My journey with the once and future king
With its decades-long presence in the Philippines (and its decades-long reign as king of the local sales chart), Toyota has, on at least one occasion, been a character in the stories of our lives.
If you’ve ever ridden a taxi, school bus, UV Express or Grab, one of these will likely have been a Toyota. If you’ve ever watched a Pinoy action film, the steely-eyed protagonist and/or the gang of henchmen chasing him will likely be behind the wheel of a Toyota.
Alternatively, you could have owned at least one Toyota throughout your lifetime or may be in the process of buying one now. Here are my two encounters with the Philippines’ top automotive brand.
Passing it down
My Lolo was not a car enthusiast, but he was certainly loyal to Toyota.
A highly renowned lawyer, he had numerous Toyota Crowns. But as he got older, he downsized to a brand-new 1995 Toyota Corolla XL – I could still remember, as a toddler, watching him start his drive to work by gently reversing his shiny white sedan out of the garage.
When my love for cars bloomed as a teenager, he asked for my help to buy what turned out to be his last car, a 2007 Toyota Vios E. We spent one Sunday together going to the Toyota showroom and talking to all the kind sales representatives, followed by a sumptuous lunch at his favorite restaurant.
I was an incoming third-year undergraduate student at the University of the Philippines Diliman when he passed away in May 2014. Although I had already been driving my own car for three years, I suddenly became the owner of a well-used 1995 Toyota Corolla XL.
With over 190,000 kilometers on the odometer and rather substandard maintenance, that two-decade-old car was (and continues to be) the most unreliable car that I ever owned. But when I finished restoring it, that Corolla was a dream to drive, even though it had pawis steering and manual windows.
Its 1.3-liter, single-cam, 12-valve inline-4 gasoline engine didn’t have much power past 5,000 rpm, but it was gutsy as hell after the carburetor was overhauled. And although it was a pain to start on a cold morning, I always enjoyed its quiet and smooth running once it had warmed up from its restful slumber.
Like Lolo, like apo
The fond memories that I had with my Lolo’s Corolla influenced me greatly when choosing my first brand-new car in 2016.
Like him, I eventually settled on a Vios. Mine was J model in my favorite color, red, from Toyota Pasong Tamo that not only fit our budget, but also had the same simplicity and honesty as my Corolla (this time, with luxuries like power steering and electric windows).
But the joy of having my first brand-new car was offset somewhat by selling my Corolla. I said goodbye to it, rather fittingly, at the back of the U.P. Law Complex – my Lolo continued to teach at U.P. Law following his tenure as dean from 1978 to 1983.
Nonetheless, my little red sedan was my dependable commuting companion as I began my journalism career at The Manila Times. It stayed with me through hell and high water as I moved to various publications like the now-defunct CNN Philippines and Business Mirror.
My entry into racing
But the truly lasting memories that I made with my Vios were from when I finally fulfilled my childhood dream of becoming a racing driver.
After attending lessons by 10-time Philippine rally champion Coach Vip Isada in 2018, I was invited to join gymkhana event for free at the Megatent in Libis. Despite having a bone-stock car with the least power and the worst tires, I somehow won.
And when I faced even tougher competition in the next round, my little Vios and I won again. This kicked off a multitude of wins together in various autocross and track events over the next three years, culminating in three overall championships and a 3rd Place finish in the gymkhana national finals.
And despite running up to four races a month, my Vios not only punched well above its weight, but also got me home afterwards without fail. When I posted on Facebook that I had sold it, my friends, racing students and motorsport rivals alike paid tribute to the little red car that dominated the field and made my dreams come true.
Legacy of motorsports
It should, perhaps, have come as no surprise that my Vios performed so well in motorsports.
From the days of racing icons like Robert Aventajado and Pocholo Ramirez in their fully prepped Toyota racing cars, all the way to legends like Rikki Dy-Liacco and Jody Coseteng in their Corolla touring cars, Toyota has a long and vivid history of propelling drivers to the top of the podium.
Happily, this legacy continues today with the Vios Cup and its successor, the Toyota GAZOO Racing (TGR) Philippine Cup. This season kicked off last March 2025 at the Clark International Speedway (CIS), followed by the highly eventful round at Villar City street race last May.
The next round of the 2025 TGR Philippine Cup will be back at CIS on August 9. Besides the main grid race, there will also be a drag race, driving exhibition, car-club meet and other exciting activities.
As I watch all those black Vios one-make race cars buzzing around the track, I am brought back to the seven glorious years that I enjoyed as a Toyota owner – from college to my hard-charging racing career, I am eternally grateful that Toyota made it possible for me to write this incredible chapter of my life.
Perhaps it was also those good memories that made my Lolo stay with Toyota throughout the decades. On behalf of both of us, long live the king.
