CAVITE – A unique jeepney is turning heads in Dasmariñas City.
Instead of having two long benches for passengers, this jeepney has a bed, a small kitchen, a sitting area, and a comfort room.
Francis Cañaveral Amoroso, a 30-year-old online business owner, had the vehicle customized to fulfill his travel goals and fondly calls it "bahay-jeep" (jeepney-house).
"Sa ibang bansa, bus or van ang ginagamit nila, kaso mahal 'yun. Kaya naisip kong jeep nalang, eh total maraming available satin 'nun at tatak Pinoy (In other countries, they use a bus or a van, but that is pricey. So I thought of using a jeep, since it is widely available to us and it is proudly Filipino)," Amoroso told the Manila Bulletin on Nov. 22.
When Amoroso bought the vehicle in February, he sought help from family, friends, and a trusted carpenter who helped him customize the interiors according to his vision.
The business owner spent P300,000 on the jeepney and around P200,000 to customize the vehicle and make it air-conditioned.
Amoroso expects the total cost to reach up to a million once he installs solar panels, a top load carrier, additional batteries, and more appliances, such as a refrigerator and an oven.
Despite the expenses, Amoroso said it's all worth it.
"May sasakyan ka nang pwedeng pampamilya, may mini bahay ka pa. Kahit saan kami magpunta at maggala, 'di namin iisipin ang gastos nang hotel at mga restaurant, kasi dun mismo sa bahay-jeep namin, pwede kaming matulog at pwede kang magluto at may sarili ding CR (You have a vehicle that can fit the whole family and you have a mini-house. Wherever we go, we do not need to spend on hotels or restaurants, because in our jeepney-house, we can sleep and cook and we have our own comfort room)," Amoroso said.
"Ang goal po namin talaga ay magtravel nang matagal at libutin ang buong Pilipinas gamit ang aming bahay-jeep (Our goal, really, is to travel for an extended time and explore the whole Philippines using our jeepney-house)."
So far, Amoroso has taken the camper jeep with family and friends to the National Capital Region, Quezon, Camarines Sur, Albay, Sorsogon, and Batangas.