Owner Type Jeep in Liliw, Laguna: The Filipino Cybertruck

Heads up: This video is originally from my SherwinM channel on YouTube — that’s where I post EVs, tech, and whatever else I’m into. I’m including it here on Sherwin Travels because it’s part of the same Philippines 2024 trip and honestly it fits the story better here.

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Back in Liliw, Laguna — if you missed the earlier street walking episode, start there. I teased this vehicle in that post and called it the Cybertruck of the Philippines. This is the dedicated video.

I rode a tricycle over to my cousin Kuya Joel’s place. If you’ve seen my EV content, you know I named my Model Y “Tricycle” — that name came from right here, so there’s some poetry in arriving by one. Kuya, by the way, is just what you call an older male in Filipino. Ate is for older female. It’s not a name, it’s a title of respect.

What Is an “Owner”?

Kuya Joel pulled it out of the garage and I immediately wanted to film it.

The vehicle is called an “Owner” — short for Owner Type Jeep, classified as OTJ. The origin story is that Willys Jeeps were brought to the Philippines by the US military during World War II and left behind when the bases were handed over. Filipinos bought them up and converted them — some became jeepneys (the iconic elongated passenger vehicles you see everywhere), others became private “owner” vehicles kept for personal use. Not for commercial routes, not for hire. You own it, you drive it, that’s why it’s called an Owner.

I had to Google that. I’m Filipino and I grew up around these and I still had to look it up.

The Ride

Kuya Joel is a marine engineer. He goes wherever the work takes him — Belgium on his last deployment, other countries before that. When he’s home in Liliw, that’s when I ever get to see him. This trip I finally caught him.

He’s had the Owner for about two months. Bought it right after arriving back from his latest deployment. The first thing he did when he got home was get a vehicle he could take up to his farm.

We went for a spin around the neighborhood. Four-speed transmission, Toyota 4K gasoline engine. Suspension is rough — you feel every crack in the road — but that’s kind of the point. These things are built for rough terrain. The pavement is just a warm-up.

OFW Culture and the Farm

A lot of my cousins are OFWs — Overseas Filipino Workers. Marine engineering, seafarers, medical workers. They leave the Philippines for months at a time, send money home, come back during breaks. It’s one of the most common career paths in the provinces. The Santiago Lakers — that’s the legendary basketball team from the barangay, champions in the ’80s, practically a local dynasty — half those guys’ kids probably went OFW too.

When Kuya Joel is home, the Owner is what he drives to his farm. The roads up there are rough. This vehicle handles it. He had a Chevrolet Cassia before this — a blue one — but sold it because when he was away at sea and his wife and kids moved to Manila, no one was maintaining the car. Came back to flat tires and dried-up fluids. He got rid of it. This time he got something that can take neglect a little better.

Interior and Exterior

Inside it’s a two-seater up front — basic seats, but surprisingly comfortable. The back is open frame, steel, with a vinyl cover for rain. There are little speakers mounted inside, and when we checked the back, Kuya Joel had bananas from the farm sitting there. Very practical.

Outside: the body is stainless steel. That’s not a custom mod, that’s just how many of these are built — it resists rust and it’s part of the aesthetic. The wheels are 165/65 R13s. Thirteen inch wheels. I had to check twice. For comparison my Model Y sits on 20s. These things are rolling on 13s and they work just fine.

Pop the hood and there’s the Toyota 4K engine — radiator, battery, all accessible. Clean and simple. These engines are well-documented in the Philippines; parts are everywhere and mechanics know them cold.

The Cybertruck Comparison

I keep calling it the Philippine Cybertruck and the comparison actually holds up more than it’s just a joke. Both are polarizing vehicles with angular, utilitarian styling. Both are built for function over comfort. Both have stainless steel bodies. Both are impractical on normal roads and exactly right for the terrain they were designed for. And both belong to someone who wants everyone to know they have one.

The big difference: the Owner has been doing this since the 1940s. And it cost my cousin a fraction of what a Cybertruck would.

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This is part of the Philippines 2024 series — the next episodes take us to Palawan for my dad’s side of the family, a completely different island and a completely different vibe.

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This post is based on a video originally published on my SherwinM channel. Watch the full video above for the ride-along and the full exterior walkthrough.