Sunday morning – chill out at home, do some errands and prepare for our Monday shoot. Well, that was supposed to be the plan. Instead, I’m facing a red velvet cupcake, feeling the fresh daytime breeze brush against my face. The petite pastry is one of the best-sellers at Naro, which is located on the Binmaley Baywalk in Pangasinan. Its rich buttercream complements the crumbly, auburn dough. “In Pangasinense, naro ta ka means ‘I love you,’” said my dear friend and Pangasinan native Zeb Jimenez. T

Disclaimer: Jetour Auto Philippines paid for my airfare, transportation and accommodation for a week-long trip with other media practitioners to China, including a visit to Auto Shanghai 2023. Everybody in the Philippines is familiar with the Chery QQ from the mid to late 2000s. The dinky urban hatchback became the symbol of everything that was wrong with China-made cars. With shabby workmanship, questionable aftersales (if there were any) and non-existent warranties, the QQ was China’s first ma

The Honda BR-V is the Japanese brand’s answer to the affordable seven-seater SUV segment in the Philippines. It brings the latest design language from Honda, giving the vehicle a bold new exciting SUV look. The Honda BR-V has a broader front fascia with LED headlights, LED daytime running lights, and a new grille. On the inside, the Honda BR-V has a cabin layout similar to its Honda City sibling, with a minimalist look and a floating dashboard design. It also has a 7-inch infotainment system wit

One of the unique selling propositions sales agents will harp about the Mitsubishi Xpander/Xpander Cross is its electronic parking brake. The feature takes over the regular pull-type parking brake with a handle, particularly for the Xpander GLS and the upcoming 2023 Mitsubishi Xpander Cross variants. The aforementioned Xpander varaints also get a hill-hold function with the Electric Parking Brake, which makes sure that the unit stays stationary while the electronic parking brake is in the proces

The claim to fame for many hybrid-electric vehicles is their ability to produce stunning fuel-economy figures out of gasoline engines. With the price of diesel in the Philippines as of press time costing substantially more than unleaded, hybrids are a tempting proposition for drivers who want to cut back on fuel costs. The Suzuki Ertiga Hybrid, which was unveiled at the 8th Philippine International Motor Show, grabbed headlines as the first hybrid, seven-seat multi-purpose vehicle (MPV), which i

With more than 10,000 examples on Philippine roads, the Ford Territory can be considered a runaway hit. Ford took a risk to launch the compact crossover in the middle of a pandemic two years ago. People have learned to adapt to the new normal, and they’ve held their finances in anticipation of Covid-19 exposure. But the Ford Territory has proven itself a value proposition too good to ignore. We recently got behind the wheel of a Territory Titanium+, the sole remaining variant now sold in Ford sh