MOTODECK: A “Truepa” to the Core

He’s one of the motovloggers who has been making waves recently. Chances are you follow him in his YouTube channel and social media accounts and are entertained by his witty, spontaneous and honest videos. You might have stumbled across one of his vlogs and got hooked up with his straightforward reactions and antics.

    More than a year since officially becoming Motodeck, he has captured the admiration of riders and motorcycle enthusiasts.

Jack of All Trades

     Benedict Maniquis is an adventurer. It’s astonishing to know the many things he has done in his life. In high school, he is already into business. He is a musician – a vocalist of a band called Jebz. He also plays the guitar and drums. He has been a drag racer. He’s into BMX and mountain bikes and skiing. He’s a surfer, longboard and skateboard rider, former call center agent and TV, wedding and events videographer. The man is not afraid to take risks and follow his passion. He did and does a lot of things and has learned a lot too.

    Benedict Maniquis known as Deck Deck to his family and friends gave up his previous job and even sold his old camera gears as a videographer when he pursued motovlogging. Behind the camera, he is a doting father and husband and currently has a business while being one of the in demand moto-vloggers in the country now.

Motorcycles and Riding

     Motodeck has been riding motor­cycles for 18 years now. He first rode a 50cc Suzuki scooter as his service to school back in his elementary days. It was his Mom who let and taught him ride the scooter. Their family also got a Honda Dio. In 2006, when he was in high school, he was amazed by the speed and features of the Suzuki Raider 150 and acquired one. He and two high school friends who also got Raider motorcycles had the time of their lives and felt like superheroes riding the fast and powerful motorcycle in San Miguel, Bulacan where he grew up. As years go by, Motodeck tried and owned a couple more motorcycles as he is the type who likes to be the first owner of new models in the market. He got a 2010 Mio Z and currently owns a 2019 Yamaha Sniper, 2013 Yamaha Fino, 2018 Yamaha Aerox and a Honda XR200.

     He was a “kamote” rider before – yes you read that right. Not using proper riding gears, riding with no helmet, he’s been through that in his younger years. But eventually he realized the impor­tance of safe riding and since then has prioritized safety in motorcycling. Having experienced it himself, he sincerely gives advices and encourages safe riding in his vlogs. He also rides thinking notjust about himself but other motorists as well. He joined a Turbo Cup drag race event in 2012. He has participated in an endurance ride event where he had an epic performance and also had track day experiences.

Truepa

One of the terms today pertaining to your good pal was “truepa” and Motodeck popularized this as well as the comic “throwpa”. Truepa is a higher level of being tropa (“sobrang totoong tropa”), while throwpa are those that are not sincere enough so you may consider throwing them away, just kidding. As much as he uses the word truepa to call his pals, his co-riders and his followers, Motodeck is a truepa at heart. You can feel that as the man speaks what’s on his mind. In his vlogs, he doesn’t have a script, he just pours in what he feels and what he thinks in giving his opinion and reaction on things. Being true and staying true are reasons why he has attracted a large fan base. You’re not seeing someone pretending. You see him and hear him as he is. He’s not here to please just one side or to sugarcoat things.

     During our chat with him, he is as natural as he can be. When talking with MotoDeck, you may not realize how long you have talked with him as it is enjoyable to converse with him. MotoDeck values true relationships and “pakikisama”. The truepas who ride with him are also his bandmates and the same buddies he has known in his younger years. He makes it a point to spread good vibes. In a society where most are self-centered, Motodeck strives to bring a smile and lighten the mood of people he encounters. He also encourages everyone to not judge a person by his/her physical appearance.

Overwhelmed and Humbled

As his popularity shoots up, the guy stays true to keeping his feet on the ground. When asked about his reaction to the attention and following he receives, Motodeck said he is always overwhelmed, even surprised at times just like when he was in Boracay enjoying the night dancing when suddenly a soldier comes up to him and says he is a truepa. For Motodeck, respect is something irreplaceable and he is so grateful to the people who are supporting and appreciating his craft. He is thankful to those who have brought him to where he is now. He’s always delighted to see truepas and enjoys mingling with them.

What’s next for Motodeck

    He’s a risk taker, an adventurer and MotoDeck has a lot of plans. A lot has been going through his mind and he’s excited to make his ideas a reality. One plan of his is to ride and invite two or three truepas to join him. He always rides in a small group and would like to bond with his truepas and ride to explore and basically just to enjoy motorcycling. He’s also thinking about doing a Philippine Loop, a challenging and once in a lifetime experience that perhaps most riders would like to undergo.

    Then there’s IRGP, the much anticipated and biggest motorcycle race event in the country and Motodeck raced in the MotoIR GP. Exciting times ahead indeed for Motodeck. He’s also planning to do motovlogging tutorials.

     It’s obvious when a person is destined for something and it’s easy to say that Motodeck is born to do what he is doing now. It has been blast and Motodeck will continue to inform, entertain and promote the beauty and excitement of motorcycle riding in his own truepa way.

“I’m not a money-based person. I’m not here to show off. I just want to share my adventures and how awesome and enjoyable riding a motorcycle is. I can do everything but I’m a master of nothing. I quit my job and decided to be a vlogger to be free and express myself.” – Benedict “Motodeck” Maniquis

personal photos shared by Motodeck

This article was published in the 2019 InsideRACING Volume 17 Number 6 issue. For your personal, copy you can order here https://www.facebook.com/MotohausOnlineStore/

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