Car bulletproofing industry set to boom ahead of 2016 polls

With the 2016 Philippine elections fast approaching, business is about to get bullish for vehicle armoring companies.

"One year before and after, ang armoring po natin, boom po. Dahil siguro po sa pagdating ng eleksyon, meron pong need po ang mga politicians," Exo Armoring Company sales manager Robert Saluta told GMA News TV's "State of the Nation with Jessica Soho" on Monday.



Most of the company's clients were expected to come from Mindanao, as well as from northern and southern Luzon, where many areas are considered election hot spots.

During the 2013 elections, more than 900 areas or more than half of all cities, towns, and municipalities in the country were identified as hot spots by the Philippine National Police.

However, the armoring company's list of clients were not limited to high ranking officials. A few barangay captains have the resources to avail of the company's services.

Also, their clientele also included Chinese businesspeople - prime targets for kidnapping gangs. And strangely enough, according to the PNP, some candidates use kidnapping to fund their campaigns.

"Proteksyon po para sa kanila. Hindi lang para sa kanila, para rin sa mga bata rin na mga anak nila," Saluta explained.

The most expensive part of an armored vehicle is the bulletproof glass. The windshield alone, which is around 39-42 millimeters thick, will cost P400,000 to P500,000.

Completely armoring a vehicle will cost from P2.2 million to P3.6 million since the materials used were imported from the US. — Trisha Macas/DVM, GMA News