Isuzu Challenge 2009: Saving more than just fuel

MANILA, Philippines - You have to hand it to Isuzu Philippines Corporation (IPC). Amongst the carmakers in the country, the company has one of the most levelheaded and targeted Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) programs running on all fours. Yes, IPC sells a good amount of the sturdiest vehicles out on Philippine roads. Yes, despite this fact, IPC still has time to give back. And the company gives back – a lot – to the environment.

Last April 25, IPC staged the Isuzu Challenge 2009 National Championship. It’s called such because after six years of showcasing the best fuel-efficiency driving techniques for Isuzu’s roster of tried, tested and trusted vehicles, the company decided to invite most of the champions of Challenges past to compete in this one. The roster, which included representatives (winning customers) from Isuzu’s 17 dealerships nationwide as well as six media teams, ran an Amazing Race-race type of event, with teams going through seven stages, each stage punctuated with challenging tasks that espouse the importance of caring for our environment.

This writer was among those invited, and I teamed up with our very own James Deakin to represent The Philippine STAR with pride. We started out from Isuzu Manila at 6:00 a.m. and negotiated a north-of-Manila route, going through portions of EDSA and NLEX before stopping at the Paradise Ranch in Clark, Pampanga – where we were all tasked to plant two trees to increase the population of trees at this environmental education center located on the banks of the Sacobia River. From there we headed through SCTEx to a fuel station in Subic for the first fuel efficiency measurement – the first of many environment-friendly activities we’d go through throughout the day.

Our next stop was the SBMA Ecology Center Tree Nursery where we were taught how to transplant delicate tree wildlings. The cultivated tree wildlings, we were told, would eventually be used for SBMA’s Sta. Rita Reforestation program this coming June. The most daunting task, we learned, still lay ahead. At the Wildlife in Need (WIN) located in Subic, we were involved in feeding animals under the rehabilitation program with fruits and worms. WIN organization helps wild animals survive back into the wild or simply nurse animals back to good health. James, the sneaky bugger that he is, went straight for the fruits. Which meant I had to handle the live worms. I – along with several other participants – handled the live worms with care, placing them in a container several monkeys would eventually obtain – then munch on. Yeah, you could say that I packed their live lunch. Saving the environment isn’t without its squirmish moments, after all. We ended the entire Challenge with another refueling session at the Caltex station toward the end of the NLEX.

We did amazing runs, all of us, of course. But there had to be winners in a National Championship, after all. At the end of the day, these turned out to be Walter Saguitan and Michael Butac (Alterra customer category); Federico Cruz and Eduardo Magno, Jr. (D-MAX customer category); Brian Afuang and Charles Buban (Alterra media category); and Anjo Perez and Aris Ilagan (D-MAX media category). But, the big winner, as IPC president Keiji Takeda stressed during the awarding ceremonies held at Moomba Bar and Restaurant in Quezon City, was Mother Earth. That’s right. This year, the Isuzu Challenge gave us the chance to save not just on fuel, but also save Mother Earth herself – in our own little way, of course. We doff our hats off to the men and women of IPC for providing us with the wonderful opportunity to do our little part in saving the environment – and for proving to us that responsible motoring and social responsibility go hand in hand.