Folks say that if you ever wake up in the middle of nowhere and the cars you see on the road are snouty, weird-looking vehicles, you are probably somewhere in the Cordilleran mountains.

But before you open your eyes out wide, you will probably hear a soft rumble, something like a cross of that smooth, low hum from a gasoline-powered car and that sharp, oscillating throttle of a diesel elf truck. As the vehicle backs off, it whistles a tune that will either get you singing along to the beat or cringing and cracking out a laugh.

Its exterior is nothing flashy as well. In contrast to the curvy frames that most cars boast, this vehicle features blocky edges and angles. One would describe it as easy to draw even if you saw it in a glimpse.

This is the Tamaraw FX, a staple in the treacherous highland roads. It is the epitome of practicality and durability. No wonder that Cordillerans fell in love with this ingenious technology hailing from Japan. If the jeepney is dubbed as the King of the Philippine Roads, the Tamaraw FX would be the King of the Mountain Roads.

The Legend of the King of the Mountain Roads

Once upon a time, in 1993, Tamaraw FX, a version of the Toyota Kijang series was released in the Philippines. While there was a pickup truck model of the said series that came out in 1991, it was the wagon that stuck around through the years.

Evidently named after the Mindoro dwarf buffalo, the Tamaraw FX boasts its durability and power with compactness, like the beast itself.

This specific model was halted in production in the year 2002, nine years after its initial release. Then, more than a score of years later, the embers of the trailblazing spark remain lit. According to a report by Toyota Philippines, there are still around 3000 to 5000 units of the version throbbing around the Cordilleran road systems. With the parts readily available and customizable, stronger, more durable Tamaraw FXs were forged.

“Wen, nalaka [nga masukatan] ta isu ti old ditoy ayan tayo nga highlander (Yes, it is easy [to change parts] since it is what we have here before in the highlands),” testified Millan, an heir to a 28-year-old Tamaraw FX, a batch that came out way back 1996.

The tech was just too good to be true. It was, after all, a legend.

The word ‘legend’ though, has a double meaning.

Cementing the Legend

Having the capacity to ferry eleven to twelve passengers – depending on who you ask, the Tamaraw FX features a compact design. The first and second rows had the standard comfortable car seats. However, the last row puts practicality over comfort. It comprises two facing foldable seats that can accommodate four passengers – albeit non-ergonomically.

As a result, you have a compact workhorse vehicle. From its snout to its tail, the Tamaraw FX measures at little over 4.4 meters. Its two fierce competitors in the highlands, the Ford Ranger and Mitsubishi Delica 1997 measure 5.1 and 4.6 meters, respectively. It comes as no surprise that the typical Cordilleran will pick it over others.

Either infamously or famously, the Cordillera is known for its slithery and sharp-sloped roads. For beginner-level and even for intermediate-level drivers, it can be daunting navigating these treacherous highways. In some parts, roads would be just dirt and go one-way. The compactness of the Tamaraw FX would be perfect in such circumstances.  

“Napipigsa gamin ya, karkaro no bassit karga na, tiptipid (It’s powerful. When the load is small, it’s more cost-effective),” Millan remembered his days of transporting vegetables to the urban center.

But it does not really matter if it’s a family ride or goods transport; it just proves reliable for the Cordillerans in their endeavors.

Millan adds, “Adut kausaran na gamin. Mabalin nga pang-biyahe, mabalin pang-garage (It has many uses. It can be used in transporting goods, but can be also used in ferrying passengers).” 

Passenger Tamaraw FXs

Because of the reliability of these beasts, highlanders fall back to it even as a passenger vehicle. For instance, if you ever find yourself in the bustling Buguias barangay of Abatan, most routes coming out of it would involve commuting on the Tamaraw.

Its limited capacity would play as an advantage here. Since the population in the suburbs is small, the demand for public transportation is equally small; this means that for the Tamaraw, less waiting time for passengers. Contrasting that of Jeepney’s more than 20-passenger capacity, Tamaraw FX certainly takes the cake. Its space may be limited, but nevertheless, the community needs it.

“There’s literally no other way to travel, besides your own private ride, or hitching with someone else’s,” Marc expressed, reminiscing his student years in Bad-ayan, a remote area in Buguias, where he had to travel around five kilometers every day when going to school.

He also pointed out the advantage of the Tamaraw FX over the jeepney, “[The] problem with jeepneys in madami (there’s many) sharp curves and jeeps probably won’t fill up easily each trip.”

Overall, he thought that the existence of the Tamaraw FX was crucial for their everyday lives.

“I think the Tamaraw FX rides are fine as they are,” he assured, “but they need a ‘lil something to make them the real thing.”

It is not only students and workers who benefit from the presence of the vehicle in the area. Sari-sari store owners from the remote areas of the region also rely on the ingenuity of the Tamaraw FX. They would bring their sari-sari goods home from commercial centers like Abatan or even the municipality of La Trinidad. Some own the vehicle themselves, but most would hire the vehicle and driver it is almost like a full-on delivery service. Locals would call this “arkila.”

In some areas, Tamaraw FXs are just straight-up taxis, ferrying one passenger group from point A to B. This is where their operation starts getting a bit shady.

The thing is, most, if not all, public transport operations by the Tamaraw FX are unregulated. In fact, the aforementioned operation of Tamaraw FX in Buguias is indeed unsupervised by the government. The drivers go there and just do their work.

“They’re like vigilantes,” Marc said, “but for passenger cars.”

Fortunately, they still manage to create a healthy space for themselves as a social element. But for some areas, Tamaraw FX drivers are considered vigilantes on the loose.

Vigilantes on the Loose

It is a Friday night. In the long stretch of four-lane asphalt perpendicular to the Provincial Capitol are blinking safety lights and rowdy people, young and old. Tonight is happy hour for all walks of life: office workers, farmers who just sold their goods back in the trading post, and more often than not, students.

Parallel to the entertainment facilities are rows of both regular, white taxi cabs and colored Tamaraw FXs. As the night grows old, these drivers would wait for the partygoers’ time to go home. The regular taxi cab drivers would turn their meters on, as their franchisers require. On the other hand, Tamaraw “garage drivers”—as what they are called—would proceed to charge by kontrata like a Metro Manila taxi driver would infamously do to tourists from the airports.

While they do not charge as absurdly as these Metro Manila cab drivers do, it remains illegal and not franchised.

When asked if the police would poke their noses in the said operations, Millan responded, “Awan met, ag-checkup da lang ti kuwa (None, they just check on the [you know]).”

Since franchised taxi cab operators are scarce in the La Trinidad area, most taxis would come from the neighboring Baguio City. Hence, the community still relies on the presence of these “garage drivers.”

“No LTO, bawal, ngem diyay pulis ditoy ayan tayo maawatan da (For the Land Transportation Office (LTO), it’s prohibited, but our police here, they understand),” Millan explained.

Though questionable, it once again found a gap in the society to fill. It may be just the magic of the Tamaraw FX. Even in the darkest alleys of the community or in the highest mountain roads, it did made a difference in how the Cordillera way of life. It is just a rare example of how foreign products that chipped and fitted its way in the cultural mosaic.