President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. has received 35 brand new vehicles from Toyota Motor Corporations intended for his office.
Marcos personally accepted the donation from Toyota Motor Corporation Chairman Akio Toyoda and Toyota Motor Philippines Chairman Alfred Ty during the company's 35th anniversary on Aug. 22 held in Santa Rosa City, Laguna.
In his speech, the President thanked the company for its contribution to the Philippines, mainly by providing jobs for Filipinos.
"It is a very important day not only because we have to recognize the contributions that Toyota Motor Corporation has brought to the Philippines, we have to recognize the help that it has given, that this plant such as this, has given us and our people," Marcos said.
He called Toyota as the country's "important partner in everything," especially in its development.
The Chief Executive further said that the chairman of Toyota has come all the way from Japan to celebrate the anniversary, as well as to "look to new beginnings."
"The chairman has come all the way from Japan to help us celebrate and we are all very happy to see him here. And not only to celebrate the many years of Toyota Motor company here in the Philippines but also to look to new beginnings dahil nga we are always talking about the transformation of the economy, we have always seen Toyota as being an important partner in everything, in our development in the Philippines, and now especially in this difficult times," Marcos said.
"These are the partnerships that we think, that I am certain, will be of benefit not only for the Philippines, but also to Toyota and even for our partners in Japan," he added.
The President also recognized the skill and work ethic the company has instilled in Filipinos working at the plant, saying the country is lucky to have Toyota as its partner.
"Our Filipino employees, who have come to work with Toyota, have been highly trained, are also extremely steeped in the Japanese culture of production, which is very important because they have shown themselves to be as one of the most, if not the most efficient, when it comes to manufacturing and high-volume production of products," Marcos said.
Toyota vehicles handed over to the Office of the President include:
10 units of Hiace Ambulance 3.0 M/T - ZD -24
Five units of Lite Ace 1.5L Pickup MT - VB -3Five units of Innova 2.8J M/T-DM-6Five units of Vios 1.3 XLE CVT - EK - 29
Three units of Yaris Cross 1.5 S HEV CVT 2T PC - BC - 2
Five Lite Ace 1.5L Cargo MT - V2 -5
Two units of Coaster, customized for the "Lab For All" program of First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos
The donation was made to commemorate the 35 years of collaboration between Toyota and the Philippine government.
Since expanding its manufacturing operations in the country in 1988, Toyota Motors Philippines Corporation (TMP) has contributed significantly to the country’s economy, particularly in developing the automotive industry.
To date, TMP and the Toyota Group have cumulatively invested P73.7 billion (since 2000), paid duties and taxes of P448 billion and exported $18.76 billion worth of auto parts and components (since 1997).
With the Philippines serving as the manufacturing hub for Toyota Vios and Innova, TMP recently approved the manufacturing of the next generation Tamaraw, projected to boost local parts production, technology transfer, job creation, worker upskilling and providing better quality for Filipinos.
The company is also exploring the potential of harnessing local talents for software development in response to the growing demand for intelligent and advanced technology in mobility.