As it argued the health benefits of long term electric vehicle use, the Pollution Control Association of the Philippines (PCAP) stressed the need to speed up the grant of incentives needed to mainstream EVs in the country.
PCAP Vice President for External Affairs Jeremiah Dwight Sebastian said that Filipinos can benefit from EVs by having “less air pollution, less sick people, and less need to go to the hospital” due to zero tailpipe emissions, which reduce carbon emissions and carbon footprints compared to fossil fuel powered cars.
“Electric Vehicles are critical technology to push forward the decarbonization effort since this will allow us to have a more flexible option in its energy source… this can also minimize what I believe [is] a major issue of pollution in highly urbanized [communities],” Sebastian said.
The Statista Research Department found that the Philippine transport sector in 2021 emitted 31.54 million tons of carbon dioxide.
According to the American Lung Association, transitioning to EVs will help save 110,000 lives, prevent 2.7 million childhood asthma attacks, and result in over $1.7 trillion in global climate benefits in the United States alone.
Earlier this year, the Philippine government passed Executive Order No. 12 series of 2023, aiming to mainstream the usage of EVs in the country, along with the target of slashing the rate of carbon emissions caused by vehicles.
Different EVs received tax breaks, except for e-motorcycles which are still subject to 30 percent import duty. This is despite motorcycles being used by majority of motorists in the country. Calls for the revision of EO12 to include e-motorcycles have been raised, in order to accelerate the shift to electric vehicles.
The shift to EVs, which everyone agrees will benefit the environment and human health more than the fossil-fuel powered vehicles that are currently in use, is indeed not going as fast as it should in the Philippines. If adding e-motorcycles to the list of EVs that can avail of tax breaks can accelerate this effort to transform the transportation sector, it is an initiative our government should seriously consider.*
