Excellence in operations, customer service, and overall business performance defined Toyota Marilao as the standout dealership in the Large Business Division. As the back-to-back recipient of the President’s Award of Excellence, Toyota Marilao demonstrated its ability to lead in sales, after-sales service, and customer experience. By prioritizing innovation and operational efficiency, Toyota Marilao continues to raise the bar for large-scale Toyota dealerships.
This recognition solidifies its reputation as a key player in Toyota’s dealer network, proving that a strong commitment to quality and customer satisfaction drives long-term success in the highly competitive automotive industry. We speak with Toyota Marilao president Don Juan Miguel “Cosco” Oben.
1. Toyota Marilao has once again been recognized with the President’s Award of Excellence. What key strategies helped you achieve this prestigious recognition and do so with impressive consistency?
Our main strategy has always been to develop and protect our culture. Over the years, we have intentionally built a culture anchored on our Core Values, which guide how we make decisions, how we work, and how we treat one another.
Sustaining this culture requires steady leadership and alignment at all levels of the organization. I am grateful that that our leaders and Team Members continue to live out these Core Values in their daily actions. At the same time, we are very KPI-driven. Targets are clear, performance is regularly reviewed, and adjustments are made when needed .
In the case of Toyota Marilao, that values-based culture and results-driven mindset have grown into a true winning culture. Respect for people is embraced, and excellence in performance is treated as a collective commitment. Toyota Marilao’s consistency comes from alignment and pride in doing things properly and consistently. This, more than any single process, is what sustains Toyota Marilao ’s steady performance year after year.
2. Toyota Marilao is part of a strong dealership network. How do you collaborate with other Toyota dealers to uphold the brand’s commitment to quality and customer satisfaction?
The Toyota dealer network has a very active and engaged dealer organization, the Toyota Dealers Association of the Philippines (TDAP). Within TDAP, there are committees representing the core departments of the dealerships, namely, Sales, Service and Parts, Customer Relations, Finance and Accounting, Value Chain, and Human Resources and Administration.
I have had the privilege of serving as Co-Chairperson of the Sales Committee for more than 15 years. Through these committees, we share best practices, discuss operational concerns, and align on standards across the network. More importantly, i t provides us with a proper venue to raise common issues and recommendations to Toyota Motor Philippines (TMP) .
We are thankful that TMP has always been supportive of the Association. They listen to the dealers and respond constructively, which strengthens both the network and the brand.
“In the case of Toyota Marilao, that values-based culture and results-driven mindset have grown into a true winning culture. Respect for people is embraced, and excellence in performance is treated as a collective commitment.”—Don Juan Miguel “Cosco” Oben, Oben Group president
3. What role do innovation and technology play in enhancing your dealership’s performance and customer service?
In the highly competitive automotive market , we cannot afford to be complacent. That is why we continue to improve how we operate and how we serve. A big part of our progress comes from continuous improvement. Through the years of practicing Kaizen, our teams have developed practical and creative countermeasures that have significantly helped us achieve our goals.
We also strengthened our digital marketing efforts through a unified marketing direction and structured marketing team and approach across the Oben Group . With guidance from external subject matter experts, our sales teams were trained to use digital platforms more effectively, enabling them to build their professional presence and generate quality leads strategically.
For our Team Members, we invested in our HRIS platform, OG Hub, to make the day-to-day employee transactions more seamless and easier to navigate. This positive and supportive workplace experience naturally translated into better service for our customers.
4. Looking ahead, what are your goals for Toyota Marilao, and how do you plan to continue driving excellence in the industry?
Because of Toyota Marilao’s consistent performance over the years, we are increasing our service capacity through the new Toyota Marilao Service Center, which we expect to open by the end of this year. This will allow us to serve more customers and further strengthen our after-sales capability.
Beyond expansion, sustaining excellence requires strengthening our foundation. Our focus remains on deepening our people-centered management approach by creating an environment where Team Members are highly engaged and genuinely empowered and happy to serve, not only our external customers, but more importantly, one another. The strength we build inside the organization is what allows us to earn the confidence of our customers.
