H.A.M. Saparillo
The Bull and the Tamaraw
The standard public utility vehicle then as it is now was the jeepney.
The benchmark was the Sarao, with its shiny, nickel plated body, metal trimmings, hood figurines, flaglets and buntings and an excess of mirrors. It has been immortalized as an icon representing the Philippines.
There are many no-frills variants of the Sarao, jeepneys which were less decorated but was just as well the King of the Road."
Where I grew up, there was a mini version of the jeepney, the AC or auto calesa which sat eight passengers. These were workhorses with their diesel engines, climbing slopes with persistence and negotiating bumps and humps as if it was the most natural thing to do. They had sturdy bodies made of thick metal common to all vehicles of old which could withstand the wear and tear of everyday use.
The early 70's saw the Philippines experience a lot of changes. Martial Law, bell bottom pants, nick-nick shorts, and soul music were rammed down our throats.
An innovation in the automotive industry likewise took a bow: a utility vehicle that was lightweight, faster and functionally designed.
FIERRA
Its incarnation came in the form of the Fierra which was launched by Ford.
It was poised to compete against conventional jeepneys, light trucks and vans.
"Tough as a Bull." Was its motto, its logo showing a bull with its horns poised to gore whoever stood to block its way.
As a public passenger carrier, the Fierra completely changed the paradigm that jeepney had to be overdecorated, rusty and heavyweight.
Its brand new units showed jeepney passengers that they need not fear getting infected with tetanus.
With some of its units using gasoline, commuters were saved from inhaling the stench of black smoke.
Its chassis was firmly bolted that the familiar squeaks of jeepneys usually have, were absent.
Being made of lighter metal made it run faster.
SAFETY
But for the safety conscious, it was dreadful to imagine the effects of a crash involving this vehicle. My dear mother refused to let her family ride these newfangled wheels.
She thought they were too narrow and their ground clearance too high that its gravitational pull was insufficient to keep it firmly planted on the orad when negotiating a sharp curve or bumpy roads at high speed. She heard of unconfirmed reports about accidents wherein the new vehicle rolled over in curves.
Mama did not know much about motoring, much less, driving. But she made her judgements with the analytical mind of a consumerist, with her years of experience of choosing the right ingredients for our dinner, the right school for our education, the appropriate clothes for us to wear. These, I feel, qualified her to choose for us the right vehicles to ride.
The last straw came one day when she sent us siblings home ahead at the wet market's jeepney terminal, having had to do some last minute grocery shopping.
An hour later, she arrived home ashen faced, speechless, and embracing each one of us, her children. She had just seen a Fierra jeepney down on a cliff and thought were in it.
The Fierra eventually evolved into a significantly bigger and safer vehicle that were finally allowed to ride in it.
TAMARAW
Toyota had joined the fray in this new vehicle category launching the Tamaraw, and naming its professional basketball team in its honor.
It endeavored to be better than its predecessor and competitor. It was rugged like the Fiera but with features like a modern steering wheel that gave it a car-like feel.
Other manufacturers came out with similar vehicles such as the Francisco Motors Corporation's Pinoy and Harabas. These were smaller than the improved Fiera and Tamaraw but stood closer to the ground.
More and more, these vehicles were being converted from its public passenger and cargo hauling function and more close to being a family van. They now come in four- or five-door varieties.
A classmate once went to the promp on his dad's "Harbs" and we thought he was cool. So did his date.
TRULY ASIAN
There were local versions of the vehicle like the ones made by Cebu's Baisac Motors.
Gelac Motors, the local Toyota dealer then, produced interesting jeepneys which combined the Tamaraw's modern features and the Sarao jeepney's gaudiness.
These were fitted with eight track Pioneer stereo systems with baffles that played music so loud passengers had palpitations.
These were the 70's, and it gave birth to a new vehicle category that was not only truly Filipino, but also truly Asian.
ASIAN UTILITY VEHICLES
A quarter of a century since it first hit the road, the Tamaraw still prowls the Philippines,from its concrete superhighways to its muddy and dusty paths. Fiera, the "bull", is gone by force majeure, its manufacturer Ford having packed its bags for greener and safer havens in the early '80s, its comeback, if at all, dependent on the reentry of Ford in the Philippines which is still in the works.
Meanwhile, the shoe box-shaped light passenger and cargo haulers of the '70s have given birth to a new generation of Asian Utility Vehicles (AUVs) that threaten to dislodge the hardy jeepney or the luxurious taxi as the Philippine's king of the road. AUVs now cater not only to the working class but are gaining acceptance and preference from the upwardly mobile set or even the class with the stiff upper lip.
AUVs have evolved into passenger vans with standard four swing out doors at the sides and one from behind, much like their western van or sports utility vehicle counterparts. Air conditioners are now standard, and options include stereos. Upholstery is now more thickly cushioned to ensure passenger comfort.
At present, three major car assemblers are slugging it out for market dominance in the AUV market. Toyota, with its 25 year old Tamaraw brand appropriately suffixed with the FX tag, is still the runaway leader. Isuzu challenged the Tamaraw's monopoly by launching the Hi-lander last year, positioned as an action-packed vehicle. In late January, Mitsubishi entered its Adventure with a particular appeal to the Filipino family, making it to the a titillating menage a trois. There are minor players like the Anfra and others produced by local body building shops, but they pale in styling, performance and comfort to the Big Three.
AUVs are now being used even by the wealthy. They offer car-like comfort and features and cost less than the price of cars. They accomodate at least twice the number of passengers that cars can carry. In private use, AUVs are widely used as family sedans, especially by those who have big families. The younger set find them ideal for leisure riding and provincial outings. It's not unusual to have the rich and famous have an AUV as a stand-by vehicle which they can use during inclement weather when their turtle-waxed BMW Roadsters or Mazda Miatas are kept under covers.
For those of us who depend on public transportation, AUVs come in handy as taxi cabs. Commuters with bulky and heavy loads should be thankful of the AUVs. How many times have we tried to get that newly-purchased bicycle or that balikbayan box inside the trunk of a regular taxi, to no avail. Well, the AUVs have large baggage compartments where a 5 cubic feet refrigerator can fit in snugly.
In Manila, the AUV taxi has come up with a clone; the Filcab. While the AUV taxis can ply any route they want and must have meters to determine the fare, the Filcabs follow pre-determined routes and have fixed rates. This is a cross between the taxi and the jeepney. Popular among well-dressed office workers of financial and commercial centers, the Filcabs offer passengers car comfort at relatively affordable prices.
The Filcab concept was worked out only recently, during the leadership in the Transportation Department of the late Secretary Arturo Enrile. It sprung from the fact that AUV taxis were servicing commuters like jeepneys. This is most especially true to passengers working in the Big City and returning home to their suburban residences. With the legitimate jeepney and taxi operators complaining of unfair competition, the Filcab category was created to legitimize the new value-added service that many commuters now patronize. Of course, Filcabs can not operate as taxis.
The AUVs are likewise competing with vans as reliable school bus or car pool vehicles. Again, its advantage is cost; at most, a six-digit difference.
Remembering the AUVs of the yesteryears brings to mind a scene from a movie entitled Stealing Home, starring Mark Harmon and multi-awarded Jodie Foster. In the film, Harmon, who was living a life of a drifter, returned to his hometown to claim the ashes of his nanny played by Foster who had died and had bequeathed to him her remains. The movie provides the audience snippets of his past juxtaposed with his present-day sentimental journey, showing that he once had a neighborhood sweetheart. Upon reaching town, he shows up at the house of his ex-sweetheart. The door opens and in front of him stands a girl of five years, to whom he exclaims: "You look so much like your mother!"
As we admire the new generation AUVs on the streets and at the showrooms, we cannot help but say the same.
Published on Mar. 6, 1998