Atty. Reginaldo A. Oben serves as Chairman of the Oben Group of Toyota Dealers
comprising of Toyota Balintawak, Toyota Otis, Toyota North EDSA & Service Center, Toyota Marilao, Bulacan, and
Toyota San Jose, Del Monte, Bulacan (the “Oben Group”).
While originally engaged in the shipping business, being the President and Chairman of
Wallem Philippines Shipping Inc., one of the largest Ship Agency in the country, Atty. Oben’sstint
in the automotive dealership industry started when the local automotive company, Toyota Motor
Philippines, decided to appoint him, among many contenders, to be the Toyota dealership
franchise owner in the northern portion of Metro Manila in 1989. His excellent credentials,strong
business acumen, technical know-how, and utmost credibility paved the way for the beginning
of Atty. Oben’s venture into the car dealership industry through Toyota Balintawak.
Since then, Atty. Oben has methodically strengthened the business, expanded the
dealership’s customer base, and grown its footprint from 1 to 5 full Toyota dealerships and 1
service center, more than doubling its business and employee base. His expertise, timeless
business strategies, deep sense of purpose and big bold goalstransformed the Oben Group into
robust and resilient leaders in the industry.
Atty. Oben also brings the wealth of his experience and insights to a family holdings
company which is a partner with stakeholdings in Cosco Shipping Lines Philippines Inc. and PIL
(Pacific International Lines) Philippines Inc., both heavily engaged in the container liner agency in
the country.
Apart from leading his business and professional ventures, a refreshing deviation that
Atty. Oben indulges in is his cattle farms which he visits in his spare time. Here, he maintains a
herd of 250 Akaushi Wagyu, breeding and fattening them.
A shipping and automotive dealership industry veteran, Atty. Oben graduated Cum Laude
from the Faculty of Civil Law of the University of Santo Tomas (UST). He also has a Bachelor of
Arts degree from the same University, a degree he pursued with special permission from the
Department of Education, while studying for his law degree. Following this academic distinction,
Atty. Oben placed 6th in the 1961 Philippine Bar Examinations. During his early years as a lawyer,
he was a Professor of Commercial Law in the UST Faculty of Civil Law. Atty. Oben further pursued
an Academic Postgraduate Diploma in Law with specialization in Shipping Law at the University
of London (University College London) from 1963 to 1964.
In 2002, Atty. Oben was conferred the Outstanding Thomasian Alumni Award, the highest
honor bestowed by UST and the UST Alumni Association, Inc. upon Thomasian alumni, in
recognition of his significant and exemplary contribution in the field of Business Management.