The Road Trek is Toyota Motor Philippines’ (TMP) premier annual driving event, where the Japanese carmaker highlights its latest vehicles while promoting the beauty of Philippine provinces. It’s a multi-day journey of drives, food, locales, and camaraderie. Safe to say that many journalists look forward to it. I even heard tales of attendees trying to get back on the list after not being invited again.
What happens every Road Trek is we meet at the airport with bleary eyes early in the morning. Then we fly to a destination, eat/drive/tour a locale, then it’s R&R for the rest of the trip.
But on the day of departure, instead of us eating fresh pomelo in Davao by lunchtime, we were stuck in NAIA Terminal 2 because of a Philippine Airlines (PAL) flight delay. The one hour delay became five hours, and it inevitably took a toll on everyone’s spirits.
If we were stuck in a nice foreign airport like Hong Kong or Singapore’s Changi, we would shrug and proceed to a nice coffee shop or get some delicious noodles. But no, we were stuck in the physical representation of a nation’s shortcomings: overwhelmed A/C, limited and overpriced food options, and a lack of resting areas. And let’s not get started on PAL’s monumental failure to get its planes to leave and arrive on time.
Yet as Day 1 began to unravel, the TMP marketing team sprang into action. To make the wait more tolerable, we were directed to lounges and restaurants for meals and tables to work on. PAL’s inefficiency even reared its head at the lounge area, where it took a long time to process and welcome inconvenienced passengers who were willing to pay for something that should have been given free.
The TMP managers divided and conquered, planting themselves in areas where the Road Trek delegates were, making themselves visible for reassurance and company. It was certainly a stressful time, but you didn’t see it in the faces of VP for marketing services Elvin Luciano and public relations head Mixie Flavier.
There is a look that competent managers carry, a steely gaze that conveys, “panic is a waste of time, what can be done?” TMP veterans Elijah Sue Marcial and Jade Sison Mendoza had that look when they managed previous Road Treks. So did Elvin and Mixie last week.
Finally, after an interminable wait, we boarded and were on our way to Davao. By the time we landed it was around 4pm. We only had time to visit Toyota Davao City, where we were given a warm welcome and served refreshments before we drove to our hotel for the night.
Our team of three was assigned a Camry, one of the last bastions of supreme sedan comfort in our market. I volunteered to drive from Toyota Davao to our resort, which was 30 minutes away. The Camry felt like an old friend, as I had already driven this out of town last year. It was a fast convoy, and we were Car 1, right behind one of the lead cars.
Motorcycle escorts helped clear the way, which made keeping up with the convoy more challenging as there were less stoplights and gridlock to allow cars to catch up. But the Camry’s hybrid engine gave me ample power when I needed it. Despite its large size, the Camry never felt bulky or unwieldy either.
The Camry I drove was the outgoing model; a new generation model has already been introduced. You can see its age in the grainy reverse camera screen and the feel of the cabin, especially compared to the newer Toyotas. But it was still a Camry, which means my fellow passengers and I were able to chat comfortably as the durian capital of the Philippines whizzed by our windows.
We arrived at our hotel, had a nice dinner graced by the presence of TMP president Masando Hashimoto, and rested after a long day.
For Day 2 we did the activities that were supposed to be done on Day 1, in what must have been a painstaking adjustment for TMP and the events team. We went back to our cars, but this time I was a passenger princess as my companions, Top Gear PH publisher Carlo Chungunco and Manila Bulletin assistant motoring editor Ian Magbanua, took turns behind the wheel.
First we visited the Malagos Garden Resort, a place that celebrates all things chocolate. We explored a cacao plantation, tasted raw cacao beans (reminded me of mangosteen), toured a chocolate museum, tried to differentiate dark chocolate flavors (it was hard) and even made our own bespoke chocolate (my personal blend was mango with cranberries).
From Malagos we drove to our lunch venue, and I sat in the back of the Camry. This time I noticed it was a bit hot, the tiny A/C vents in the back not adequately cooling the rear passenger area. I fiddled with the Camry’s neat rear A/C controls, which can also be used to adjust the front passenger seat, and it was able to alleviate the summer heat. Hopefully the next-generation Camry has a better cooling system for the back seat.
We had lunch at a restaurant named Tola, where we ate a native tinola dish, sisig, pomelo salad, and other viands I was too hungry to remember. The place felt like a converted house; it had that homey feel.
And that was the end of the activities. All that was left to do was celebrate that evening. So beside a beach on Samal Island we celebrated the culmination of another Road Trek with food, music, and drinks. Awards were given, stories were shared, glasses were toasted, and selfies were taken.
This was not the Road Trek that was planned, but it was still a success. It felt comfortably familiar, like all the other Road Treks I have joined intermittently since 2007. What held it together was Toyota, and its culture of service. The Japanese have a word for this: omotenashi.
In the same way that we were looked after a day earlier despite being scattered in a destitute airport, waiting for unknown deliverance, Toyota customers know they can look to a Toyota dealer no matter where they are in the Philippines. And when something goes wrong, TMP will find a way to fix it. It’s in their DNA.
Road Trek is a success because an organization commits to it. They will craft a special driving experience, and once you sign on you know you’re in, ahem, good hands. We were staying in a 5-star resort, but all the TMP members were working. While the celebratory dinner was going on, executive vice president Jing Atienza, the highest ranking Filipino in the TMP organization, was walking around checking if the revelry was proceeding smoothly. So was first vice president Danny Cruz, who even contributed to the entertainment by singing on stage.
Same with Toyota vehicles. Buy any Toyota from an authorized dealer, and you know there will be spare parts, that the mechanics will be trained to work on your car, and that there is an organization that will be there as long as the lifetime of your car—and beyond.
No organization is spotless, even TMP. I’ve had negative personal experiences as a past Toyota owner, as have others I’m sure. But in the end it was fixed. The proof is also in the customers. We ran a story years ago of readers’ best dealer experiences, and you can see what brand keeps popping up.
The Road Trek is a massive undertaking, but it’s also just an event. Being the number one automotive brand in the country, with 200,000 unit sales in 2023, is a big accomplishment. But when your people know what they’re doing, when your products are solid, and when you have a proven system in place, when your dealer network toes the line, it’s just business. There is no secret sauce. Success is culture, commitment, and (good) cars.
