Clean air advocate seeks policy-oriented action to cut carbon emission
Author: Bernadette E. Tamayo
The Department of Energy aims to limit the sale of gas-powered vehicles by 2040 where EVs should account for half of all vehicles plying the roads in the Philippines. Different types of EVs were also given tax breaks for the first five years under Executive Order 12 series of 2023, with the exception of electric motorcycles, which drew the ire of several groups and think tanks. According to the Land Transportation Office, a majority of motorists use motorcycles, with around 8 million units registered to the body. Several environmental groups sought the shift to electric vehicles (EVs) to help cut down carbon emissions in the country that is being promoted under Republic Act 1169 which provides for the development of the electric vehicle industry in the Philippines. CAA said that Indonesia, Brunei, Burma, Myanmar, Laos, and Thailand are also ramping up their shift to EVs by introducing policies to promote it. A climate advocate pushed for a policy-oriented method to help improve the air quality in the Asia Pacific as the Philippines' air quality does not meet the standards of the World Health Organization (WHO). Clear Air Asia (CAA), a non-government organization, said in a statement on Monday that concerned sectors should "collaborate to enforce air quality standards and consolidate clean air and climate action plans."