President Ferdinand ”Bongbong” Marcos Jr. wants 10 percent of government service vehicles to be electric powered, Energy Undersecretary Felix William Fuentebella said on Tuesday.
”Yes, targeting 10 percent of the fleet should be electric vehicles. Mayroon siyang pinasang inter-agency na led by the Department of Energy, and nandoon din iyong DBM (Department of Budget and Management) para maayos iyong procurement niya at para mag-comply,” Fuentebella said in a Palace press briefing.
(Yes, we are targeting 10% of the fleet to be electric vehicles. He approved an inter-agency initiative led by the DOE and DBM to prepare the procurement and for complying.)
”So when the President was looking into that, there was a thumbs up from DBM Secretary Amenah na it’s already in place,” he added.
Marcos has tasked the DOE and all other concerned agencies to expedite the implementation of action plans and strategies to develop the electric vehicle industry in the Philippines.
The Presidential Communications Office said that the Philippines is still far from its target of 2.45 million electric vehicles and around 65,000 charging stations by 2028.
During the sectoral meeting on the updates on EV industry development on Tuesday, President Marcos said the DOE and other agencies should focus on finding ways to lower the cost of production, financing and charging infrastructure to ensure a seamless EV industry.
“It’s the cost of production. Let’s focus on that for now – cost of production and financing. I think, that’s it. Cost of production and financing and the charging infrastructure,” Marcos told the DOE.—RF, GMA Integrated News
