THE Department of Energy (DOE) welcomed the passage of Republic Act (RA) No. 11697 titled, “An Act Providing for the Development of the Electric Vehicle Industry or the Electric Vehicle Industry Development Act,” which was signed into law on April 15, 2022.
“The DOE has already identified clear pathways to a clean energy future under the Philippine Energy Plan 2020-2040, and this law is monumental to the attainment of our goals and objectives,” DOE Secretary Alfonso Cusi said.
The new law aims to reduce the country’s reliance on imported fuel through the development of an enabling environment for electric vehicles. Further, it highlighted a Comprehensive Roadmap for the Electric Vehicle Industry (CREVI) to serve as a national development plan for the electric vehicle (EV) industry.
“Even before the passage of the law, the DOE has been actively promoting electric vehicles given their high technology features, low maintenance costs, and more importantly, e-vehicles are a smarter choice for the environment,” Cusi added.
R.A.11697 also recognized the need for intervention measures to spur the industry’s growth and potential, which includes, among others, incentives, demand generation and industry development, and roles and functions of government offices.
“We recognize that this law will allow us to transition to a clean energy scenario, and the support from all our stakeholders is needed so we may achieve a more efficient transportation system. We will be working closely with other government agencies and our stakeholders in the speedy development and issuance of the implementing rules and regulations to the law,” the DOE chief concluded.