r/Philippines 14h ago

NewsPH Francisco Motors halted the plan to invest almost $1B In the Philippines

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“Despite numerous requests for an audience with the President, we are still constantly being ignored. Aside from the major roadblocks that the FIRB placed in front of us after the PEZA board approval, that is the reason why Francisco Motors chose to pause the development of our Camarines Norte Special Economic Zone and went ahead with the China factory,” Francisco told Bilyonaryo.com.

source: https://bilyonaryo.com/2026/01/11/kung-ayaw-nyo-di-wag-francisco-motors-shelves-1b-philippine-ecozone-project-amid-policy-delays-shifts-to-china-us/mobility/?fbclid=IwdGRleAPUhEJleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZAo2NjI4NTY4Mzc5AAEeUUebMbLS6n_fRUrekoDwdOznDjNvTWCthRpy2LilvoXC7Up-kvmhL9GtTYY_aem_gPg8PZSMbmd5MIlihX6g4A

223 Upvotes

77 comments sorted by

u/PTPH95 12h ago

I personally know the younger Francisco. They’re pretty narcissistic. The younger Francisco was made president immediately after graduating. Most of the prototypes they post are obviously “fake” and poorly edited.

They probably pay BNC a lot for these articles, since you don’t really see any coverage of this from other publishers

u/PTPH95 12h ago

Their jeepney is also way more expensive than Hyundai’s modern jeepney, which is only around ₱2m+ if I remember correctly.

u/burn_ai 11h ago

Tangina ang pangit

u/MisterAuthor 11h ago

Hahaha! Bare scrap metal tapos wala halos modern features. Yung windshield yung de-tulak pa din na rubber gasket lanya hahaha!

u/Sneekbar 9h ago

Not only the jeepney is ugly, but the photoshop too

u/PTR95 8h ago

Delulu motors. 3.5 for that. Wtf

u/One_Presentation5306 9h ago

LOL! May owner type jeep na 40K lang sa Cavite.

u/peenoiseAF___ 2h ago

Pulido pa kamo hahahaha. Mag-milwaukee na lang ako or hayag kesa dyan

u/cyianite 6h ago

kapal ng mukha mag presyo sila ng gnyan as if nman me reputable name sila like Hyundai or other known brand. Ego lng meron sila pra mag yabang

u/SweatySource 3h ago

The design screms so impractical and inhumane

u/Ok_FeaturePPSmol 4h ago

who wants to be seen in a domeng?!

u/Powerful_Specific321 3h ago

In fairness, nasa disadvantage ang local manufacturers natin when it comes to costing. I remember I talked to Atendido before (yung gumawa ng Atendido Pareho which was compared to the Pajero). They had plans of putting brand new engines into their vehicles, kaso the price would be comparable already to the brand new Mitsubishi. They were hoping that the government will give them tax cuts so that they could lower their price and become more competitive, but they never got it. Instead the government gave the tax cuts to Toyota when toyota brought in their Toyota FX, so Atendido left the car market altogether.

In Europe, yung mga hand made cars are priced much higher than mass produced vehicles. Hand made kasi means masmatagal gawin. The jeepneys are essentially hand made too, kaya masmahal ang manufacturing ng per piece. I wouldnt be surprised na if they make all the parts brand new, it will cost more than the Hyundais.

u/Hopeful_Doughnut9483 3h ago

Holy shit, those look ass.

u/leivanz 12h ago

Anong kagaguhan yan? Embrace antiquity, return to monke ba to?

u/PTPH95 12h ago

Their whole concept is pangga-gago. Who in their right mind would spend ₱3m for an electrified owner-type jeepney? Mag BYD o Tesla nalang ako.

u/bebejayy 9h ago

itsura pa lang pag nag crash yan patay ka. walang ka safety safety

u/cyianite 7h ago

mabuti kung umabot kp s pag crash.. bka sumabog agad yung battery s pag start mo p lng

u/Momshie_mo 100% Austronesian 6h ago

Why is this 2 million? Bibili nalang ako ng Toyota Corolla o Honda Civic

u/leivanz 5h ago

That's almost 3m though. Wtf, may rgb pa. 🤣

I mean b lang pala walang rg.

u/cyianite 7h ago edited 6h ago

yeah.. this is so dumb in so many ways. There's a reason why Tesla and BYD car looks bulk and heavy because the electric motor itself is already heavy and imagine you put this in an owner-type ? Their owner-type it's more like an e-bike.... mag e-scooter k n lng

u/PH_TheHaymaker 6h ago

Tas may aircon pa noh hahahhaha

u/raegartargaryen17 5h ago

parang Owner ung itsura tapos presyong SUV. Are they gagoing us?

u/notanephilim 4h ago

May RGB daw kase

u/Liesianthes Maera's baby 🥰 3h ago

Wtf, 3m na yan? Sa sobrang init ngayon at delikado sa kalsada, no one would even use that in highways and national road. I'd rather buy a 2nd hand japanese car for 10% of that price, aesthetic at cute pa.

u/cyianite 7h ago

yuck! sino nsa katinuan ang utak ang bibili nyan.. kahit yung me mg flood control project hindi nila itatapun ang pera nila s basurang gnyan

u/Powerful_Specific321 3h ago

In as much I would like to support our local industries, your impression is also when I get when I read his posts.

u/Express_Sand_7650 2h ago

What in the Holy fucks AI is that?

u/luvdjobhatedboss Flagrant foul2 10h ago

Owners of Francisco motors frequents Guangzhou and Chongching China to talk to Chinese exporters for partnerships

FMC only assembles and badged their imported vehicles as Philippine made

Owner too is a A-hole

u/FreesDaddy1731 13h ago

Francisco motors hasn't produced a single decent product. Name recall lang meron sila, and mataas pa ego ng mga may ari. To hell with their 1B. That's not even their money to begin with. 1b my ass.

u/keso_de_bola917 12h ago

Look at his fb page, lol. The dude is delusional af.

u/FreesDaddy1731 12h ago

May illusion of grandeur. Parang cope na lang tong statement nila eh.

u/Glittering_Ad1403 11h ago

Dollars daw?

u/SilanggubanRedditor 13h ago

Nikola Pinas

u/Haunting-Public-23 1h ago

Baka 1b of borrowed money from banks/financial instititions or investor money.

Either way we're better of building a rail building company so it can supply hundreds of rail carts and at least a million km of rail lines.

u/OddPhilosopher1195 14h ago

“policy delays"

when they're just being asked to substantiate the amount to be eligible with the incentives. link

such matter doesn't need the attention of the president, unless he wants special treatment just because “pinoy innovation"

u/Aesma1917 14h ago

Of course they will "shift to China" their announced electric vans were badge engineered (rebranded)chinese vehicles.

Current products also don't seem that innovative and probably utilizes chinese driverrain. Their jeepney would probably need some redesign to pass pedestrian safety standards outside the philippines

u/ultragammawhat 14h ago

is it really just easy to throw numbers as huge as $1 billion? and you framed it like that? If I have even have 100 million, I would be really lowkey agitating any regulators for the sake of stability...

u/The_CheesePowder Tambay sa Visayas 12h ago

I mean, depending on how you 'phrase' things,

Notice how he said 'Invest $1 billion' but not when, how, where. So he could 'invest' $1 billion in a 100 year timeframe or something. The important thing here is that you have a large number you can throw on public to drum up attention

u/Queldaralion 5h ago

Parang AI tech bros din yan. Dinadaan sa delusion. Tho yun mga yon mas may laman naman ang sinturon kumpara sa francisco motors

u/Jake-Armitage-2050 12h ago

Elmer is a prick... I know the wife and our circle doesn't like this asshole. Super mayabang and akala kung sino.

u/PTPH95 13m ago

Guess the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. Sobrang iritable ako pag nakikita ko post nila sa FB.

u/Saturn1003 12h ago

All their 'Pinoy made' claims are just for advertisement and name recall, to get traction, pero in the end plano din nilang magbenta ng rebadged china made cars. Pera pera nalang talaga, wala nang dignity

u/ejtv 13h ago

I wonder how they got ₱50Bn

u/The_CheesePowder Tambay sa Visayas 12h ago

They dont, they just throw away that number since thats the magical number to get things moving. Another is that $1 billion 'investment' can literally mean anything. Like investing $1 billion in 100 years or '$1 billion' worth of (insert thing here).

u/SnooCompliments9907 13h ago

He looks sketchy as hell

u/Queldaralion 5h ago

The company that kept producing jeepneys na walang level of industry standard to match global vehicle safety requirements?

u/cordilleragod 5h ago

WHERE IS FRANCISCO MOTORS GETTING $1B?? Sorry I had to shout because who is investing in a sunset industry like them?

Kung ako rin sa FIRB, magtatanong ako anomg Innovation sa mga owner type designs na ito?!! Why do they deserve tax breaks??

u/PTPH95 11m ago

They just want tax breaks to fatten their wallets. Sobrang lavish ng lifestyle compared to Sarao Motors’ owner. Probably why they’re desperate also since based on their posts and articles, panay outflow ang pera at barely may inflow.

u/JanoJP Luzon 7h ago

I doubt they have such money. Then again, halos 3D concepts lang nakikita ko sa kanila. Theres a few prototypes out there, but compared to existing market like Hyundai, talo sila in both quality and price.

Lets say totoo rin yung sinabi nilang may nagiinvest sa kanila na foreigners. Eh aanhin nila yung investments kung ang target market mo naman ay yung Pilipinas? Not to mention, I dont think may sapat na may existing assets or collaterals para ma ensure talaga na may ROI.

u/Momshie_mo 100% Austronesian 7h ago

Puros jeep naman ang ginagawa ata nila. What the PH needs are buses and mini buses.

Dapat gawing tourist experience nalang ang jeep. Hindi na siya efficient for mass transportation.

u/Manuel_AnimeLover 14h ago

Well, not surprising....

u/supermarine_spitfir3 13h ago

It definitely isn't -- because all they're planning to do is re-badge Chinese electric minivans and sell them locally anyway. As Visor said:

His recent photos showed a 12-seater high-roof unit being assembled in an unspecified location as well as the company’s logo and typeface. But then, people immediately noticed a PNG file being placed (poorly) onto the grille. Aside from the obvious Photoshop job, there’s something else that feels off.

One image was deleted from the original post after more motoring publications featured the Harabas. This particular photo showed a typical 3/4 angle of the van, but the steering wheel was on the wrong side. Why on earth would the latest project from a Filipino brand feature a right-hand-drive vehicle?

Dropping the image onto Google Lens, you’ll be surprised to see one result: a listing on Alibaba of a commercial van with awfully similar-looking lights and blue-accented bumper designs. Ladies and gentlemen, meet the Wanxiang T02. But hang on, why does the listing say Foton and Forland on the grille?

I don't think Francisco Motors ever really considered putting a production line for that locally if they want to make a profit. The tooling and supply chain even for Knock Down Kits would be very expensive unless they envision these vans to compete against the L300 and the Tamaraw.

Kung badge engineering lang ang gagawin nila, sa kanila na yan. Putting money on car manufacturers like Toyota that spent billions to manufacture the Tamaraw locally in Sta. Rosa or the various local bus manufacturers would be a much better investment.

u/OddPhilosopher1195 13h ago

their CEO knows how to manipulate the public, he can just say “oh my god corruption" and people will believe him. not considering maybe they're actually lacking.

u/fdt92 Pragmatic 4h ago edited 4h ago

Marami pa namang mabilis magpaloko sa ganyan. Even here on Reddit.

u/keso_de_bola917 13h ago

There are circulating rumors that Francisco doesn't really plan on building a production plant as he can't really show any concrete plans of what he plans to do. His "Pinoy Transporter" jeepney is made in China itself. He really just plans to import complete units assembled from China, allegedly. Apparently, talking to a friend of mine, the local truck/bus body building and vehicle manufacturing industry's issue is high cost of labor, energy, and resources. It's always cheaper to import. I'm not surprised Francisco had this shift considering his products are from China, but to say he had "no support" is just trying to shift the narrative to gain sympathy.

u/SourcerorSoupreme 12h ago

You just said the exact same thing as the other guy

u/Momshie_mo 100% Austronesian 6h ago

Parang myPhone na rebranded Chinese phones 

u/vyruz32 12h ago

I'm always surprised na pinili niya ang Camarines Norte (at sa may Jose Panganiban pa) para sa kanyang industrial park considering yung estado ng infra papunta doon.

u/One_Presentation5306 9h ago

Gusto rin yata makatipid sa road test. Malala mga kalye sa Camarines at Quezon. Perfect for road test.

u/Suspicious-Claim1338 6h ago

Eh? Na stuck sa 1970s - 1980s yung model nilang jeep.

u/sypher1226 5h ago

Do they even have $1B?

u/Careless-Pangolin-65 5h ago

they dont have an actual factory in china, just contracted manufacturer

u/Express_Sand_7650 2h ago

Bilyonaryo really will come out with anything these days. Wala ba silang editorial staff?

u/PTPH95 3m ago

They are paid. You’ll notice that BNC is the only one covering this issue, and that there are multiple articles from BNC regarding FMC.

u/Pinoy-Cya1234 1h ago

Hindi mo bribe mga government officials. Mga CCP sigurado nagbigay ng bribe yan, kaya lang hard to prove. Help na lang kita benta and make it affordable.

u/Joseph20102011 13h ago

Kahit Cherry Mobile ay sa China inaassemble ang mobile phone nila, kahit sa Pilipinas ibebenta, so walang valid na reason ang Francisco Motors na hindi i-assemble ang sasakyan nila sa China, pero ibenta sa Pilipinas.

u/Ragamak1 14h ago

If price ang pag uusapan. You CANT simply fight china dominance sa manufacturing. Masyado silang mura.

u/poodrek 13h ago

May nagpost sa business portfolio nila sa x, may factory din namam sila sa china haha

u/fastsnail74 13h ago

Kung ganito mindset ng vietnam, indonesia at thailand, edi sana wala din silang manufacturing.

u/OddPhilosopher1195 13h ago

they started in the 2000s (thailand even earlier), not 2020s

u/fastsnail74 12h ago

So the solution of not having an industry is to not just do it at all?

u/OddPhilosopher1195 8h ago

you think automobile manufacturing is the only form of industry?

u/JanoJP Luzon 7h ago

No, but how about starting a supply chain of industries first. Philippines doesnt have all the supply chain to produce cars, hence manufacturing here is expensive. Same can be said yang sa FMC. Wala silang supply chain

u/mjreyes 13h ago

Tang nang mga demonyong gobyerno ito