Fariñas Transit, a sole family proprietorship was founded by the late Marcelo Vallejos Fariñas of Vigan, Ilocos Sur together with his wife, the late Rosa Peralta Luna of Pasuquin, Ilocos Norte.

Four years before the outbreak of the second World War in December 1941, Marcello V. Fariñas died and the management of the business fell in the shoulders of his wife and his two grown up sons Constate and Federico.

When the Japanese invaded Ilocos Norte, they began commandeering government and private vehicles including the buses of the Fariñas Transportation. The younger son, Federico was able to hide during the evasion, 2 buses in Piddig, Ilocos Norte, a remote town at the eastern part of the province. In March 1945, during the liberation, Federico brought out the 2 buses he had kept clandestinely in Piddig and the master mechanic, Federico who never had any formal education in automotive repairing or the like, was able to assemble one bus out of the 2 dilapidated buses into good running condition which he himself drove along its franchises routes from Laoag to Manila and back. These two buses became the nucleus of the biggest transportation business plying between Laoag and Manila today.

Meanwhile, Constante, the older brother, chose to pursue his studies in Manila. Thus, it was Federico who continued the transportation business. The meteoric rise of the business was due to Federico’s uncanny business acumen and management. Despite the risk encountered in the early days of the business, when insurances were not available then to pay costs of damages incurred during vehicular accidents, through basic work, personal discipline and determination, Federico together with his wife, Remedios Dreyer Castro, forged on to improve the business. Being the master mechanic that he was, he augmented his income by putting up the Fariñas Motor Shop. He bought condemned government equipment like bulldozers, pay loaders, and dump trucks, repaired them, and sold them at handsome prices. From here, the number of buses grew by leaps and bounds. At present, the company is maintaining 60 good working conditioned buses. Federico was the first to introduce air-conditioned buses in the province, the first to introduce comfort room in the air-conditioned buses and now the Fariñas Transportation business is the biggest transportation business in Ilocos Norte.

The bus company, which is owned by the late Federico Luna Fariñas Sr, is operated by his sons and daughters which are the Fariñas family of Ilocos Norte, a political family that has served as governors, mayors and councilmen over the course of several generations: most notably from recent news, Ilocos Norte Governor Rodolfo Fariñas and Laoag City mayors Roger and Michael V. Fariñas.

 

Fariñas Today

Fariñas Transit continues to increase their reach as they reopen trips from Laoag to Baguio City along with the introduction of 16 new first-class buses.
The 150 man staff continues to grow to provide better service to tourists and locals.