Philippine business groups and foreign chambers urged the Philippines to soon join the accelerating global shift to electric vehicles (EVs), to meet rising health and environmental concerns.
The groups in a statement said they are pushing for the swift bicameral approval and ratification by the House and Senate for final approval of important legislation that establishes a national EV energy policy framework and charging infrastructure to support EVs.
In an August 31 letter to House of Representatives Speaker Lord Allan Velasco, the groups said aside from addressing health and environmental concerns, the passage of the bill will enable the Philippines to maximize its potential to participate in what is becoming an enormous new supply chain of the EV industry, particularly components, batteries, and charging stations, the groups said. The new CREATE (Corporate Recovery and Tax Incentives for Enterprises) Act can incentivize future investors in EV manufacturing for domestic and export markets, they added.
The House of Representatives approved HB 10213 or the Electric Vehicle Industry Development Act on third and final reading on September 27. Earlier this year, the Senate approved Senate Bill 1382 or the Electric Vehicles and Charging Stations Act.
Before Congress went on recess in October, members of the bicameral conference committee for both chambers were manifested in plenary. The bicam panel has to reconcile disagreeing provisions of HB 10213 and SB 1382. Thereafter, the reconciled version will be ratified in plenary of both chambers.
