Moves for better air quality in PH should be priority, says pollution control group

A jeepney smoke belches along J.P. Rizal St., Makati. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO / RAFFY LERMA

MANILA, Philippines — Pollution Control Association of the Philippines (PCAPI), an environmental group, has emphasized the urgency of improving air quality in the country and stated that transitioning to electric vehicles (EVs) would accelerate the nation’s decarbonization efforts.

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PCAPI’s statement came in response to National Economic Development Authority (NEDA) Secretary Arsenio Balisacan’s announcement that Executive Order No. 12 series of 2023 will undergo review by February 2024, following concerns raised by stakeholders in the EV industry regarding the exclusion of e-motorcycles from tax breaks.

According to PCAPI, providing tax incentives for e-motorcycles will enable the majority of the Filipino population to adopt affordable and eco-friendly transportation options.

“This will allow more of the majority of the public access to affordable transportation…Also, this can minimize what I believe [is] a major issue of pollution in highly urbanized [communities], idling in traffic,” said Mr. Jeremiah Dwight Sebastian, PCAPI Vice President for External Affairs.

The organization also emphasized the need to implement policies to improve the country’s air quality, such as EO12, unless there are still data to be gathered and issues to be identified.

“The point here is there is a need for stakeholders and [implementers] to communicate and capacitate enforcers to avoid miscommunication and implement this properly,” Sebastian added.

Motorcycles constitute the majority of vehicles on the road in the Philippines. As of 2022, there are more than 7.81 million registered motorcycles in the country, according to the Statista Research Department.

The Department of Energy aims to introduce 2,454,200 EVs by 2028, including cars, tricycles, motorcycles, and buses. The agency also plans to establish 65,000 charging stations nationwide.

Secretary General Felix Jose Vitangcol of Philippine Business for Environmental Stewardship previously stated that the EO should be revised to be more inclusive by including motorcycles and other two-wheeled vehicles, allowing Filipinos from different social classes to afford the shift to green technology amidst rising gasoline prices.

“Only more affluent Filipinos – indeed a limited segment of the population – can afford to buy four-wheel vehicles and hence enjoy these incentives… This is why the government must make these tax incentives more inclusive,” Vitangcol said.

The transition to EVs is one of the government’s strategies to decarbonize the Philippines and reduce reliance on fossil fuels for power generation.

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