He may be a big box-office draw and favorite product endorser, but Jericho Rosales is not likely to get on his motorbike in a sando, shorts and flip-flops.
While he likes the freedom of being on a motorcycle, the multitalented Rosales says he will not ride around without protective gear.
“I practice responsible riding and gear up protectively all the time,” he says. While the Wrangler endorser is expectedly clad in denim jeans and jacket and cotton shirts when he rides his bike, he also never forgets to wear a helmet, pads and the right kind of footwear.
“I check my bike carefully before I set out and never drink before I get on it,” says Rosales, who has driven to La Union, Palawan and places in between. “I avoid driving when I am sleepy.”
Rosales developed his passion for motorcycles because he cannot stay still. “I am basically impatient, and I want to go where I want to go. I like to move around, I like adventure.”
No wonder another favorite sport is surfing, the reason why he returns again and again to San Juan in La Union, a mecca for both Filipino and foreign surfers.
Adventurous but cautious
But while a bike is his favorite mode of transport, he is also well aware of the dangers of two-wheeled vehicles.
“Freedom comes with responsibility,” he says, hence the extra care he takes to ensure not just his, but also other motorists’ safety.
Rosales, who practically taught himself to ride a motorcycle, says a rider’s skills are constantly tested on a bike. Last year, he attended weekend classes conducted by the California Superbike School Philippines.
But Rosales, who has five bikes, including two scrambler motorcycles, has no plans to compete. “I am not a speed freak,” he says, and he does not think his wife, model-television host Kim Jones, will let him race.
Image on point
While Rosales is no daredevil, he does know he has an image to maintain.
When he travels, he brings his own kikay kit, which includes grooming tools and a change of clothes.
For most of his wardrobe requirements, Rosales can rely on the wide selection his brand, Wrangler, offers. Daisy Go, Wrangler president, says the company, whose clientele consists of almost all age groups and income levels, carries casual to office wear.
“With companies relaxing their dress codes, office workers, primarily the 20-somethings, are among Wrangler’s customers,” she says. The brand even has a loyal client in President Duterte himself.
Evolved
Wrangler has also evolved as a company. The brand now also includes nondenim pants, woven shirts, cotton garments, men’s underwear, shoes and the camisa chino, which may be used as undergarment for sheer shirts like barong Tagalog.
Wrangler remains anchored to denim strength and versatility, however, which is what its annual True Wanderer contest seeks to highlight. The nationwide competition searches for “free-spirited and daring Filipino travelers.”
Share you story
It invites open road heroes to share inspiring stories of exploration that also showcase the beauty of the Philippines.
In partnership with the Department of Tourism and brand ambassador Rosales, the denim brand is also working with Open Road Heroes Sabs and Poy, van travelers living sustainably on the road, and surfer Jeff Ortega, who manages La Union Surf School in San Juan.
Ten finalists will be selected for a photo competition that will have a different theme every week. One grand winner will receive an all-expense-paid trip to Batanes for two, P100,000 worth of Wrangler products, and will be named Wrangler True Wanderer.
Photo entries will be posted weekly on the Wrangler Facebook page.
From March 3 to April 24, applicants must post on Facebook (maximum of three entries per person) a travel photo with a caption story why he/she is an Open Road Hero, with #TrueWanderer and #Live2Wander.
Wrangler’s social media accounts, @wranglerph and ww.facebook.com/WranglerPH2015 & 2016, should also be tagged.
