Environmental group says shift to electric vehicles to push country's decarbonization

An environmental group on Monday emphasized that the shift to electric vehicles would help the country in its measures toward decarbonization.

In a statement, the Pollution Control Association of the Philippines (PCAPI) pointed out that tax incentives to electric motorcycles would allow the majority of Filipinos to shift to a more affordable and eco-friendly transportation.

"This will allow more of the majority of the public access to affordable transportation... Also this can minimize what I believe [is] a major issue of pollution in highly urbanized [communities], idling in traffic," PCAPI Vice President for External Affairs, Mr. Jeremiah Dwight Sebastian, said.

Sebastian also said policies which will improve the country's air quality should be enforced, including the Executive Order No. 12.

"The point here is there is a need for stakeholders and [implementers] to communicate and also capacitate enforcers to avoid miscommunication and implement this properly," Sebastian said.

President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr.'s Executive Order No.12 gives tax breaks to electric vehicles and their components for the next five years to promote their use among Filipinos.

Meanwhile, the PCAPI cited data from the Department of Energy which states the agency is targeting to roll out 2,454,200 electric vehicles by 2028, comprising cars, tricycles, motorcycles and buses.

The group added that the DOE also aims to set up 65,000 charging stations nationwide.

In December 2022, only 13,934 units of EVs have reportedly been sold in the Philippines.

The National Economic Development Authority has said the inclusion of e-motorcycle in the list of EVs with tax breaks will be up for deliberation by February 2024.

The Philippine government has been pushing for the PUV Modernization Program, which aims to replace traditional jeepneys with vehicles that have at least a Euro 4-compliant engine to lessen pollution.

In 2022, DOE’s Energy Utilization and Management Bureau Director Patrick Aquino said “Shifting to EVs can reduce the oil consumption to around 43 liters of gasoline per 300 kilometers or equivalent to 98.9 kilograms of carbon dioxide CO2 avoidance (at 2.3 kilograms of CO2 per liter of gasoline)." — LA, GMA Integrated News