Local truck body manufacturers are positioning themselves to supply the truck bodies for the proposed “Love Bus” project, aiming to maximize the use of their manufacturing facilities and contribute at least 20 percent local content to the assembly of the popular transport system once implemented under the previous Marcos administration.
According to Rommel Juan, director of the Automotive Body Manufacturers Association of the Philippines (ABMAP), the group has yet to formally request government approval to manufacture the body of the “Love Bus.”
Under the proposed framework, the “Love Bus” is a government-led initiative, giving the government the option to assign the truck body production to local manufacturers. Like most public mass transport systems, they usually government subsidized.
“We have the capability to manufacture the body,” Juan said, noting that ABMAP continues to invest in advanced equipment and facilities, including painting, stamping, laser cutting, and welding technologies.
Truck body manufacturing could contribute at least 20 percent local content to the modern jeepney or “Love Bus” project. In addition to increasing local value-added, the initiative would generate employment, enhance local manufacturing capabilities, and strengthen the technical expertise of Filipino truck body makers.
ABMAP members have made significant investments in local manufacturing in support of the Public Transport Modernization Program (PTMP). However, their participation has been limited as most modern jeepneys are imported as completely built-up (CBU) units—including the truck bodies.
“We do not object to the importation of the chassis or the transmission, but give the truck body to us,” Juan said. “For us at ABMAP, we are pushing that local manufacturing should be given priority because our local manufacturing is disappearing. Imported CBUs should be prohibited.”
Juan noted that the PTMP has stalled due to a high loan default rate, prompting both the Development Bank of the Philippines (DBP) and the Land Bank of the Philippines (LBP) to halt financing for various transport cooperatives.
He also emphasized that ensuring the project’s long-term viability requires strong after-sales service and readily available spare parts.
“There are traders, but there is no local support, no maintenance, maybe they are fly-by-night,” he said.
