This is exactly what we did over the long weekend (August 22-24) when Isuzu Philippines Corporation (IPC) along with Caltex Delo Sports invited yours truly and several motoring journalists for a trail ride up and down Northern Cebu for a tour of three of the region’s fabulous resorts while driving the Isuzu Fuego. They also invited several Fuego owners to join us on our trip, as well as IPC’s associates from Isuzu Mandaue.
Our adventure started at the Mandaue dealership where they were celebrating the company’s fifth anniversary. After a round of congratulatory speeches, loyalty awards and good food (the best lechon or roasted pork I’ve ever tasted), we loaded our gear into seven Isuzu Fuego pickup trucks that IPC has provided for this trip. I shared driving duties in vehicle No. 6, a yellow Isuzu Fuego 4X4 (with a high-pressure turbocharged 2.8-liter diesel engine and automatic transmission) with my regular "car-mates" James Deakin, segment host of the motoring show Auto Extreme and Jose Lou Romualdez, the show’s executive director. But this time, we were joined by Vangie Cale, a sales executive of Isuzu Mandaue, who was game enough to endure the juvenile pranks and verbal tirades that James, Jose Lou and I play on each other during our land trips.
We left the dealership at nearly 11:00 a.m. and went straight to a Caltex station in Mandaue to fill up on diesel fuel. Edward Rodriquez, Caltex’s area manager for lubricants, joined us for the trip and coordinated with the station’s manager for the fuel needs of our convoy, which had now swelled to 12 vehicles, including a Crosswind XUV that served as our back-up/sweeper/service vehicle.
We took the Trans Central Highway to the north passing by several Cebu landmarks like the Cebu Plaza Hotel, Tops, and the Manungal mountain site where the airplane of the late President Ramon Magsaysay crashed, ending the life of one of the most popular and the most honest president of our country. I just hope that honesty and integrity in public office didn’t crash down with him, although it seems like it did during these times of Jose Velarde and Jose Pidal.
We reached our first destination at about one in the afternoon, which meant a late lunch at the Binghay Marine Park in the town of Balamban. We were disappointed with the food in Binghay because we were expecting native seafood dishes (or even another native lechon) since we were in the coastal towns of Cebu, but then again, what would you expect from a Marine Park?
We continued our drive after lunch and went into the unpaved coastal roads. The Isuzu Fuego owners were delighted with the ease in which their pickups can traverse the rugged terrain while we all traveled in air-conditioned comfort. Unfortunately, our bags at the pickup bed bore the grunt of the dusty roads as my black bag turned into beige when we neared the town of San Remigio.
We checked into the Casa Del Mar beach resort just as the rains were beginning to fall. During dinner, we were introduced to Mayor Mar Martinez, who heads this town of 44,000 Cebuanos in a 9,000-acre area. It turned out that the mayor was also a Fuego owner, and a very satisfied one at that. Hizoner was also an F1 enthusiast and a very graceful host. We capped our night with a little party complete with a live band, good food and drinks.
The next morning, we awoke to clear skies, beautiful weather and a heavy breakfast in the cabanas by the sea. We also learned that Casa Del Mar has an 18-hole golf course designed by Gary Player. The golf course boasts of a long Par-6 dog-legged 2nd hole, interesting foliage and rolling hills to keep the game exciting. Unfortunately, we couldn’t stay and play because we had a schedule to keep. So at 8:30 a.m., off we went again.
We drove on more unpaved roads for a brief spell and then joined the highway again. We were going on a relatively quick pace when I heard a squishing sound from the rear left of our Fuego. The father-and-son team of Danny Enriquez and Danny Enriquez II in their white Fuego 4X4 drove alongside us to warn us that our left rear tire was loosing air, apparently from a puncture. Luckily, Isuzu brought a team of technicians to change the tire for us.
We reached our midday destination earlier than expected, arriving at the posh Alegre Beach Resort in Sogod a little after 10:00 a.m. James took a dip in the pool while I took shots of the breath-taking scenery around the resort. Lunch was thankfully filling and we parted for our final destination by 12:30 p.m. We took the highway to Lapu-Lapu and intended to go to Tabuan for some last minute shopping for dried fish and native delicacies. Unfortunately, our vehicle followed the wrong vehicle and we ended up in Plantation Bay in Marigondon, Mactan Island again ahead of schedule. No matter, we were able to rest and meet some wonderful people at the resort.
According to their PR associate Sunshine Gregorio, the entrance of the resort was left as is, a water mangrove, to show the visitors what the place was like before it was transformed into the sprawling resort and spa that it is today. The entire place was a virtual swimmers paradise and their account executive Danessa Lim was more than happy to show us road-weary journalists around the resort. A sumptuous luau-like dinner capped our evening.
Looking back, I spent two days driving to beautiful beaches, enticing resorts and good food. With events like this, Isuzu has not only espoused activities that promote its products, improve its relationship with its customers, associates, sponsors and the media but it has also boosted local tourism and has kept tabs on the environment as well. Indeed, Isuzu has lived up to its motto as "your responsible partner".