Description
Written by TIPPY O. KINTANAR
Illustrated by JOSE MARIA TRISTAN V. YUVIENCO
Story about Leonardo Salvador Sarao Sr., also known as Mang Adong Sarao. He was the founder of Sarao Motors, an automotive company known for designing, manufacturing, and selling Philippine Jeepneys. Though he was not the first person to alter the surplus jeepneys left over in the Philippines by the US Army after World War II, Mr. Sarao was the first entrepreneur to see this as a real business opportunity for mass transport in the country. His ground breaking vision of the Philippine Jeepney lives on to this very day as millions of Filipinos continue to rely on jeeps as a primary mode of transportation in their everyday lives.
With a vision to commercialize the Philippine Jeepney for mass transport, Sarao Motors designed jeeps that were more functional. The new design included extending the vehicle’s body to accommodate more passengers and integrating railings on top of the jeep to hold cargo.
By the 1960s the jeepney became a symbol of Philippine Pop Culture, and at the height of their operations in the 1970s Sarao Motors employed 400 workers in their Las Piñas factory. The jeepneys produced by Sarao Motors were also showcased in the Philippine Pavilion during the 1964 New York World’s Fair, and were featured in a 1971 European Tour to promote Philippine tourism and industry.
With the growing cost of materials for jeepney parts, Sarao Motors downsized its operations two years before Leonardo Sarao’s death in 2001. But Sarao Motors continues operations in their Las Piñas plant focusing now on more commissioned work. Leonardo Sarao’s legacy continues to live on in the thousands of jeepneys used for mass transport all over the Philippines.
Copyright © 2018
ISBN: 978-971-569-944-0
Size: 10 x 8 inches | 16 pages | Full color | C2S paper
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