“The government understands that transitioning to electric vehicles is a complex journey, one that requires vision and a great deal of strong and committed concrete action…”’
LATE last year, the Philippines experienced six successive strong typhoons in a span of three weeks, which was unheard of even in a country that is visited annually by around 20 typhoons.
President Marcos Jr. said changing weather patterns and successive strong typhoons are just among the effects of climate change. He said the Philippines, being one of the countries most vulnerable to climate change, must be “aggressive and swift” in its actions to combat or at least mitigate its effects. And the country is doing just that, he said, through programs on sustainable development that would reduce the country’s carbon footprint.
Among these are the campaign to shift to the use of electric vehicles (EV), or the Comprehensive Roadmap for the Electric Vehicle Industry (CREVI), which aims to achieve a 50-percent electric vehicles market share in the Philippines by 2040, and ongoing efforts to modernize public utility vehicles.
The President said electric vehicles are seen as premium products, which is why the country has adopted and pursued strategic measures that reflect its commitment to enhancing sustainable transportation while meeting the needs of communities.
The government has been offering various incentives to encourage vehicle owners to shift to EV use, and entice more companies to supply and manufacture electric vehicles in the country.
“The government understands that transitioning to electric vehicles is a complex journey, one that requires vision and a great deal of strong and committed concrete action to make it practical, inclusive, and impactful for every Filipino,” the President said.
Among these measures is the implementation of the Electric Vehicle Industry Development Act (EVIDA) which provides duty-free importation for charging stations, lower user fees for EV owners, and prioritized registration and traffic privileges.
The others are the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion (TRAIN) Act which removed excise taxes on battery electric vehicles and made these advanced technologies more competitive than the traditional options, and Executive Order No. 62 which aims to reduce tariff rates to zero until 2028 on pure electric or hybrid four-wheel and motorcycle EVs.
WALKWAYS, BIKE LANES and RAILWAYS
The government has also put up more EDSA Greenways-like or elevated pedestrian walkways as well as allotted more bike lane networks, not just in Metro Manila but also in different provinces such as Aklan, Batangas, Davao, Ilocos, and Pampanga to encourage a more environment-friendly way of travelling.
It has also been aggressively pursuing mass transit projects especially involving railways, not just to be more environment-friendly but also to address traffic congestion. Ongoing projects are the Metro Manila subway, the North-South Commuter Railway, and the expansion of the Light Rail Transit and Metro Rail Transit systems.
The government is also working with the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) for the crafting of a Railway and Transit-Oriented Development plan that would integrate transportation in urban planning.
The country has also put up the EDSA busway and bus transit systems in Metro Manila, Cebu and Davao to encourage the use of public transport systems and reduce the number of private vehicles on the road.
ALTERNATIVE ENERGY SOURCES
The Philippines has been pushing to increase energy mix in the country to 35 percent alternative energy by 2030 and 50 percent by 2040 under the Power Development Plan 2020-2040.
Currently, the Philippines is 54 percent fossil fuel-dependent and 21 percent dependent on renewable energy, mostly on geothermal and hydropower.
The President has been enticing investors to go into renewable energy in the Philippines which has been opened to foreign ownership.
Marcos said rules on building renewable energy facilities have been simplified and additional incentives such as income tax holidays and duty-free importation of capital equipment are being offered to investors.
He has said that by increasing the energy mix, particularly the alternative energy use, around 3.3 billion tons of greenhouse gas emissions reduction can be achieved from 2030 to 2050.
Another step towards addressing climate change is the country’s participation in international fora such as the Asia Zero Emission Community (AZEC) in Japan in 2023 and the hosting of the Board of the Fund for Responding to Loss and Damage.
The Fund was established to finance and assist the most vulnerable developing countries in responding to and recovering from losses and damages caused by climate change.
The President said that with the Philippines’ hosting the board, it enables the country to have a “loud voice in shaping the future of international climate policies and actions.”