Small Leyte town assembles bamboo car

By Vicente Labro
Philippine Daily Inquirer

TABONTABON, LEYTE, Philippines—Move over electric cars, bamboo cars are the next eco-friendly transport.

A farming town has started to assemble cars using bamboo and other indigenous materials in pursuit of the green agenda. It has also fabricated equipment for waste recycling.

Tabontabon, a fifth-class municipality of over 10,000 people and situated 30 kilometers south of Tacloban City, began the environment-friendly projects on the initiative of its mayor, Dr. Rustico Balderian.

Balderian, 53, a physician serving his first term as mayor, recalls that the car assembly venture arose from the town’s need for an alternative means of transportation.

Jeepneys seldom ply the route because it takes hours for the vehicles to fill up with passengers. The main mode of transport is the motorcycle, locally known as habal-habal which, according to the mayor, is prone to accidents.

To solve the problem, Balderian says he looked around for a form of transport that can compete with the habal-habal, jeepney and multicab in terms of cost and efficiency. With the help of residents and out-of-school youths, he experimented with a three-wheeler and a car with a one-cylinder engine.

Three car models

They finally settled on a two-cylinder engine that runs on coconut-based biofuel with the body made of indigenous material.

Their efforts resulted in three prototypes of the eco-friendly cars assembled under the Tabontabon Organic Transportation Industry (Toti) livelihood project.

The Eco 1 model car, designed by Balderian, is made of indigenous materials, except for the engine, tires, chassis and flooring. It can seat 20 people, including driver, and can run on one gallon of biodiesel for eight hours.

It can climb a 20-percent incline. Its body, including the roof, is covered with woven mats. It has a steel plate flooring.

The Eco 2 model car is 70 per cent made of bamboo, including body and flooring. It can seat six passengers and has a stereo system. It can run on one gallon of biodiesel for eight hours and can climb a 20-percent incline.

The Eco 3 model car is an improved version of Eco 2. Bamboo makes up 90 percent of the car, including chassis. It can accommodate six passengers.

The three car models have been driven around town and even participated in a parade in Tacloban City.

Stronger than steel

Balderian says the use of locally available bamboo, whose tensile strength is greater than steel, lowers production cost. Bamboo is also pliant and light.

“Bamboo cars are environment-friendly and could help mitigate the adverse effects of climate changes,” he says.

According to the mayor, it takes around five tons of ore to produce a ton of steel plate and to transform the ore into steel plate, some five million Btu of heat is needed.

Balderian claims the car body can last 10 years as the bamboo and indigenous materials will be laminated or treated with polyurethane to withstand the heat and rain.

There is also no danger of the vehicle catching fire as polyurethane is fire-resistant, he adds.

Mass production

Balderian estimates that the Eco 1 car will cost about P200,000. Since it runs on coconut biofuel, it will not be dependent on the more expensive fossil-fuel.

Some of his fellow mayors, he says, have already signified their interest to buy these environment-friendly cars.

Balderian says their group is seeking a classification for these “eco-vehicles” from the Land Transportation Office.

So far, they have only produced three prototypes and will only assemble additional units if there are orders.

If there is enough interest, they plan to mass-produce the cars.

Solid waste management

Tabontabon has other ventures such as the fabrication of shredders, boilers and bio-reactors, not only for use in the town’s solid waste management program but also to sell in other provinces.

So far, the mayors of Mayorga in Leyte and Villareal in Samar bought the solid waste management package, each costing P650,000.

“Other bio-reactors take 14-21 days to produce fertilizer. Our bio-reactor can make fertilizer in five days,” Balderian says. The fertilizer can be sold at P5 a kilo.

Other projects

Other livelihood projects include the making of slippers, bags and bricks out of plastic waste.

Balderian says the town’s environment and livelihood projects are anchored on a campaign against climate change.

“If we will not work together to mitigate climate change, Tabontabon, which is located 15 kilometers from the sea, will become a coastal town in about 40 years,” he warns.