SENATE OFFICE, Manila, May 29, 2011-In the recent study of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) that Metro Manila ranks high among the megacities in Asia with air quality problems, Senator Edgardo J. Angara, chair of the Congressional Commission on Science and Technology and Engineering (COMSTE) said that 70% of air pollution in Metro Manila areas will be resolved through the use of electric vehicles where he urged the government for the development of a national electric vehicle industry by providing incentives for electric and hybrid car manufacturers and importers as well as adopting an e-vehicle standards.
“The government needs to support the nascent industry which encourages local innovation and promotes eco-friendly transportation where the COMSTE has been working closely with the Electric Vehicle Association of the Philippines (EVAP) to draw up policy framework that will guide the development of the industry,” Angara said, adding that the COMSTE has identified the development of electric vehicles and green transport as one of its priority projects this year.
The EVAP has asked the government to adopt e-vehicles for use in public transport and to create strict industry standards where they completely built unit (hybrid and e-vehicles) and imported parts and components that cannot be manufactured locally should be Duty-Free, Excise and VAT exempt upon importation.
Angara said that these electric vehicles will be powered by electricity generated from biomass as the green transport model where the system has the potential to be one of the most eco-friendly in the world.
He added that thru e-vehicles, it will lessen the pollution and wean the country away from fossil-fuel dependency with this innovative Green transport system like electric tricycles, hybrid jeepneys, buses and electric bicycles.
“We import roughly 96% of our petroleum, the majority of which is consumed by the growing transport sector. The same sector accounts for the biggest share of the energy use, nearly 40%,” Angara said, noting that to become energy independent is one of the goals of the government.
The veteran Senator believed that it can be achieved by promoting innovative projects where it can reduced foreign dependence on fuel and it can create less-polluted and environmentally friendly cities.
ADB study showed that the level of suspended particulate matter (SPM) in Metro Manila is more than double the standard of the World Health Organization where the department of environment and natural resources (DENR) revealed that 70% of air pollution in Metro Manila came from motor vehicles.
Angara said that the country needed cleaner modes of transport for the welfare of the citizenry. (Jason de Asis)
