Balut vendor from Valenzuela constructs car out of metal scraps

For most of his life, Rolando Barrientos collected scrap metal for a living and when he wasn’t doing that, he was selling balut. In the middle of the pandemic, Rolando came up with a resourceful idea: to take his scraps and make his own car.

Mahirap ng walang sariling sasakyan kaya paunti-unti kong nabuo ‘tong sasakyan na ‘to,” he shared. (It’s hard not to have your own car [amid the pandemic] and that’s why I created my own.)

In a video posted by All About Wheels Manila, the Valenzuela resident explained that his makeshift car is made entirely out of recycled materials. The chassis is made of metal pallets while the hood is made of a metal drum which he had lying around his house.

The car’s wheels are made from repurposed e-bike wheels and the windshield comes from an old TV’s LED. Meanwhile, its machine is inherited from his old broken down motorcycle. Other components like its mags, propellers, and suspensions are recycled from scraps, too.

Even though he doesn’t have any background in building cars, Rolando persevered. “May mga sarili naman po akong bakal at may mga panggamit at panggawa kahit di ko naman alam kung paano. Lakas ng loob ko nalang talaga ang kumaya,” he emphasized. (I had the parts and tools and even though I didn’t know how to make a car, I was determined.)

Rolando notes that his children inspired him to create the car.

Gusto ko kasi madagdagan ang kaalaman nila kahit kulang sila sa pag-aaral. [Gusto ko] na matalasan nila yung isipan nila. Kayanin hanggang sa kakayanin,” he ended. (I want my kids to learn even though they’re the most privileged. I want them to be sharp and crafty. [I want to teach them] to persevere and be resilient as long as they can.)

Check out the video posted by All About Wheels Manila here.

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