Isuzu Philippines

After earning a degree in Business Administration and graduating cum laude from the University of Asia in the Pacific, our key person for this issue, Vicky Tobiano, neverdoubted that she will be involved in running the family business. This paved the way for an excellent relationship between the Tobianos and Isuzu.

Back Track

Like many Filipino families, the Tobianos are half Chinese,making them natural businesspersons. According to Vicky, when her parents Julio and Teresita were about to get married in the late 60’s, they decided to put up a business of their own.At that time,they wanted to penetrate the game fowl feeds industry. Although what they have in mind may seemtoo specialized, the preferenceactually came natural because Vicky’s grandfather owned a feed mill, therefore it was easy for them to decideto engagein the same industry.Thus, marked the birth of Progressive Poultry Supplyin 1969, purposely founded to manufacture and distribute veterinary feeds, drugs and feed ingredients to wholesalers, retailers and importers. Situated along the busy stretch of EDSA Quezon City, for her parents, this was indeed a remarkable venue for any business structure.

By choice, Progressiveremained to be under direct management of the Tobianos. They encouraged each family member’s involvement in contributing their distinctive skills to the business. Mommy Teresita was tagged as the “big boss”, being the over all head of the company while Pinky, the eldest, supervised the manufacture of veterinary drugs. Jinky handled the logistics and administration division whereas Nino, the youngest sibling together with their dad Julio, were in control of the plant in Valenzuela and the production of poultry feeds and ingredients. Vicky put in her expertise in administering the sales and operation aspects of Progressive.

Isuzu as a Responsible Partner

In 2000, a world renowned pharmaceutical company Novartis, whose purpose is to discover, develop and successfully market innovative products to prevent and cure diseases has appointed Progressive as their national distributor in the Philippines. This privilege necessitated the employ of sales representatives to make client calls and product distribution to dealers and farm owners nationwide. “Noong 2000, cadillac lang sila, naglalakad lang.” (Back in 2000, they only travel by foot) Vicky cited. By 2002, the need to mobilize the team and expand sales coverage became more evident, hence the need to purchase units that will perk up their quantitative output.

For an opportunity as significant as this, the need to find a car manufacturer that perfectly meets the family business requirement became top priority. The Tobianoscontemplated on all the concerns to be considered and did not want to settle for anything less. Their number one requirement was a dependable diesel-powered vehicle, as the team was expected to trail all parts of the country: as near as occupied streets of Manila to as far as the rough roads of Visayas and Mindanao, Vicky, having good experiences of her Isuzu XTRM way back in 1998 was convinced that ISUZU was the best choice. She also remembered her Dad likewise insisting on the advantages of getting Isuzus. “Isuzu kasi is known for the engines. Kapag sa mga diesel, ‘yun ang laging sinasabi ng Dad ko, if its diesel you should go for ISUZU” (Isuzu is known for its engines. In the diesel category, my Dad always insists that if its diesel, you should go for Isuzu) she confidently furthers.

At that time, Vicky was choosing between a Crosswind and a pick-up. But her sales force which included 15 roving area managers, most of the time transports merchandise and promo materials with them, so she decided to get a Crosswind. “I decided na Crosswind na lang kasi mas safe, close kasi siya at maganda naman ‘yung room niya sa likod for the promo materials” (I decided to purchase a Crosswind because it is safe, enclosed with ample back room space perfect for the promo materials) she pointed out. Vicky without any sign of hesitation did not delay procuring Isuzu units: 12 XL’s and 3 XT’s from Isuzu dealership - Inteco Quezon Avenue.

Progressive Sales Force

The Tobianos have high regard for their steadfast sales team. Epi Agustin III, the National Sales Manager for Progressive, was one of the first recipients of the company vehicles. He imparted a funny but salient experience with his XT: “Mostly dun sa Hagonoy, Bulacan ‘pag binabaha kami siyempre ‘pag nababad ‘yung sa tambutso hihinto ka. Pero sa Isuzu safe ako kasi mataas siya, hindi ako tumitirik. Diretso pa din dun, mayabang pa din ako kahit may kotse dyan, nakahinto na siya ako hindi” (In our place in Hagonoy, Bulacan when the area is flooded, you may have second thoughts to stop thinking that you may experience engine stalling. But with Isuzu, I feel safe because of its high-elevated body. With full-pride, I can cross through the flood with ease compare to other cars who already stopped), he jokingly tells us. On a more serious note, Epi has high respect for Isuzu as he testifies to his XT’s unswerving ability to trek even the most difficult of routes in his zone of responsibility - Baguio City. He is also amazed on to how Isuzu’s direct injection engine has maintained its might over its competitors in terms of fuel efficiency.

Like any other enterprises, intensified marketing strategies must be implemented for a continuously good sales output. Vicky proudly disclosed how Isuzu helped Progressive in maintaining a steady number of customers throughout the country. According to her, all the fifteen units were scattered nationwide, broadening the business coverage of Progressive. “Our sales representatives go on to the dealers, ‘yung mga tindahan na nagbebenta ng veterinary supplies (stores that sells veterinary supplies), they go on farm owners, ‘yung mga nag-aalaga ng mga game fowls (game fowl breeders), and they use that also for promotional activities, like when we have cockpit promos” she stressed. As mentioned by Vicky, there are occasions when the units were dressed-up adding zest to a particular event sponsored by Progressive. “Dahil spacious nga ung likod niya, naisasakay namin ‘yung collapsible booth namin. Kaya ‘yun ang isang advantage ng Crosswind sa’min” (Because of its spacious back room, we could easily load our collapsible booth. That is one advantage of Isuzu to us) she adds.

On and Off Work

Because Vicky works closely with the sales people of Progressive, she has her shares of experience with Isuzu. As she handled the more action-oriented side of the business, one of her numerous tasks was to go around the country visiting dealers and clients with her sales reps. When they purchased the units, she wanted to see and evaluate the area for herself to witness staff concerns first hand. The team traveled from Dipolog to Davao City by land, which lasted for three days. “It was a very, very long drive and kahit dumaan pa kami sa mga mountainous area, it was a smooth drive, hindi siya bumpy” (It was a very, very long drive even if we traveled on a mountainous area, it was a smooth drive and not bumpy) she stressed. But of course, any full time career woman would want to take a break once in a while. Despite her busy schedule, Vicky makes sure that nothing related to work will keep her Sundays occupied. Sundays are purely devoted to spend quality time with her husband Heinz Chua and their 11-month-old baby. “Since I used to own one, nagagamit siya mostly as family car or for short trips and sa work of course. During weekends we go to church, sometimes we go out of town or to the farm or Subic, not so much naman traveling pero may mga out of town trips din once in a while” (Since I used to own one, we use it as family car or for short trips and at work of course. During weekends we go to church, sometimes we go out of town or to the farm or Subic, we are not so much into traveling but we also have out of town trips once in a while) Vicky said.

After all that has been said, Isuzu has undisputedly made its mark right in the heart of the Tobianos. “We are satisfied with Isuzu because it really helped the business. I know that the stuff are safe inside, and ‘yung malaking space niya talaga nagiging helpful talaga siya sa’min, advantage talaga. And siyempre ‘yung engine niya” (Its big space is really helpful and indeed an advantage, and of course its engine) Vicky utters every word with conviction.

For every bit of perseverance each member of the family offered to the business, Isuzu delivered the same amount of performance the Tobianos expected. Indeed, an alliance nobody could deny – a tag team at its finest.

After he left San Miguel Corporation in 1983, Anton Albarillo decided to join his wife, Loida, in the family business. The decision was favorable for the couple given his adequate knowledge in chicken and meat sourcing industry. Initially involved only in buy and sell of dressed chicken, Loida and Antonio decided to expand their business to meet their growing needs. The local business had slowed down, so they started to import frozen meat from Europe and US in 1995.

Man at Work

To ensure success in their venture, Anton personally supervises each delivery. He wakes-up before four in the morning to take charge of the distribution. Mondays to Saturdays are also devoted to the business, with no specific start and end of office hours. “Our business runs virtually 24/7. We start very early and operate in extended hours if the need arises,” he explained.

However, hard work and persistence are not the only factors to success. The Albarillo’s believe that processes should be efficient and marketing skills should be present to have a better grasp of the industry. That is why, Kristine, their eldest daughter, joined her parents pursue the enterprise. After obtaining a degree in Business Administration, she has been helping streamline the business’ operation.

But like in any endeavor, there are problems to overcome. And Anton was not spared from it. Collecting credit and receivables became a concern. The rise of fast food chains also plummeted the business. But being a true-blooded businessman that he is, he welcomed all obstacles and took risks. And to keep their feet on the game, they make sure they supply wholesome meat to their clients whenever they need it and provide the best delivery service.

Apparently, they needed bigger and more reliable vehicles to be able to give quality service. And for Loida and Anton, there was no doubt that Isuzu would be the best choice for them, considering the reputation of the brand when it comes to big capacity trucks. Anton said that this was obvious in the large number of Isuzu trucks they always find on the road everywhere they go. “We figured that if many people uses ISUZU, then this brand might be the best option,” he furthered.

The first purchase was followed by three more acquisition of Isuzu NKR. To date, they have four Isuzu trucks to assist them with each delivery. Anton admitted,“We are completely satisfied with the performance of our ISUZU vehicles. As for our NKR delivery vans, we couldn’t have been able to expand our business without the help of ISUZU. We are able to deliver to our customers thru our ISUZU vans.”

Home Run

On top of his work, the 56-year-old entrepreneur is a devoted family man. Anton and Loida, though business partners, never let business come their way as married couple. They do not allow money matters interfere with their relationship. This simple but hard-to-follow concept has been their guide ever since.

Having three daughters, Anton keeps his eyes closely locked on them. Though not tagged as a strict dad, he ensures that his children are well brought-up. Sending the three girls to good school is a priority for the couple. So when their eldest daughter graduated, it was more than an accomplishment for them, it was victory. Katrina, their second child, is now a junior in college. The youngest, Loren, is a high school senior.

To spend quality time with the family is also important for the couple. Anton makes sure that despite the busy schedule and crazy to-do-list, he has time for the family. “We reserve Sundays for family affairs. Almost all of the activities planned for and by the family are scheduled on Sundays,” he shared. Activities can be as simple as dining out and shopping, or can be as significant as traveling or going on road trips.

Of course, for long excursion like going to Baguio, they need unfailing and dependable vehicles to transport them. Thus, they decided to buy the Hi-Lander in 2000 and the Trooper in 2003 for family use. They can now spend some quality time on the road without worrying, thus, making the trip more relaxed and enjoyable.

Isuzu Enthusiast

What endears Mr. Albarillo with his Isuzu vehicles is the reliability it offers. It has been a steady partner both personally and in business. The advantage Isuzu vehicles have given the family is truly immeasurable. “I even recommend ISUZU to those we do business with,” he mentioned. Anton also speak well of the after sales support of his dealership. “ Their technical knowledge coupled with quick response to our needs is very commendable. We feel very much a “Kapamilya” when we are at Isuzu Alabang. The warmth of people there makes it easy for us to choose Isuzu over other brands.”

Mr. Albarillo pointed out that there are only two occasions that they rather refrain from using their Isuzu vehicle. One is when vehicle falls under number coding and second, when vehicles are scheduled for checkup and maintenance.

Indeed, for the Albarillo’s, Isuzu has always been the first and only choice.

From Manila to Montalban, Eliezer C. Mabao would ride his bicycle regularly to deliver and sell eggs to patrons of sari-sari stores and market stalls. Spending about two hours pedaling on unpaved highways, busy streets and narrow lanes, he has nothing in mind but to earn his keep and money for his schooling as he sell his merchandise to the parokyanos of Rizal.In the afternoon after he is done with work, Eliezer stashes his notebook and rushes to the Unibersidad ng Maynila (UM) where he is taking up Commerce.

Sariling sikap has always been the drive behind Eliezer’s passion in life.Despite the comforts of hailing from a well heeled family, Eliezer takes the backseat instead and relied on his own aptitude and resolve in going to Manila to work on his pursuits.

His relish for life and the readiness to go down and get his hands dirty anytime if need be has taken Eliezer even farther than he has imagined. Earning a degree in Law as a scholar in UM and passing the bar in 1966, the road to success has naturally taken him back to his hometown in Opol, Misamis Oriental.There, then Attorney Eliezer C. Mabao was driven to take on the political mores that his chosen career leads to.Running for and winning the councilor post in 1969, our male lead soon found himself busy in managing community projects, organizing civic activities and handling cases from time to time. It was also then that he met a party mate’s daughter Cleofe Laviña Alkuino, who became his better half subsequently.And as the say that when it rains, it pours, Eliezer’s lucky breaks came one after the other, earning him the vice-mayor post after he got married.

Still the man who holds self-reliance atop his core values, Eliezer and Cleofe did not mind starting on modest means and living to begin their married life. While Eliezer is preoccupied with work and farming in a 100-hectare land that he has painstakingly bought during his bachelor days, Cleofe would busy herself selling household bits and pieces to neighbors and other acquaintances. Eliezer grew corn & sugarcane whilst wife Cleofe vend to manage a retail store.

“I guess because we were so used to hard work since we were young, making the business grow was not that hard for us,” Eliezer recalls.He recounts the livelihood and farming seminars that he attended to know more about agro-farming; this eventually led him to add bananas among his produce. On the side, Eliezer would also help as bagger to the mini grocery that flourished out of his wife’s mini store. “My mother-in-law would always tell my wife not to involve me in the grocery to spare me from the humiliation. For her, the idea of a lawyer-politician packing grocery items is unthinkable,” he says laughing off

With their business growing fast as ever and the family similarly expanding with the addition of three children, the couple knew that they need to purchase a vehicle for both personal and business use. After careful thought and consideration, Isuzu became the Mabao’s brand of choice and the KB25 pickup was the preferred vehicle model. “It all started with that pickup,” Eliezer narrates. “I was looking for a reliable partner for our growing business and so we did not want to settle for anything less. I have tried other brands but I tell you, my Isuzu pickup outlasted them all,” he proudly adds.

His KB25 pickup was surely pushed to its limits being used as hauler for farm produce in bulks and weighty boxes of grocery items. As the couple’s able mover for their business, the Isuzu pickup impressed the Mabao’s with its durability which lasted years of off-road travel to the farm, smooth-street driving to their grocery and long distance travels from Bukidnon to neighboring provinces like Cagayan de Oro and Davao. “We made the right choice in getting an Isuzu,” Eliezer quips.

The Mabao’s attachment to the Isuzu brand persisted through the succeeding years. Venturing into other businesses, Eliezer and Cleofe had but confidence in taking risks because they had one less headache in their business logistics. In 1976, the couple impulsively bought 150 chicks with the idea to go into poultry. “Wala pa talaga kaming plano noon (We did not have any plans at that time),” shares Cleofe. “We did not have any background on that business,” she adds. Novices as they are but pushed by the situation, Eliezer decided to temporarily contain the chicks in their room!“We did not know then that chicks need warm, dry and lit-up pen,” he says while laughing. “To make things worse, we panicked when our cats almost ate some of the hatchlings. This made us unmindful in letting all the 150 two-legged creatures stay inside our house,” he says jokingly.

This comical story marked the beginning of their booming poultry trade. After two years, the Mabao’s already had approximately 5,000 chickens producing 4,000 eggs daily. Retail stores, market stalls and other groceries became their regular patrons. Consequently, their diversifying negosyo-juggling farming, grocery and poultry-necessitated more haulers for the Mabao’s. “Of course, we did not consider anything else but Isuzu,” Eliezer proudly states. Hence, another Isuzu pickup plus the Gemini became new members of the family.

Eliezer and Cleofe’s success formula for their businesses is nothing drawn from voluminous marketing books or references in business management.Instead, their acuity and astuteness in growing an enterprise were perfected by hands-on management, relationship-building, and foresight. “All these years, we would go into a new venture that is related to any of our existing and already-stable business,” relates Eliezer.To validate his point, Eliezer recounted the story of their succeeding undertakings.

Trying to nick wastage from their poultry business, Cleofe took up baking to have a profit-making solution for the trays of cracked eggs they set apart daily. This paved way to a small cake shop that the family eventually operated on a leased space in Valencia. As expected, this cake shop soon burgeoned to become Jocel’s Fastfood & Bakeshop, with three outlets of fast food restaurant selling native delicacies and specialty breads, ala the popular Goldilocks. “We named the restaurant after our children, Jojo, Cecille and Sheila” Cleofe says. “Now, we’ve relinquished operations of this business to Cecille,” she imparts.

Of course, Eliezer would not let his farming business be outshined by their other ventures. In time, their harvest multiplied in immensity that they were able to dispatch banana shipments to Manila every week. In 1985, their farm land area expanded to 150 hectares.This provided ample space for goat-breeding which the Mabao’s also pursued. To date, son-in-law Neil is taking charge of this business which lists approximately thirty goats sales per month.

Again, the Mabao’s “related business” strategy made this goat-breeding business a launch pad for other trades. Goat’s milk from their herd was sold in all Jocel’s Fastfood outlet either as bottled pasteurized milk or as ingredient in their famed cookies. At the same time, goat dung is being collected and processed into organic fertilizer.

As more milestones unfolded for the Mabao’s line of businesses, so did the number of Isuzu vehicles that made up their fleet of movers. In 1999, Eliezer got his ultimate Isuzu dream vehicle—a 4-wheel drive Trooper. “The Trooper is all I ever wanted and more,” he utters with absolute conviction. “It’s the finest among Isuzu models…and I guess, even the best among other brands in its class,” he adds with confidence.

To make a furtherrundown, Eliezer’s passion for the Isuzu brand has made him have the following among his list of assets: Isuzu NHR and NPR trucks, Fuego 4x2 and 4x4 pickups, and an Alterra for his mother-in-law. “I believe it’s all because of a very good first experience I got with the brand,” he exclaims.“And the same reasons—durability and fuel efficiency—I loved in my first Isuzu pickup, were sustained in all the Isuzu vehicles I purchased,” he reasons out.

Unquestionably, Eliezer Mabao’s fixation to Isuzu is something deep-seated than just mere gusto for having the latest wheels, so to speak. In fact, our male lead is candid enough to say that he is not exactly overwhelmed with the looks of Isuzu vehicles. “Compared to other brands, the design of Isuzu vehicles are rather conservative,” he utters. “But admittedly, this is exactly how I like my vehicle to be. I’m not really into frills and all those car accessories which I find unnecessary. For me, utility and durability are the yardsticks of an ideal vehicle,” Eliezer stresses. As he makes this point, wife Cleofe furthers, “And we are proud to say that wala ni isa sa mga Isuzu namin ang iniwan kami sa daan (none of our Isuzu vehicles has left us on the road),” she gives much emphasis.

Beyond doubt, perpetual success will be the Mabao’s closest neighbor with Isuzu as their business partner.For every accomplishment and success that Jocel’s Enterprises undertakes, Isuzu is an able contributor to the labors of Eliezer, Cleofe and their children. With every ounce of commitment that each family member gives the business, Isuzu renders double hard work with its global merits synonymous to engine reliability, durability of chassis, and fuel efficiency. “Wala ng tatalo sa Isuzu (nothing beats Isuzu),” Atty. Eliezer Mabao confidently articulates every word.