How do I love thee? Let me count the ways!

Last week, IPC (Isuzu Philippines Corporation) hosted a Valentine getaway that took selected members of the media on a trip that made us remember the many reasons why we love the 2013 Isuzu Crosswind. “Through the years, the Crosswind has emerged as one of the most well-loved vehicles in the Philippines,” remarked IPC Executive Vice President Takashi Tomita during his welcome remarks at the event. “And so we see it fitting that on a special occasion like Valentine’s Day—which to many Filipinos is the most celebrated season after Christmas—our media friends get to experience memorable moments with their loved ones through the Isuzu Crosswind.”

Lovingly entitled ‘A Date with the Crosswind,’ the event started off with a satisfyingly big breakfast at the new Crimson Hotel in Alabang and a shopping spree sponsored by Caltex West Gate, that allowed us to load up on drinks and goodies as we fueled-up with Caltex Diesel with Techron D. Aboard a convoy of five 2013 Isuzu Crosswind Sportivo vehicles, we headed out for our first stop: Casa de Segunda at 198 Calle Rizal, Lipa City, Batangas.

Casa de Segunda is a heritage house (certified by the National Historical Commission) that is also relevant to the season of love, since it was where Ms. Segunda Solis Katigbak—Dr. Jose Rizal’s first love—used to live. It was one of the very few olden Batangueno mansions that survived the heavy bombing of the city during the war, and spoke of our Spanish colonial heritage through its massive 2nd-floor ventanas and bahay-na-bato architecture. Well-preserved downstairs were its traditional ventanillas (small open windows) which kept the house cool and breezy even when the large windows were closed upstairs. I could not help but imagine how many young Filipinos must have conducted their haranas down and across the large ventanas, to woo their Maria Claras back in the day.

Immediately after the experience back in time, we proceeded to Casa Rap in Km. 90, Brgy. Banaylanay, San Jose, Batangas, for our first lunch stop. The place was a cozy, slow-food cafe (the orders are cooked slow because they are prepared from scratch) tucked in a residential area. It offered delicious Filipino cuisine in a greenhouse-like setting, exuding some romantic privacy. Isuzu was clever enough to know that the best way to our fat hearts was through our hungry stomachs!

Making our Valentine getaway happily worthwhile were our reliable Crosswind vehicles that safely took us through the city roads, the south highway, the unforgiving country roads and later, even a few patches of off-road terrain in Batangas. The 2013 version packs a load of features—including the projector-type headlamps; all-weather fog lamps; elegant beige leather-vinyl seat upholstery; a full entertainment system with LCD screens mounted behind the front-seat headrests; and 15-inch performance alloy wheels with all-terrain tires, to name a few—that are sure to rekindle the Crosswind’s long-running love affair with many Filipinos.

“As much as the Crosswind has played a role in many Filipino families, it has also been a significant contributor to Isuzu Philippines’ growth,” said IPC Executive Vice President Tomita, as he explained the significance of the Crosswind to the company. “The Crosswind is our bestselling model, accounting for half of our sales in 2012. It powered our growth of 20%, and allowed Isuzu to become the third-biggest manufacturer of commercial vehicles in the Philippines and the country’s fourth-ranked automotive company last year,” he expounded.

In the mid-afternoon of Valentine’s, we finally got to our main destination: Acuatico Beach Resort & Hotel in Laiya, Batangas. It was a beautiful property with an extremely inviting infinity pool, right across the beachfront. There, we basked in the resort’s delightful facilities; and right after sunset, Isuzu treated us to an intimate lantern-lit dinner with our loved ones, right on the beach! And finally, we capped the night getting a relaxing massage with aromatic oils.

The next day we headed back for Manila, but swung by Sulyap Gallery Café in Brgy. Del Remedio, Cocoland, San Pablo City, Laguna for a truly taste-romancing lunch. The restaurant (which was my favorite in this trip) gave us a taste of the past as it served us a variety of traditional Filipino dishes in a setting of a gallery, filled with a large collection of antiques that date all the way back to the 1800’s! A gem of a cafe indeed – you must try their Paco (edible fern) salad here!

And before I end this story of love and love for travel, allow me to tickle the romantic in you. Let me share an excerpt from one of Jose Rizal’s writings about his relationship with Ms. Segunda, taken from Chapter 6 of Memorias de un Estudiante de Manila, which he wrote on November 16, 1881: “Everywhere I only heard talk about our relations, and truth to tell, we loved each other, without having declared it clearly, except that we understood each other through our glances.”

One of our earliest Filipino testaments of what we now label as ‘M.U.’ a.k.a. Mutual Understanding, I think that similarly, many Filipino families share their own unspoken, mutual understanding with one of the automotive industry’s local sweethearts, the tried and tested Isuzu Crosswind.

The 2013 Crosswind comes in Ebony Black, Glacial White, Midnight Blue, Rich Red, Satin Silver and Titanium Silver. It’s sweetly priced at P750,000 for the XS; P794,000 for the XL; P883,000 for the XT; P1,140,000 for the Sportivo MT; and P1,205,000 for the Sportivo AT.