FHM Supplement - Road Trip Magazine

Between 2002-2003, produced small road trip mag for Petron under Summit Media. Inserted in FHM and distributed at gas stations during peak travel months (April and November). Readers happy but free titles hard to sustain. Lasted five issues. These are the covers of the first and last issues, and the ed's letters that explain "intent".

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Editor's Letter - First Issue (April 2002)

IN THE DRIVER'S SEAT
Escaping Metro Manila by car is often a formidable task, one that requires truckloads of patience and sometimes, a profound death wish. EDSA at the wrong time of day can truly be the passage to hell. Buses and jeepneys never give an inch. Motorcycles thrust and weave like bats out of hell. At the root of all evil is the motorist’s horn. Some dark force has placed the horny hand of Manila motorists on a pedestal of discontent. Start dreaming of the countryside now or you might pull over and abandon your vehicle. The horn cries out constantly in echoes of frustration, aggression, attraction, and greeting. Have no fear, control yourself, the tollbooths are getting nearer . . . soon, you’ll be burning rubber on the open road.


Our mission at Petron Rover is simple: we want you to enjoy the journey as much as the destination. Traveling isn’t just a matter of getting from point A to point B and missing everything in between. Road-tripping is a unique form of travel in a league of its own. Cheaper than air or sea travel, it gives you unlimited freedom to get close to your chosen destination. With Rover, you’ll be experiencing higher highs on the road you never thought possible.

But before sending you off on the road journey that will change your life, we want to make sure you’re well-equipped for it. Check out our Gear, Wear, and Grub sections on pages 2-5 to see the latest outdoor products for easing life on the go. We’ve also tapped into the fifteen-year experience of Lakbay Alalay, Petron’s annual motorist assistance project during holidays, to bring you expert advice on getting your car ready for the long haul (pages 6-7), and dealing with roadside emergencies (page 8).

Best of all, we’ve road-tested two—that’s TWO—excellent road adventures for you to try out this summer. Start small with a laid-back three-day jaunt to nearby Tagaytay and Batangas (pages 11-14), before taking on the challenge of a five-day expedition up the rugged coast of the Ilocos Region and the mountains of Cagayan Valley (pages 15-19). Nervous? Don’t be. Petron Rover will be with you all the way, supplying maps, tips, trivia, and endless ideas for enjoying the ride while staying safe. Count on us for more than gas. But if gas is what you need, you’re never too far from a friendly Petron service station, whether you’re cruising along a bustling provincial town or speeding down the lonely highway. Find them clearly marked on the maps of our featured trip routes.

You’ve got the full force of the country’s largest oil company to back you up, no one knows life on the road better than we do. So switch off that TV and rev up that SUV! Your journey into a brave new world of adventure begins now.

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Editor's Letter - Last Issue (November 2003)

BECAUSE THE ROAD IS THERE
It was drizzling and mysterious at the beginning of our journey. . . "Whooee!" yelled Dean. "Here we go!” And he hunched over the wheel and gunned her; he was back in his element, everybody could see that. We were delighted, we all realized we were leaving confusion and nonsense behind and performing our one and noble function of the time—to move.
-Jack Kerouac, On the Road

Beatnik icon Jack Kerouac was on a high when he wrote the great road trip epic On the Road in the 1950s. It was a time when the American Dream had failed, and an entire generation was swept by the need to be liberated from materialism and break away from conformity. There was only one way to live out the dream: out on the open road.

Times are no different now. The Philippines stands on the brink of yet another showbiz presidency, your boss just told you they’re cutting bonuses again this year, and you spend your free time posing in Makati bars pretending your life means something .

All those who are nodding, put your hands in the air and say, “Alleluia! I am a loser in desperate need of salvation!” Fear not, brother! For you who are weary of the same old same old, we offer a sliver of hope—a natural high taller than your 35th floor office cubicle awaits at the towering peaks of the Central Cordillera.

In this untouched region of primeval landscapes and fearless warrior tribes, you can hike up forests to view centuries-old hanging coffins, shoot rapids with the rice terraces as your backdrop, and dive off 20-foot waterfalls into the crystal clear waters of a natural swimming pool. If you just turn to pages 10-19, you’ll find out more of the how, where, when, forsooth, and therefore of the adventure that awaits you and your SUV.

But as always, before venturing into unfamiliar ground, make sure you’re good and ready. The road less traveled is the road where most accidents happen, especially when you’re behind the wheel. Pack only essential survival gear (page 2-3) and remember the rules of driving in the rain (page 6-7). The Boy Scouts of the Philippines will teach you how to make do with wilderness chow (page 4-5), because you’ll need all the help you can get when you set out. When you--theoretically-- know all the outdoor skills you’ll be needing, it’s time to let inspiration hit you. Read about the survival stories of those who have looked death in the face, and lived to tell the tale (page 8-9). (Okay, you’re allowed a few tears.)

Now, there is a universal rule that when city folk are stuck on an unpaved path in the dark due to a faulty 4x4, the strangers who come along should be kind and helpful. In the middle of producing this issue, the Petron Rover team’s 4x4 succumbed to the strain of rough mountain driving and busted a tire axle on the remote dirt road between Bontoc and Banaue. The sun had set, the rain started to pour, and it looked like we were in for a long, uncomfortable night with nothing but cigarettes, water, and Massive Attack songs for sustenance. Who should come upon us but a group of staffers from the Bontoc hospital on their way home after delivering a dead body to another town? Our heartfelt thanks to Mang Dimas and Mang Eduardo for the six hours that you spent tirelessly removing the damaged auto part in the dark, running it back to Bontoc, forcing the town’s only welding shop to open late at night, and never letting our vehicle out of your sight until we were safely tucked in our hotel again. This issue (and autographed Bong Revilla photos, as requested) is for you.

We leave you and your midlife crisis with more words of wisdom from Jack Kerouac’s On the Road: "Our battered suitcases were piled on the sidewalk again; we had longer ways to go. But no matter, the road is life."

Safe journeys.