AS Ondoy caused millions’ worth of damage to properties and vehicles, a set of individuals started a car club and continues to rise from the nightmare.

Neil Roger Mercado, founder and vice president of Team Hyundai Phils. (THP), said the club was founded by a group of enthusiasts of the brand who were all senior members of a former Hyundai car club.

“Team Hyundai Phils. went live on the night of September 27, 2009, a day after Metro Manila was hit by Typhoon Ondoy,” he said, adding that the creation of their club was initially to serve as a back-up forum site.

“But later on, the senior members, namely Nolan Tianco, Joe Aspiras, Dodge Montreal, Errol Cruz, Glenn San Pablo, Jhae Tiongson, Miguel Aragon, Octave Cantos, Marc Ayes, Teddy Luna, Johnny Zerna and Jon Enerio, decided to form a new Hyundai club. Thus, Team Hyundai Phils. was born,” Mercado said.

According to him, the group has more than 4,500 members online, and also has affiliate clubs. The THP, Mercado said, is basically made to form a community for Hyundai owners and enthusiasts “who passionately promote the Hyundai brand to the Philippine motoring community, traveling public and international Hyundai associations.”

“We do these in the interest of increasing brand awareness, customer satisfaction, service excellence, road safety, environmental responsibility and camaraderie among our members and affiliates,” Mercado said.

The club also promotes passion for the Hyundai brand, camaraderie among its members, excellence in customer service, partnership between dealers and customers, environmental awareness, corporate social responsibility and the advancement of automotive technologies. According to Mercado, the THP is “already a legal, non-stock, non-profit organization registered with the SEC,” as well as being the only recognized car club for Hyundai by Hyundai Asia Resources Inc., the official distributor of the brand in the Philippines.

It also serves as a mother group for the sub-clubs of the brand’s other models like the Elantra Club Phils., Hyundai Eon Club Phils., Getzers PH, Santa Fe Club PH, Tucson PH, Genesis Coupé Club, Sonata YF Club, Club Starex Phils., and the i10neans.

Besides Mercado, the other officers of THP are Nolan Tianco (president), Charlie Palafox (founder and former president of Tucson PH), Jhonnalaine Reyes (president of Hyundai Eon Club), Adam Mercado (president of Team Accent Phils.) Gef Buraga (president of Elantra Club Phils.) and Miguel Alcasid (officer-in-charge of Getzers PH. Also under the Hyundai Club officers are, Charl Angderson (president of Genesis Coupé Club), Popoy Neri (president Club Starex Phils.) Ana del Mundo (president of Santa Fe Club Phils.) and Shan Reyes (president of i10neans).