Konted's Make My Day: Tales Of The Durable Volkswagen

Tales Of The Durable Volkswagen

All the narratives below happened in the late 60s and 70s when the VW was the most popular car brand in the Philippines. Almost everyone I knew owned a VW at one time or another. And to this day we still see old VWs running the streets of Metro Manila and in the provinces. Still in good running condition. Some have been restored. And surely we will still be seeing these classic cars in the years to come.

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I was driving a Volkswagen Fastback one late afternoon many, many years back when I parked by the side of the road as a lady friend was waving. I got off and pulled a laminated poster of Kareem Abdul Jabbar, then known as Lew Alcindor, which I bought at the Araneta Center. I crossed the street and showed the poster to my friend. As we were in the middle of our conversation, a young girl passed by and then stopped to chat with my lady friend.

This young girl was in a short skirt with backless blouse, revealing her smooth skin tanned by the sun. She was 18 and I was 25. She smiled and I smiled back. And we talked about the poster. My lady friend, from that moment on, was unintentionally ignored and relegated to the sidelines. This young girl was with me in my Volkswagen the next day and the countless days thereafter. She would become the mother of my children Alex, Allen and Albert.

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I was on board a Volkswagen Beetle with friend Mon Vinluan driving. It was 1972. I was seated at the passenger side with another one at the back. We just had a drinking spree at the then popular watering hole Victoria Peak. Yes, it's near Andy's place. We were heading towards Rizal Avenue Extension in Caloocan City for a complete body massage.

At the corner of Serrano St. and 6th Avenue, we had a hard collision with a Simca taxi. Apparently Mon did not slow down. Apparently the taxi driver ignored traffic signs as it was already past midnight. The impact was so strong that Mon was thrown out of the car and lost consciousness. On my part, my mouth hit the windshield, my chest hit the dashboard and my leg was slashed by something sharp. I was gasping for breath and a tooth plunged into my gums. I was asking for help from passersby but there were no good Samaritans on that night.

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I was on my way to get something from Manny King's Volkswagen Tradback, parked in front of Digos Reyes's house, when I noticed somebody tinkering with the VW's headlight. It was common then for juvenile delinquents to steal the headlights of VW cars. Quietly, I motioned to Manny that something unusual was happening. We were then having a drinking binge. Manny sprinted towards the gate followed by Jimmy Tiangco. They caught up with the guy and pummeled him with fist blows, sending him down to the gutter. Still the man managed to run to a car nearby and they sped away.

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I was enjoying my ride on board a Volkswagen Sakbayan (Country Buggy) owned by the Salomon Brothers - Renz, Boyito and Erin- as we traversed the Maharlika Highway enroute to San Leonardo, Nueva Ecija where their father was town mayor. Renz was driving and we were picking up speed as we wanted to be there before lunch.

It was the town fiesta of San Leonardo and our basketball team was scheduled to play at the town plaza. There was a big crowd cheering for the home team. We executed all kinds of plays, threw in different player combinations, displayed precision shots. Yet we could not keep up with the noise and ranting of the hometown crowd. We lost by a big margin. A sportsmanlike player that he was, it was still all smiles for Boyito, who, later on, was elected as town mayor.

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We were Baguio-bound. For three days and two nights. The designated car was Totie Buhain's VW Beetle. At the passenger seat was Rouel Quito. I was at the back with Eddie Boy Ablaza. We took the treacherous Kennon Road with Totie displaying fine driving skills. And for the VW Beetle, the uphill climb was easy.

We stayed at Eddie Boy's aunt's place, went shopping and did the usual sightseeing. As we passed by Gibraltar Road near Mines View, we turned right at the Good Shepherd compound for some take-home items. I bought some pili nuts while Totie ordered two big bottles of Ube Jam. Not just the regular but the special ones.

On our way home the next day, we took the scenic Naguilian Road as we wanted to pass by Bauang, La Union even for a few hours. We stayed at the Nalinac Beach Resort and Totie dipped for an hour at the resort's swimming pool. Eddie Boy, seemingly bored, opened the Beetle's compartment, took a paper bag with Totie's ube jam in it. Without Totie's knowledge, Eddie Boy opened a bottle, started dipping his pointing finger into the jam and relishing it to his heart's content. He did it many times and then finally closed the bottle. "Ang sarap pala nito." he exclaimed.

Now, when we were back in Manila, we turned right to a street somewhere in the Kamias/Kamuning area and stopped by a house supposedly owned by a girl who, at that time, Totie was courting. The surname of the girl was Po_ l _ _an. I am not sure anymore. Totie opened the VW's baggage compartment, took the paper bag containing the special ube jam he bought at Good Shepherd and handed it over to somebody staying in the house.

It was meant for the girl and the ube jam was the same ube jam that Eddie Boy pried open. And Totie was unaware as no one told him about it. I do not know what happened after that. I do not know if Totie succeeded in wooing the girl. That was many, many summers ago.

- Konted

VW factory in Wolfsburg, Germany

VW Beetle 1962 Convertible

Neat interior

Intact interior

Well-maintained engine

VW Kombi commercial ad

Interior

1970 VW Karmann Ghia convertible coupe

Original steering wheel

Original engine

VW Type 82E

1949 VW Beetle

An original 1300 deluxe, circa 1966

Photo taken at Fort Bonifacio

4-door VW Beetle taken at the Volkswagen Club of the Philippines annual show in Fort Bonifacio.
Other photos below taken during the VW classic annual show.