The Electric Vehicle Association of the Philippines has backed renewed calls to restore funding for the government’s automotive resurgence programs, warning that the country’s push for electric vehicles could stall without a strong local manufacturing base.
While welcoming the Marcos administration’s drive for electric mobility through incentives and charging infrastructure expansion, EVAP stressed that EVs cannot be developed in isolation from the broader automotive ecosystem.
“Electric vehicles are still vehicles. They use the same platforms, supply chains, production facilities and skilled workforce as conventional vehicles,” said Edmund Araga, president of EVAP. “If local automotive manufacturing weakens, EV production, whether local or otherwise, will struggle to scale.”
The Comprehensive Automotive Resurgence Strategy (CARS) and the Revitalizing the Automotive Industry for Competitiveness Enhancement (RACE) programs were designed to rebuild local vehicle assembly volumes and attract major investments. Industry players warn that without them, the Philippines could lose its remaining production as neighboring ASEAN countries rapidly expand manufacturing.
The group noted that in other Southeast Asian markets, automotive manufacturing supports hundreds of thousands of jobs and billions in exports. Established assembly plants and supplier networks in those countries are now being leveraged to attract EV platforms and battery investments.
EVAP emphasized that local assembly is crucial for sustaining parts manufacturing, such as wiring harnesses, electronics and body panels. Without sufficient production volume, investments in these components become commercially unviable.
The group warned that fewer locally assembled vehicles mean a higher dependence on imports and fewer opportunities to localize future EV models. EVAP said this could leave the Philippines behind as the region transitions to electrified platforms.
While reaffirming support for the government’s EV roadmap, the association called for a balanced transition strategy that allows internal combustion engine vehicles, hybrids and EVs to coexist while manufacturing scale is rebuilt.
“Supporting CARS and RACE today strengthens our ability to assemble EVs locally tomorrow,” Araga said. “If we want Philippine-made EVs in the future, we must first protect and grow Philippine automotive manufacturing today.”
