining and relatable content, including scenario skits, ambassador videos, reminders, instructional materials, and creator partnerships, to educate players and the broader public about responsible gaming and the importance of choosing regulated platforms. The campaign generated 7.3 million combined views across DigiPlus-owned and creator channels, reinforcing the company’s commitment to advancing responsible gaming in the industry.

“These recognitions affirm the important role of communication in building trust and strengthening our relationships with our stakeholders,” said DigiPlus President Ping Chen. “As DigiPlus continues to grow and evolve, we remain committed to communicating with transparency and purpose while using our platforms to promote responsible and meaningful entertainment.”

DigiPlus’ three Awards of Excellence at the 22nd Philippine Quill Awards underscore the company’s continuing efforts to use strategic communication to strengthen stakeholder engagement, champion responsible entertainment, and tell the story of its growth and transformation.

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