A Browbeater's Breather

One's dominance, or anything for that matter, can only go a distance if one knows how to balance work and play, with the former, obviously, chalking up the better half of the equilibrium. As for the country's imperious automotive sales leader, rest seems to be obsolete in Toyota Motor Philippines' illustrious vocabulary—well, not until recently.

Already becoming a household name among the local motoring media, the Toyota's much-anticipated annual Road Trek has yet again swept the hearts and minds of these journalists, including this scribe as they took us to a breathtaking drive to scenic spots and mind-boggling challenges while treating us, as well as themselves to a well-deserved respite.

For eleven years now, the Road Trek has earned the reputation of topping each and every venture year after year. From Iloilo and Aklan where it first started back in 2004, to Cagayan de Oro and Davao the following year, to Dumaguete, Pampanga, so on and so forth, the annual event seemingly never fails to impress.

And while we frolicked at the white sands of Boracay last year, this time, we frisked further down south to Cebu's uncharted northern regions of Daanbantayan.

As soon as we arrived at the Mactan airport in Lapu-Lapu City one early Sunday morning, the industry chief immediately brought about thirty of us media men to Toyota's 25,000 square-meter dealership in South Mandaue for breakfast and briefing. With a full belly and a bit know-how, we proceeded right outside at the parking lot, where a row of ten vehicles eagerly waited for us.  This included: the Toyota Wigo, Vios, Altis, Camry, Yaris, Innova, RAV 4, Fortuner, FJ Cruiser and the Hi-Ace LXV.

Since the Road Trek wouldn't be the same without any challenges along the way, Toyota made sure to pit us to some mind-twisters. First, we were tasked to form as many rice casings (or "Puso") as possible using banana leaves and to count the number of bridges from the showroom all the way to our final destination. Not only those, they also made sure to pit us to three more excruciating challenges before we get to blissful haven."The Road Trek is our way of thanking the media," says TMP VP for marketing Sherwin Chua-Lim."Here, our aim is to build friendship with them," he adds.

Our team composed of Auto Review father-and-son tandem Ron de los Reyes and this writer together with C! Magazine's Carl Cunanan, first climbed behind the wheel of the Toyota Innova. The seven-seater's 2.5-liter D-4D common rail turbo diesel engine powered through steep mountain roads and maneuvered well in tight bends. Thanks to its lean muscle. The MPV delivered a measly 102 horsepower, and 260 Nm torque output.

After about 50-kilometers of driving in the hilly outskirts, we arrived at our first pitstop challenge at Canso X in Balamban. Here, the test was to build a pyramid of plastic cups, while only using, take note-strings. On this windy top, part of the challenge was to screen the air current influx that were coming from all directions. The team that finishes first gets top points. With all its trouble, we were lucky to finish third in the activity.

From Balamban, we were steered to head eighty kilometers north to San Remigio Beach Club, where another set of activities awaited us. "Stick and Balls Won't Hurt Your Bones" is what they call it. And surely, it did not hurt us, physically. But it did crush the pride of most of the participants for sure as balls one by one fell on the ground when sticks were taken out from a container. The goal here was to take out sticks as carefully as possible to avoid plastic balls from falling. The ten teams, divided equally to five, competed head-to-head against each other for the least amount of balls until the container was emptied. With a little caress and a bit knowledge on Physics, the team, luckily, fell right at third.Before heading towards our next destination, the organizers bid a car-switch in order for the participants to try out other Toyota vehicles. From a box of keys, a Toyota Vios 1.5 TRD key slipped right unto our hands.It was timely as the pressure from competition and the fatigue from the sleepless nights before were slowly inching their way up our throats. On our part, it was about time to, at least, experience first-hand "Waku-Doki" in Cebu, not on a race track though, like the one recently held in SRP, but on real on-road driving conditions.Still, this looker has basically a 1.5-liter VVT-i engine that makes 107 PS and 142 Nm of torque. This TRD version is just a little sporty compared to a regular one, or in short, a tad cooler on the road as you're sure to swoon the ladies with its side skirts, rear bumper and trunk lid spoilers and 17-inch TRD alloy wheels with center cap and tire valve.Unto our final challenge, the convoy had to traverse a ten-kilometer stretch via the Cebu North Hagnaya Wharf Road before reaching Queens Island Golf Club in Medellin. Here, lurking in the midst is another challenge ready to trample on egos, devour on insecurities and have blood pressures shoot up. The tests included guessing the Toyota vehicle with its corresponding tagline given and naming the favorite Cebuano delicacy with only riddles written on clue cards.After a whole day of nauseating activities, it was now time for a thirty minute drive towards seventh heaven. The place? The newly-opened Kandaya Resort in Aguho, Daan-Bantayan Cebu. This newly explored sanctuary, nestled on a white sandy beach, has 22 villas and 18 elegantly styled rooms. This sweet haven was like the gold after an agonizing anaerobic 400-meter dash, a mother's indescribable glee upon seeing her newly born child after hours of labor, a paradise after a seemingly infinite journey. The place was perfect to relax and rejuvenate. Away from the usual hustle and bustle of Metro Manila, we were able to enjoy a two-hour back-and-forth trip towards Malapascua Island on-board a world class yacht, snorkel, feast on sumptuous seafood, paddle- board, box, work-out and even play basketball at their various sports facilities. To top it off, legendary Filipino rock artist Ely Buendia took hearts away as he sang and strummed into the night with some classic favorites. Now, before we end the story, this writer has to agree that it's not easy being Toyota. Being the number one in the industry, one has to live up to it in each and every situation, for even at play, or let's say in this instance, at rest, they still have to consistently be the best.