Story & photos by Patrick Tulfo
THE Queen City of the South is a title bestowed upon the capital of this province, which is also the name of the island and the province itself. Cebu enjoys the distinction of being one of the oldest settlements in the country. It was a bustling place already when the Spaniards came to this country, where Ferdinand Magellan planted the first cross, which can still be seen today. Claiming the entire archipelago for Spain and naming our country after King Phillip II.
It has been quite a while since this scribe has been to Cebu and still fondly remembers its beauty and, most of all, its vibrancy that rivals that of Manila. That’s why when the assignment to cover the formal opening of another Mazda dealership in a newly opened mall there, plus the relaunching of a renovated one, I immediately said yes.
Berjaya Philippines, the official distributor of Mazda vehicles in the country, invited several motoring journalists to witness the event. We took the 9 a.m. flight on Friday and arrived in Cebu by 10 a.m. The traffic coming from the airport was the first sight that greeted us on the way to our hotel. It seems we never left Manila at all. The driver of the coaster we took said traffic is now part of their daily grind. And true enough, it took us almost an hour to get to our hotel, which should have just taken less than 30 minutes from Mactan Airport.
Given only an hour rest, we proceeded to SM Seaside City complex, reputedly the largest mall in Cebu, for lunch and later on the first event of the day, the blessing and formal opening of the Mazda satellite dealership within the mall. The satellite dealership obviously targets mallgoers by bringing the Mazda vehicles closer to them. The large display area can accommodate as many as four vehicles on display—giving would-be buyers an opportunity to personally inspect the model of their choice up close.
Aside from Albert C. Go, the president of Cebu Southbay Automobiles Inc., owner and operator of the two Mazda dealerships, the blessing and ribbon-cutting was also graced by Berjaya executives, who flew all the way from Malaysia, led by Dato’Sri Ben Yeoh, executive director and CEO, Dato Francis Lee and Dato Amer Hamza, both executive directors, and, of course, the amiable president and CEO of Berjaya Philippines, Steven Tan.
Later in the afternoon, we all proceeded to the newly renovated Mazda showroom and service center on Juan Luna Street, Mabolo, Cebu City. A sizable crowd, obviously Mazda die-hards, attended the event.
On his opening remarks, Tan said, “We, at Mazda Philippines, take pride with our partners here in Cebu, as we officially renew operations in one of the biggest Mazda showrooms in the country.” He also added, “Providing the best customer service to Mazda patrons is our ultimate goal, and with the upgraded facility, Mazda owners now have a new home for their cherished drives.”
On the other hand, Albert Go said, “Mazda Cebu has always focused on providing a world-class sales and service experience for Mazda clientele this part of the country. With our upgraded showroom and services, we raise the bar higher in terms of total customer satisfaction.”
Later in the evening new variations of Mazda’s best-selling 2 series were unveiled, much to the delight of those who attended. In a conversation with Tan after dinner, “Cebu is a very important market for Mazda, as it follows Davao closely in terms of sales figures,” he said. But what surprised those who were also listening was Manila only came in third.
Tan also added, “We will be inaugurating another dealership in June, this time in Bacolod. I hope you could also join us.” Aside from Cebu, Mazda also has 17 other dealerships scattered throughout the country.