Jeep Factory tour of the MD Juan jeep factory in Manila. At the end of the second world war, the United States found that it was cheaper to sell or just abandon thousands of jeeps in the Philippines rather than ship them back.
Industrious Filipinos took those old military jeeps, extended them two meters or so, slapped on metal roofs, threw a couple of benches into the backs, coated them in vibrant colors, ornaments, and an excess of chrome, and began transporting passengers. Almost instantaneously the jeepney culture was born, and these vehicles became the defacto way that Filipinos began getting around.
Today, there are over 50,000 jeepneys on the streets of Manila, and untold thousands more around the country.
As the jeepney gained popularity original parts became scarce. In 1966 Dr. Maximino D. Juan conceived MD Juan Enterprises, Inc. to answer the growing need for jeep parts in the Philippines and by 1969 had ventured into the export market focusing on jeep bodies and parts identified with World War II: the MB and the Korean War: the M38. Soon after, the civilian jeep models like the CJ series were being produced in the production line.