Miss Earth 2022 and environmentalist Mina Sue Choi backed the implementation of tariff breaks for electric vehicles and its components highlighting its necessity for the environment in an interview on Wednesday, March 29.
“For the Philippines specifically, I think, especially they have a lot of congestion issues and a lot of burning fossil fuels as well still. I feel like this change is gonna happen but it’s not gonna happen immediately because you know, it’s cheaper to use gas or to use oil,” Choi said in an interview during the 2023 International Ecotourism Travel Mart.
According to Choi, since the Philippines has various congestion issues and burning fossil fuel as its main source of power, the transition will not be immediately mainstreamed and will be based on the desire of the people.
Based on a study by the Statista Research Department, coal is still dominating the power production of the Philippines at 47.6 percent, followed by other fossils at 18 percent, and gas at 10.7 percent, with a total of 76.3 percent, while renewable energy such as wind, solar, bioenergy, hydro, and other renewables takes up 23.7 percent of the country’s total power source.
Earlier this year, Executive Order No. 12 series of 2023 was issued which aims to lower the tariff rates of electric vehicles to mainstream its usage in the country and help mitigate the impacts of climate change.
The beauty queen insisted that the implementation of EO12 is good, but it won’t be easy to persuade people to move out of the traditional mode of transportation even with the current incentives.
“More people demand this change. I think there’s gonna be a greater change in the fossil fuel industry as well. So, I think it’s absolutely vital that this change happens. I think it’s gonna happen,” the beauty queen added.
She stated that the transition to electric vehicles is happening in other countries as various leading automobile companies started to launch their first EVs such as Rolls Royce and Toyota.
However, under EO12, electric motorcycles and other two-wheel electric vehicles are still subject to 30 percent import duty.
Calls to make the import tax break inclusive by amending EO 12 with the inclusion of two and three-wheeled EVs are gaining ground from industry stakeholders and clean-air advocates alike.
According to the Land Transportation Office, they recorded almost 8 million units of motorcycles in their agency. Motorcycles are also the most favored mode of transportation for motorists in the country.
“I think the government needs to put their input where they make incentives for people to want to, you know take EVs or take more sustainable mobility,” she stated.
According to the Department of Energy, the country is aiming to go full electric by 2040 by deploying around 6.3 million electric vehicles across the Philippines, which almost covered 50 percent of all vehicles on the road.