Recognizing the adverse effects of climate change and the necessary steps to alleviate global warming, President Ferdinand R. Marcos on Monday reiterated his administration’s commitment to making Philippine transportation more environmentally-friendly with high-tech cars on the road.
During his speech at the launch of Tesla’s Center in the Philippines, President Marcos emphasized the importance of adopting policies and strategic measures to meet the government’s need for envisioned and concrete actions that provide practical, inclusive, and positive impacts to Filipinos.
“Today, we mark another significant step in our fight against climate change. It is a very significant step forward in our long-term transformation towards a more environment-friendly transportation system,” President Marcos said.
“The government understands that transitioning to electric vehicles is a complex journey, one that requires vision and a great deal of strong and committed concrete action to make it practical, inclusive, and impactful for every Filipino. This is why we have adopted and pursued strategic measures that reflect our commitment to enhancing sustainable transportation while meeting the needs of our communities,” he added.
The Chief Executive highlighted the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion (TRAIN) Act, which removes excise taxes on battery electric vehicles, and the Electric Vehicle Industry Development Act (EVIDA), which offers duty-free importation for charging stations, lower user fees for EV owners, and prioritized registration and traffic privileges, making advanced technologies more competitive than traditional options.
“Under the TRAIN Act, excise taxes on battery electric vehicles have been removed, making these advanced technologies more competitive than traditional options,” the President pointed out.
“The EVIDA offers duty-free importation for charging stations, lower user fees for EV owners, and prioritized registration and traffic privileges,” he added.
President Marcos also emphasized additional measures that concretize the laws and strengthen the government’s commitment to clean energy.
These measures include the Comprehensive Roadmap for the Electric Vehicle Industry (CREVI), which aims to achieve a fifty percent electric vehicle market share in the Philippines by 2040, and the issuance of Executive Order No. 62, which aims to reduce tariff rates to zero until 2028 on pure electric or hybrid four-wheel and motorcycle EVs.