The House of Representatives of the Philippines is calling on the government to take the lead in transitioning to electric vehicles (EVs) as part of efforts to lessen the country’s dependence on imported petroleum and protect the economy from volatile oil prices.
Miro Quimbo, Marikina City 2nd District Representative and chair of the House Committee on Ways and Means, said discussions within the Legislative Energy Action Development (LEAD) Council have included a proposal to require at least half of all government vehicles to shift to electric power.
“Pinag-usapan namin nung unang hearing is practically requiring at least half of our government vehicles na baka pwede nang gawing kuryente,” Quimbo said during a media forum in Quezon City on Saturday.
Quimbo was appointed by House Speaker Faustino Dy III to head the 13-committee LEAD Council, a “mega-committee” tasked with crafting strategies to shield the economy from future oil shocks.
“The objective of the mega-committee is to determine how we can insulate or make the economy more resilient if mangyari ulit ang ganitong oil price shock, because alam natin mangyayari at mangyayari ito ulit,” he explained.
He noted that the country was relatively insulated during the recent oil crisis, as only a small percentage of power plants rely on diesel fuel.
“Maswerte tayo, unlike other countries, 3% lang ang gumagamit ng diesel sa ating power plants. So you can imagine, kung sa ibang bansa nasa 30-35% ang diesel na ginagamit nila, tatamaan talaga ang cost nila kasi madodoble sa isang iglap,” he said.
Still, Quimbo emphasized the need to accelerate investments in alternative energy sources, highlighting the role of government incentives in encouraging industries to shift away from petroleum-based systems.
“So imbes na petroleum-based, ano ‘yung incentives na kinakailangan nating mailagay sa ekonomiya para mahikayat natin ang iba’t-ibang industriya tulad ng renewable energy, tulad ng solar at baterya, para hindi na tayo maging oil dependent,” he added.
Reducing the country’s reliance on imported oil, Quimbo said, is key to strengthening economic resilience and safeguarding the nation from future energy crises.