Double-decker tricycle amuses in Cateel, Davao Oriental

A tricycle in Cateel, Davao Oriental, has left the public amused, particularly because it has two levels.

According to Kuya Kim on "24 Oras," Thursday, the unique tricycle was built by the group of content creator Pordz Batiller. The customization of the vehicle took almost two months and cost around P100,000.

Per content creator Pordz, the effort was all worth it because the double-decker tricycle succeeded in entertaining people, although there were some who were afraid to try riding it.

Safety expert Capt. Joebert Tolentino shared in the report that for such modified vehicles, one must always consider passenger safety.

"That's a modification, dapat iko-consider lagi natin is the safety of the riding public or 'yung passengers natin. Dapat tested 'yan, idaan natin sa local testing or authorized testing facility na safe especially if we're going to bring the vehicle to the road," he said.

Pordz has said that the double-decker tricycle is not for public use but for content purposes only. He added that the second level of the vehicle will be cut off and turned into another tricycle.

Meanwhile, Kuya Kim shared that the first-ever tricycle was built in 1655. It was a self-propelled wheelchair made for the German watchmaker Stephan Farffler. The word "tricycle," on the other hand, was first used in a French newspaper in 1789.

While it's unclear when exactly tricycles first emerged in the Philippines, Kuya Kim said that it's believed the vehicles started to appear after World War II. Tricycles of that time are believed to have been fashioned out of Rikuo Type 97 military motorcyles that were used by the Imperial Japanese Army in the country in the 1940s.

Kuya Kim added that it is also a possibility that the tricycle has been around earlier and may have been brought by the Americans, although there isn't any evidence yet that proves this.

— CDC, GMA Integrated News