Mitsubishi reaches out to far-flung Batad community

A "Dadbod" is a newly coined term now trending in media. It was introduced to the world by Clemson University sophomore Mackenzie Pearson as she referred to any man—father or bachelor—with a physique that's a "nice balance between a beer gut and working out."

"It's more human, natural, and attractive," she adds.

For this writer, though, the term refers to more than just the male physic. At this certain stage of manhood, true machismo can be measured by embracing fatherhood—wholeheartedly.

According to Indian entrepreneur Naveen Jain, "Being a father has been, without a doubt, my greatest source of achievement, pride and inspiration."

"Fatherhood has taught me about unconditional love, reinforced the importance of giving back and taught me how to be a better person," the successful InfoSpace founder further reiterates.

Recently, Mitsubishi Motors Philippines Corporation (MMPC) further solidified the true meaning of manliness by travelling for half a day to the northern village of Batad in Ifugao Province to give back to the less fortunate.

Onboard the all-new Mitsubishi Strada, the motoring media together with Mitsubishi executives embarked on an tiring yet meaningful journey.

Froilan Dytianquin, MMPC VP for marketing, said, “Our industry success would prove futile without the grace from society and nature. We owe it to them," he affirms.

Our group first arrived at the Banaue Hotel. The next morning, we awoke to the rays of sunlight and the gentle cool breeze of nature. After breakfast, we drove for about 30-minutes on newly paved roads before reaching the saddle where we had to go down and trek on foot to Batad village.

From there, the Japanese car maker bestowed upon the students some school supplies and donations for their school. Meanwhile, some of the motoring media were generous enough to perform a skit for the kids' entertainment.

"We are thankful for giving us your heart," says Batad elementary school principal Teresita Halupe. "And you have a very big heart," she enthused.

Aside from the 12-hour drive, the 45-minute trek to their village was, indeed, no joke.

Thus, to further test our manliness, we also hiked further downhill to ground zero to personally see for ourselves the actual terrace site that needed rehabilitation, after being destroyed by recent landslides. It was to be noted that one of the reasons for the erosion was the spread of earthworms in the area. These pests drill holes under the ground that cause water to spill out and eventually lead to massive damage in the terraces.

The taxing two-hour hike towards the bottom-point was laid to a bed roses as a refreshing dip at the Tappiya Falls washed off the fatigue from our legs. This surely served as a refresher as we climbed back to headquarters.

It's worth saying that we traversed the one-foot wide wall edge of the Banaue rice terraces. Here, we trekked about eight kilometers of treacherous paths before reaching the mystical falls. Definitely, this is not for the fainthearted.

We may now not be physically fit compared to how we were before, but this writer believes we are more than fit to hitch on a world-class pick-up, drive about 500-kilometers up north and give a helping hand to the less fortunate people of Batad.

Now, that is being a man.

Text and photos contributed by: Ronald Delos Reyes