Friendship that goes beyond business…

The Toyota Road Trek is a 14-year-old tradition of Toyota Motor Philippines (TMP), which started in the summer of 2005.

It was conceived as an event where members of the motoring media would all together be given a chance to test on long drives all present-year car models and have a hands-on experience of their performance, safety features, amenities, technological advancements, etc.

To make the test drive package more exciting and enticing, the invited members of the media were also made to enjoy and experience the different exotic tourist spots in the country, which journalists, considering their busy schedule of perennially chasing deadlines, would find it hard to visit.

This gives the print, broadcast and online media the opportunity to relay to their readers or viewers not only their first hand driving or riding experience on the vehicles they were able to use but also the chance to dwell on the exotic places they have visited, a real local tourism booster.

Pinky Colmenares, this writer, STV’s Jenny Pineda, Aries Espinosa, and Ferdie Vinzon

Having missed only two of these much-awaited summer events when, unfortunately for me these two occasions were scheduled right smack on our usual yearly family trips abroad, through the Toyota Road Trek I had my first time visits to must-see places like Bohol’s Chocolate Hills, El Nido (Lagen and Miniloc Islands) in Palawan, Pearl Farm in Davao, etc.

Soon after the first few staging of the Road Trek, the test drive part just became an excuse for the yearly happening, which has become already widely considered as an institutional event. And this was when TMP started to consider it more as a way of giving back to the journalists for their continuing year long support not only for the Toyota brand but also for the entire local auto industry by consistently reporting and writing about all current developments in this rapidly developing business sector.

The very friendly and soft-spoken TMP president Satoru Suzuki candidly described how Toyota considers the Road Trek and how Toyota reflects its relationship with the media in his speech during its concluding dinner, the most meaningful part of which was, “For more than a decade, our Road Trek tradition has been growing strong. Your presence here tonight is a testament to Toyota’s long and fruitful bond with the press, a friendship that goes beyond business. Our Toyota Family is always grateful for your support. Which is why this year, our team prepared something special. Following last year’s Siargao, we bring you to this exclusive paradise for a week’s worth of fun, teamwork, and adventure. Road Trek 14 is a breakaway from the usual, from the monotony of every day — and that is exactly what Balesin Island Club offers us.”

Raymond Rodriguez of Lexus Manila, this writer, Al Mendoza, Jing Atienza of Toyota Motor Philippines

The Toyota Road Trek has become many things else aside from being a test drive and a tour of the country’s tourism spots. It has become one of the yearly much-awaited bonding within the motoring media as well as with Toyota executives and it is also about fun challenges that the participating media excitedly joins in —a joy trip.       

Through the years of its staging it became evident that TMP wanted to level up yearly on the kind of experience that they envision the media to go through. And each year TMP was always spot on in achieving this. 

And this year was no exception—TMP, after having the motoring media drive their various present-year models, including the much-heralded entry SUV, the Rush to its impressive dealerships in Pampanga, Tarlac and Bataan and after an overnight stay at the posh Midori Hotel in Clark, brought the invited motoring journalists for the 2018 Road Trek to Balesin Island.

My teammates Aries, Jenny and Wee Gamboa

It has been a memorable four days of bonding and camaraderie with our peers in the motoring media together with the ever gracious TMP executives, lead by its president, Satoru Suzuki; EVP, Kei Mizuguchi-san; SVP, Jing Atienza; FVP for corporate affairs Atty. Rommel Gutierrez; FVP for marketing Cristina Arevalo; VP for marketing Sherwin Chualim; AVP for marketing Carlo Ablaza; and Jade Sison, who’s in charge of Brand Management, Public Relations and Communications, to mention just a few.   

It was indeed one heck of a trip. Thank you, TMP.

Where to next — the moon?          

Happy Motoring!!!

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