“Siquijor? What are you going to do in Siquijor?” my deeply superstitious mother asked me when I told her that I’ll be away for three days to go on a media drive with Nissan Philippines, Inc. My 80-year-old Mama believes that the manananggal (half-bodied vampires), aswang (shape-shifting evil spirits), mangbabarang (evil spell casters), and bruja (witches) still run rampant in that small Central Visayan island. She’s afraid that something supernaturally evil might happen to me, her 54-year-old Mama’s boy.
Image result for aswang
You have to understand that my Mama’s generation believed in supernatural evil spirits because of traditional stories that were handed down by their parents. It was their way of explaining things that were unexplainable. These stories were then made into horror movies which scared my generation for a while, well, until those “behind the scenes” peek into movies made us realize that the ghouls were played by actors, and the stories were just that—stories. With the advent of the internet, science slowly debunked these horrifying myths while modern depictions of vampires in True Blood, zombies in The Walking Dead, those ridiculously funny local Shake, Rattle & Roll horror movies, and the often celebrated Halloween parties made today’s generation less scared of creatures in the dark.
The Beauty of Nature
To get to Siquijor, we first caught a commercial flight to Dumaguete, and immediately upon arrival, we were then driven in Nissan NV350 passenger vans to the port, where we boarded a catamaran-like boat that took us on an hour’s voyage across the Bohol Sea. When we got to one of the ports at Siquijor Island, we were greeted with a fleet of Nissan vehicles – Navara pickup truck, Terra mid-size sport utility vehicle (SUV), and Patrol Royale full-size luxury SUV—all with 4×4 off-road capabilities.
My team mates for the three-day event, Ronald delos Reyes and Teejay Genil of Auto Review and Randy Peregrino of Business Mirror, were first assigned to Car #3, a Brilliant Silver Nissan Navara pickup truck that we drove to the Coco Grove Beach Resort, which will be our home for the duration of our stay in the Philippines’ third smallest province. NPI and the team of George Ramirez designed the drive to navigate through some of Siquijor’s most adventurous destinations, including a drive to the quarry, where the colors of the rocks provided a great background and an excellent texture for our photos.
On the morning of the second day, we were assigned to Car #2, the spacious Savanna Orange Nissan Terra mid-size SUV while in the afternoon, we got Car #1, the luxurious and regal Pearl White Nissan Patrol Royale full-size SUV. During the day-long drive, all the participants were posed a challenge: Go Anywhere and reach the most number of kilometers in the country’s third smallest province. George Ramirez and his team plotted a course around paved roads and off-road tracks that made the island look ten times bigger than it actually is.
Across the road is the San Isidro Labrador church, which was completed in 1884.
With its strong light commercial vehicle (LCV) heritage and Nissan Intelligent Mobility features, navigating the roads of the small island proved to be an easy feat for any of the three Nissan vehicles. “In line with our vision of enabling adventurers to reach their dream destinations, we went to Siquijor Island to conquer it with Nissan’s strong LCV line-up”, said NPI President and Managing Director Atsushi Najima. “We are creating the ultimate ‘Go Anywhere’ experience with our vehicles while exploring the best and most diverse locations across the country.”
Satisfying Upgrade
Our team of Ronald, Randy, Teejay and I found enormous satisfaction with the sequence of our 4×4 vehicle assignments. We started with the Navara pickup truck, which had a comfortable ride despite its tough and capable design. Then, we were “upgraded” into the Terra mid-size SUV and its spacious interior, distinctive design, and equally comfortable ride. Finally, we were “upgraded” yet again into the Patrol full-size SUV with its powerful V8 engine and luxuriously comfortable ride. We felt pampered and spoiled with these Nissan vehicles as we tested the much vaunted Hill Descent Control and Hill Start Assist features powered by Nissan Intelligent Mobility while driving around this mystical island.
Meanwhile, NPI’s film crew got their feet wet having loads of fun in sand with the Nissan Terra.
On the third day, we had some free time in the morning to go shopping for souvenirs, to go swimming, to drive to nearby destinations, or to just relax and savor the tranquility of Siquijor’s surroundings. I chose to just sit by the beach and contemplate on the adventures and luxuries afforded to me by my job as a motoring journalist. Our test drive around Siquijor demonstrated the features of the Nissan Intelligent Mobility that can enable drivers of the Navara, Terra, and Patrol to Go Anywhere with power, confidence and ease.
We waved goodbye to our reliable fleet of Nissan LCVs as we sailed away from the island.
myths surrounding the mystical and mythical island of Siquijor. My Mama need not be worried. After all, besides riding safe and comfy in these three Nissan vehicles, I also learned how to ride a broom stick.
