Welcome to the Road Trek Number 7, such a lovely place.

MANILA, Philippines -  Toyota Motor Philippines’ (TMP) annual Road Trek is perhaps the most awaited media-related event of the auto industry – with good reason. During the annual staging, the local market leader takes the opportunity to do three things… First, TMP uses the Road Trek to make important and relevant announcements. Second, TMP uses the Road Trek to pit media outfits’ wits and brawn against in other in friendly “Amazing Race” type competition. And they do it at such a large scale that almost every single media outfit has representation in the competition – which makes the bragging rights all the more important to the Road Trek’s participants. Finally, TMP uses the Road Trek to, in TMP president Michinobu Sugata’s own words, “renew the bonds of friendship and camaraderie among our friends in the media”.

This year’s staging – the 7th – was used by TMP to stress their commitment to their customers in the Philippines. Sugata himself revealed that TMP’s production schedule – hampered by the effects of the twin earthquake and tsunami disasters of March 11 – is set to return to its normal five-day, two-shift work week starting this month – much earlier than expected. “Our commitment to our customers remains our top priority. We will continue our efforts to deliver vehicles to customers at the soonest possible time,” Sugata said. Welcome news for Toyota customers, indeed.

This year’s Road Trek started off in Tacloban, Leyte. Our huge contingent drove through some 200 kilometers of the province, and our little sub-groups – divided amongst media outfits – participated in a total of four activities. The Philippine STAR has figured prominently in the friendly competition since the Road Trek tradition started and this year was no different as we once again made it into the winner’s circle. However, perhaps our sweetest reward was the fact that we finally got to drive through the famous San Juanico Bridge and visit significant historical landmarks such as the MacArthur Landing Memorial Shrine, the Sto. Niño Shrine as well as the picturesque Rafael Farm.

To cap off Road Trek 7, Sugata himself spearheaded the “renewing of the bonds of friendship and camaraderie” by first welcoming the entire contingent to our eventual destination – the Shangri-la Mactan Resort and Spa in Cebu on the evening of our first day, then by playing a round of golf with those amongst us who were in to the sport the morning of the next day, then finally by engaging everyone in a singing spree with local rock band Pandora later that evening. Lexus Manila president Danny Isla and Sugata himself got the ball rolling with their version of The Beatles’ Come Together. The very convivial TMP president would eventually sing his signature Hotel California rendition, but not before leading many of us in attendance into sharing our hidden talents as well.

At the end of the day, Road Trek 7 proved to be just as eventful and as unforgettable as the rest of the previous stagings of Road Trek exactly because the message delivered and the goals set forth continue to be relevant and timely. Whether we’re driving a Prius, Vios, Innova, Fortuner, Hilux, Camry or Altis… and whether we trek through key places in Luzon, Visayas or Mindanao, this is one Road Trek worth taking, year in and year out…