I have blogged before about how I felt that Indian
cars would produce great customer satisfaction for a Filipino motorist. I wrote that:
“Their cars
are rugged and durable. Mahindras, Hindustan Motors, Tata and Maruti/Suzuki
have built a reputation for simplicity and quality.
x x x
“Indians are also technically
proficient. A quick look at their internet forae and the number of car programs
as seen on youtube shows that the Indian is a discerning motorist. I also
suspect that the road conditions in India are so much worse than in the
Philippines that a car built for India would have no trouble negotiating the
potholes and floods of Manila and the dirt and mud of the Provinces.”
Thus, when word came out that the Philippine National Police was going
to acquire Mahindra Enforcers (known in India as the Bolero), I was thrilled. I
knew that my hypothesis was going to be proved correct, so much so that when
the Senate questioned the acquisition, I wrote in
favor of it.
Mahindra
Enforcer PNP Patrol Car
More than a year later, is my hypothesis correct? It seems so.
In the May 20, 2016 edition of the Philippine Star* explains that the
PNP is very satisfied with the Enforcer’s performance. Antonio Mallari, Jr., the after sales
director stated that only 61 of the the 1,470 Enforcers or only 4% have been
brought to Mahindra’s service depots for minor repairs and preventive
maintenance.
Keep in mind that these vehicles have been in use for over one year and
under “rigorous usage” as patrol cars.
So there you have it folks, Indian cars can cope well in Philippine
conditions. They are rugged and
reliable. Sure, they don’t look “pogi”, but for some, that isn’t
important.
Will the government consider getting more Indian vehicles? Will you
consider getting one? I for one, consider them great value for money, an
Enforce costs between P750,000 for the lowest spec, single cab model to P995,000
for the top of the line double cab, 4x4 version.
The Sad Fate of Grace Poe and Alan Purisima
The award of the contract to Mahindra will be the only project I will
commend the now-discredited and shamed Gen. Alan Purisima for. To be fair, he deserves to be thrown in jail
for graft and corruption if not for his flat out incompetence. But this acquisition shall be his enduring
legacy.
On the other hand, when Senator Grace Poe openly questioned the
acquisition of Mahindra trucks to be used by the PNP, I criticized her. The neophyte senator displayed her ignorance
of the motoring world. I could never
trust her to make our laws and I could not trust her with the top post in
government.
Grace Poe
---
*I could not find this article online, however, I was lucky enough to
have snapped a picture of the article as it appears on print. Here it is below.
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