To set the momentum for the adoption of electric vehicles (EVs) in the country, President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. ordered concerned government agencies to put in place a system to enable state offices to acquire a significant number of EVs for government use.
This was revealed by the Department of Energy (DOE) when President Marcos met on Tuesday with the DOE and concerned agencies in Malacañan Palace to discuss the updates on the development of the EV industry.
In particular, the meeting tackled the EV situationer, action plans and strategies, challenges, possible financing, schemes, best practices on EV adoption, and ways to speed up the adoption of EVs.
“Yes, targeting 10 percent of the fleet should be electric vehicle. Mayroon siyang pinasang inter-agency na led by the Department of Energy, and nandoon din iyong DBM para maayos iyong procurement niya at para mag-comply,” Energy Undersecretary Felix William Fuentebella said in a press briefing in Malacañang.
“So when the President was looking into that, there was a thumbs up from DBM Secretary Amenah na it’s already in place,” Fuentebella said.
The energy official said that aside from purchasing electric vehicles for the government fleet, the President also wants corresponding charging stations for those vehicles.
Under the EV Industry Development Act (EVIDA), the government is mandated to ensure that at
least 5 percent of their fleet shall be EVs by 2034.
Given this, the DOE and DBM need to implement policies and initiatives to accelerate the transition of government fleets to EVs. They also have to update the Omnibus Guidelines on the Acquisition, Use, Rental, and Replacement of Government Motor Vehicles to prioritize EVs in the re-fleeting program of government agencies.
According to the DBM, it also plans to conduct a study on the 10-year projection of the EV percentage share, in coordination with the DOE, to determine the fiscal requirement, considering the limited fiscal space.
The Japanese government recently provided 85 hybrid technology vehicles, plug-in hybrid vehicles, and EVs, including electric chargers to the Philippine government.
Also, the government secured a
US$1-billion loan from the Asian Development Bank for the Davao Public Transport Modernization Project; US$50-million loan from the Green Climate Fund; and US$10-million loan from the ASEAN Infrastructure Fund.
Currently, there are 30 operational EV routes for e-Public Utility Vehicles (PUV), with 384 e-PUVs plying those routes.
Further, there are 7,515 EVs while there are 563 EVCS.
The government targets to have 2.45 million EVs and 66,500 EVCS in the country by 2028. | PND
