Bulakeño’s invention to stop carjacking

MALOLOS CITY — The yoyo, the moon buggy and popemobile, and now an anti-carjacking tracking device.

Necessity being the mother of invention, another Filipino has come up with something new — an anti-carjacking device that could dramatically reduce car and motorcycle thefts not only in the country but around the world.

Junior de Jesus, a 36-year-old resident of Obando town in Bulacan, said in a telephone interview that his invention consists of a gadget installed in a car or motorcycle, which is electronically connected to the owner’s cellphone.

De Jesus dropped out of high school due to poverty, but compensated for it by enrolling in technical and vocational courses through the years.

Here’s how De Jesus’ gadget works: When a thief tries to steal the vehicle, an alarm sounds in the owner’s cellphone that would eventually allow him to track down the vehicle. To top it off, a number on the gadget can be dialed to automatically shut down the engine of the vehicle.

"Mag-aalarm yung cellphone ng motor vehicle owner tapos puwede niyang tawagan ’yung nakakabit na cellphone device sa kanyang sasakyan para mamatay ’yung makina at tumigil yung sasakyan," De Jesus said.

With a cellular phone microphone installed inside the motor vehicle, the owner can hear conversations inside his stolen vehicle thereby allowing him to trace it and call the police.

De Jesus is set to conduct a number of demonstrations of his invention in Bulacan in the coming weeks.

When asked if he will sell it to major players in the automotive industry, he said one had already expressed interest to buy his invention, but he is hedging at the moment because he wants to let the world know that the inventor is Bulakeño.

Mayor Zoilito Santiago of Obando, on the other hand, said that residents of his town — made famous by the fertilization dance for childless couples — were excited to learn that one of their own has made it big.

He said that De Jesus is a product of the town’s public school system and a local technical school where he took courses in electronics.

Truth is, De Jesus didn’t finish high school. He took technical courses at the Obando Central School at the time these were still being offered at the school.

"Mahirap lang po kami kaya hanggang vocational lang natapos ko," De Jesus told the Businessweek by phone, saying he had little choice but to take vocational courses because he comes from a poor family.

He added that while working with a Toyota car dealership in Metro Manila, he enrolled in another technical school in Manila to enhance his capabilities.

At present, he is working as an industrial electrician at the Obando Water District. He had come up with a number of electronic-based inventions before.

When asked why he became fond of inventing devices, De Jesus said he just wanted to make life a bit easier for himself and others: "Gusto kong makagawa ng mga bagay na makakatulong sa akin na mapadali ang ginagawa ko at maging ng ibang tao."

At 36, De Jesus is a father of five, including a pair of twins.

"Mahirap ang buhay ngayon kaya umaasa ako sa aking imbensyon (Life’s hard so I have to rely on my inventions)," he said.