CRY OF BALINTAWAK
Lawyer Reginaldo A. Oben is a rather sentimental man.
He has based his businesses close to Balintawak, traditionally known as Monumento as it used to be marked by the magnificent sculpture of Andres Bonifacio by National Artist Guillermo Tolentino, because his wife’s family and their own businesses had their roots in the city of Caloocan.
She and his wife got married some 58 years ago in a church in Grace Park in the same city, a short walk away from his first Toyota dealership that is now the Toyota Balintawak Lifestyle Center located in the basement of the SM Grand Central Mall along Rizal Avenue Extension.
And his decision to go into the Toyota dealership business, which is now on its 35th year, was also partly for sentimental reasons.
“My family’s relationship with Toyota extends from the early 1970’s when my late father provided legal advice to Toyota Motor Company representatives assigned to Philippine distributors at that time. He (my father) was a lawyer and dean of the UST (University of Santo Tomas College of) Law whose expertise was corporate and commercial law,” Oben said.
At that time, Oben “was extensively and deeply involved in shipping-related businesses . . . I was (and still am) the president of Wallem Philippines Shipping, Inc.,” a leading Filipino company involved in crew management, airline cargo representation and logistics.
After his father’s death in 1981, Oben, still engaged in the shipping business, carried on the old man’s responsibility of providing legal advice to the Japanese car maker’s local representatives. When Toyota Motor Philippines (TMP) was established, he applied for a Toyota dealership.
“It was a family decision (made to) maintain our cherished relationship with Toyota although it would be from a business aspect (this time). (By then), I had become (a more experienced) businessman,” the founder and chair of the Oben group added.
“Actually, I was the last of the original six Toyota dealers to be appointed and Caloocan was the only viable location left at the time. The fact that my wife’s family and their businesses had their roots in the locality probably made it easier for Toyota to make the decision as she was also known to them personally,” he said.
And even if he wanted to start his new business elsewhere, Oben said he really had no choice, “or perhaps TMP didn’t have any.” But the dealership’s proximity to the entry and exit points to Central and Northern Luzon proved to be a major advantage. It allowed Toyota Balintawak to showcase its products to people traveling to and from Metro Manila.
Toyota Balintawak, the first dealership under the Oben group, easily became the bestselling dealer, a feat affirmed by four consecutive “Dealer of the Year” awards between 1991 and 1994.
The dealership’s market has since shrunk as provincial dealers captured what used to be Oben’s clientele. But, by this time, Oben has opened other Toyota outlets, including a truck dealership, which continue to reap awards. In 2023, Oben’s Toyota dealership won the Value Chain Award.
“I have never regretted choosing Toyota Balintawak as my entry to the automotive business,” Oben said.
As to be expected from such a sentimental person, Oben’s Toyota dealership is pretty much a family affair, although he is quick to point out that his children’s involvement in the business is pretty much their own choice.
Son Cosco, who is now the dealership’s president, would alternately intern at the shipping offices and Toyota Balintawak during breaks from his American school. “After college, the decision was his to make, which business he wanted to join,” Oben recalled. “He chose Toyota.”
Daughter Tess (Oben-Reyes) attends to the financial side of the family businesses. His wife, and children Cris, who is active in the shipping businesses, and Chinggay are directors.
Only daughter Regina, an honor graduate of Wharton, the University of Pennsylvania’s business school, is not involved as she lives in London, United Kingdom with her family.
Oben said, although he wanted to give his children a good business education, he did not pressure them to join the family enterprise. “I believe the best legacy to leave your children is good education. It is much more enduring than anything else,” he declared.
However, helping out in the family business could be in his children’s genes, Oben surmised, pointing to his wife who continued working for her family’s business even after their marriage.
As for his dealerships’ success, Oben said running a successful business is like operating a machine – “all personnel of a company, including its officers and employees, are vital parts that need to be maintained properly to make it work efficiently.”Cosco has since introduced innovations to make the “machine” perform even better. Oben expressed satisfaction that they had looked after the well-being of the families of over 1,600 employees.
After 35 years of partnership with the Japanese car maker, Oben said they now had seven Toyota outlets, including three dealerships, two branches, a service center and a Lifestyle Center.
Construction of a service center for Toyota Marilao (Bulacan) will start soon.
As chair of the Oben group, his main responsibility now is to choose a new location for a dealership, branch, or a service center and to negotiate the purchase of the land.
Oben also continues to run his initial business concern. “I am still very much involved in shipping-related businesses which, since my entry into the Toyota dealership activities, have actually grown. I make it a point to visit seven Toyota and shipping offices in a week,” he said.
He is unfazed by the entry in the local market of cheaper automobiles. “Toyota vehicles are reliable, affordable and valuable – RAV. If that sounds familiar, it is intentional,” he said. RAV, specifically, RAV4, is a Toyota hybrid electric vehicle.
Oben continued, “I do not worry about the competition. Instead, I respect them. By giving them their due, we are kept on our toes. (We) always (have to be) a step ahead of competitors.”
As front liners for Toyota, he said the dealerships had to communicate to the consumer the outstanding qualities of the brand and had to be effective and credible messengers.
Given its 35 years of success, the Oben group seem to be quite an effective and credible messenger for Toyota.
