Research has consistently found that electric vehicles produce fewer greenhouse gas emissions over their lifetimes than comparable gasoline-powered cars. But the scale of that reduction depends heavily on the composition of the local grid. In countries where electricity comes primarily from renewable sources, the benefits are substantial. In countries where coal dominates the energy mix, those benefits shrink considerably — and the emissions are not eliminated, merely relocated from the vehicle’s exhaust pipe to the power plant’s smokestack.

That distinction is not academic in the Philippines, where the Mindanao power system is still largely fed by coal-fired plants like Therma South Inc. in Davao City and San Miguel Power in Davao del Sur.

The paradox

Former Bayan Muna Representative Carlos Isagani Zarate put it bluntly: “The problem is that we are advocating for green vehicles for Filipinos, but the electricity that charges many of these vehicles is mostly generated from coal sources.”

“If our country generates electricity from coal, we are merely relocating the emissions from the vehicle exhaust to the source of power generation,” he said.

For Zarate, the electric vehicle transition should not be viewed as a transport policy alone. It should become a catalyst for energy reform including rapid investment in renewable energy such as solar, hydro, and geothermal power, modernization of the national grid, incentives for rooftop solar systems that could supply energy to EVs, and domestic production of electric vehicles.

“The electric vehicles transition should become a catalyst for energy reforms,” he said.

The numbers behind the ambition

The government’s roadmap reveals the scale of its aspirations, and the size of the gap.

Under the Comprehensive Roadmap for the Electric Vehicle Industry (CREVI), developed by the Department of Energy (DOE), the Philippines should have 311,700 electric vehicles and 7,300 charging stations nationwide by 2028. As of December 2025, Region XI had just 1,688. Nationwide, the figure stood at roughly 42,000, meaning the country must grow its EV fleet more than sevenfold in three years to meet the target.

In a baseline business-as-usual scenario, CREVI projects over 850,000 electric vehicles by 2040. Under the more ambitious Clean Energy Scenario, that figure rises to over two million, with 40,000 charging stations and a greater share of renewable energy in the national mix.

For Engr. Adrian Mel Delola, Science Research Specialist II at the Department of Energy–Mindanao Field Office, the roadmap is about more than vehicle sales. “This roadmap is not only about the number of electric vehicles,” he said. “It is about preparing the entire energy system for the transition.”

New electric vehicles, he explained, will require their own network of accredited charging stations, upgrades to transmission and distribution systems, and coordination among regulatory bodies, electric companies, and private investors. Each charging station must be accredited by the DOE and approved by its central office, with additional coordination required from regional distribution utilities like Davao Light and Power Co.

The cost of power

Even setting aside emissions, the economics of EV charging in the Philippines are shaped by some of the highest electricity prices in the region.

The average residential electricity price in the Philippines is 11 to 12 per kilowatt-hour roughly $0.18/kWh, the second-highest in Southeast Asia after Singapore’s $0.20/kWh. Malaysia pays about $0.11/kWh, Thailand $0.13, Indonesia $0.09, and Vietnam just $0.07.

Despite these elevated rates, charging an electric car remains cheaper per kilometer than filling up with gasoline which is precisely why drivers like Andaya and Camingawan have seen their daily energy costs halved.

But Zarate cautioned that the growing number of electric vehicles will require a serious examination of the power sector’s readiness for additional demand.

He warned that the Philippines already experiences yellow and red power alerts during peak evening load, acute risks of power failure driven by surging demand. Widespread evening charging of electric vehicles could compound that strain.

Zarate also questioned the concentration of ownership in the Philippine power sector and called for revisiting the Electric Power Industry Reform Act (EPIRA), which privatized electricity generation, transmission and distribution. Despite market liberalization, consumers still pay some of the highest tariffs in the region.

The affordability gap

Sonny Africa, Executive Director of IBON Foundation, argues that the conversation about electric vehicles cannot be separated from questions of who can actually afford them.

Over 50 percent of the total energy consumed in the country comes from oil, and 96 percent of transport energy requirements depend on it — almost all of it imported. “In such a scenario, it looks obvious that increasing the usage of electric vehicles would be a good step toward reducing the dependence on imported oil,” Africa said.

But the current reality, he argued, does not allow for a significant reduction in that dependence, because electric cars remain out of reach for most Filipinos. Only about one in ten Filipino families can afford a conventional vehicle, and electric cars are even more expensive.

“The beneficiaries of the current incentive scheme are mainly upper-middle and higher-income classes that can afford buying new cars, while most Filipinos, drivers and passengers, are still paying for expensive and volatile fuel prices,” he said.

Africa pointed to the government’s Public Utility Vehicle Modernization Program as a cautionary example: many jeepney drivers wanted to switch to electric vehicles but lacked the financial support to do so, delaying the transition to cleaner public transport.

He also noted that the Philippines has missed the opportunity to build domestic manufacturing capacity around electric vehicles. As it stands, EVs and their components are largely imported, meaning increased adoption grows manufacturing industries abroad rather than at home.

For Africa, electric vehicles should not be treated as a goal in themselves but as a means to enhance public transport, reduce dependence on imported oil and develop domestic industries.

Back to Andaya

Every morning before dawn, Sergio Andaya Jr. unplugs his taxi from the charger and pulls onto the streets of Davao City.

Things he used to do differently, the daily stop at the gasoline station, the ?3,000 spent on fuel, are gone. His daily energy costs have been cut in half. His maintenance routine has been stripped to the basics. The savings are real, and they are his.

But the question that nags at him is the same one hovering over the country’s entire electric mobility push: what happens when the battery dies?

A replacement pack could cost ?250,000, nearly a fifth of what the vehicle itself is worth. For a driver who has spent nine months watching his fuel bills collapse, that single expense could erase months of savings overnight.

It is the one variable in his new routine that he cannot control, and it is tied to the same fragile, coal-dependent grid that powers his every charge.

Andaya is not thinking about national roadmaps or renewable energy targets. He is thinking about earnings, expenses and whether the math will still work when the battery gauge finally fails.

Tomorrow morning, he will unplug his taxi before sunrise and start his shift. Whether that routine becomes normal for millions of drivers across the Philippines will depend not just on cheaper cars or more chargers, but on whether the country’s energy sector can deliver electricity that is affordable, reliable, and eventually clean enough to make the switch worthwhile. (davaotoday.com)

Reporting for this story was supported by the Local Climate Story Hubs initiative powered by Lyf and Fyt Media.”

Since switching to an electric taxi in September 2025, he doesn’t stop anywhere anymore. He plugs in at the company’s charging station and goes.

Andaya no longer thinks about spending 3,000 a day on fuel.

“Now it’s plug-in. I just need to wait 30 minutes for the battery to charge up to 80 percent. And that’s enough for 480 kilometers or even more,” he said.

The veteran driver sees little else that is remarkable about the switch, aside from one thing passengers notice immediately. “The air-conditioner works better now, and the passengers feel more comfortable.”

But the arithmetic is what matters.

Conventional taxi drivers in Davao spend 3,200 to 3,500 per day on gasoline. Charging an electric vehicle (EV) fully costs 1,500 or less. That is a daily difference of 1,700 to 2,000 money that, for fleet operators with multiple vehicles, adds up to hundreds of thousands of pesos a year.

“In terms of finances, it is a great difference because of the high price of gasoline,” Andaya said.

Maintenance has changed too. “There are no oil changes and no engine servicing anymore,” he said. “We used to change the engine oil once a month before.”

But Andaya is cautious about calling electric vehicles perfect. What worries him is battery replacement.

“It is most likely that the owner will have to replace the battery. It can cost up to P250,000.” 

That figure looms large. A typical entry-level electric vehicle in the Philippines which sells for roughly 1.4 million would see a 250,000 battery replacement amount to nearly 18 percent of its purchase price, enough to wipe out months of fuel savings in a single transaction. Though global battery prices fell to an average of about $108 per kilowatt-hour in 2025, replacement packs in the Philippines remain costly due to import duties, limited local servicing, and the fact that few vehicles on the road are old enough to have needed one yet.

Andaya’s story is one example of a shift underway across the Philippines. Electric vehicles (EVs) are gaining traction as an alternative mode of transport, promoted for cleaner air, lower operating costs and reduced dependence on petroleum imports. National policy, local legislation and private investment are all pushing in the same direction.

Davao City has positioned itself at the forefront of this transition in Mindanao. It is the only city on the island with a local ordinance encouraging electric vehicles while actively attracting investment in commercial EV fleets and charging stations.

Data from the Land Transportation Office show that 1,688 battery-electric and hybrid electric vehicles had been registered in Region XI as of December 2025 — 603 battery-electric and 1,085 hybrids. Nationwide, the figure stood at roughly 42,000. But in a region with hundreds of thousands of registered vehicles, those 1,688 represent less than one percent of the fleet , a reminder that despite the enthusiasm, the industry is still in its earliest stages.

Most electric vehicles, charging stations and dealerships in the Philippines remain concentrated in Metro Manila, CALABARZON, and Central Luzon. Davao’s numbers, while growing, are a fraction of what is seen in those more developed markets.

The local ordinance

Rather than wait for electric vehicles to appear on its roads, Davao City began building the regulatory groundwork for their arrival. The result was the Electric Vehicle Ordinance of Davao City, initiated by Councilor Temujin “Tek” Ocampo.

“The air quality of Davao is very good at the moment. But we need to prepare ourselves against any future problems,” Ocampo said.

The ordinance supports the national Electric Vehicle Industry Development Act (EVIDA), passed in 2022, which aims to incentivize EV manufacturing, charging station installation and adoption across public and private sectors. But where EVIDA establishes the national framework, Davao’s ordinance creates local mechanisms covering not only privately owned vehicles but also public transport, including the electric taxis already on the city’s streets.

Ocampo sees the ordinance as more than an environmental measure. “We would like to encourage investments into Davao City, not only electric vehicles but also assembly plants and charging stations,” he said.

The ordinance also addresses a problem few local governments have tackled: battery waste. Lithium-ion batteries contain toxic components that require proper disposal and recovery.

“Another reason we decided to develop this ordinance is the problem of waste management related to batteries, since lithium-ion batteries are very toxic,” Ocampo said. The ordinance calls for systems of battery recycling and electronic waste management.

Consumer protection is another pillar. The ordinance prohibits the electronic deactivation of financed electric vehicles due to payment defaults, a provision designed to build public confidence. “It is not going to be economical in the first place,” Ocampo acknowledged. “But it is good for the environment.”

Even after the ordinance’s passage, much remains to be done. The Implementing Rules and Regulations are still pending, held up by questions about charging infrastructure, electricity consumption and implementation logistics.

Ocampo said representatives of Davao Light and Power Company have assured him the current electrical system can handle gradual growth in electric mobility, but he recognizes that further expansion will require additional investment in grid capacity and renewable energy.

From the driver’s seat

After almost 10 years of driving a conventional taxi, Richard Camingawan did not hesitate when the opportunity arose. “When there was an opportunity for EV taxis, I immediately left my regular taxi,” he said.

“The ride is smooth. Everything in the EV is good,” he said. “The air conditioner is better because it runs on electricity. Since it is automatic, it is easier for our feet.”

His daily rental is higher, around 1,900 compared with what he paid before, but the savings on energy offset the difference. Where he once spent 1,500 to 2,000 a day on gasoline, he now pays 1,000 to 1,200 for electricity. His income, he said, stays roughly the same.

Charging has become routine. He plugs in twice a day, in the evening during dinner, and again in the morning after his shift. It takes 30 minutes to an hour. “We got used to the charging time. We just plan everything during dinner time,” he said.

Passengers are curious. They ask how long charging takes, how far the car can travel to Cagayan de Oro, he tells them, is within range. Most prefer the electric taxi when given the choice. “If there is a regular taxi and an EV, they usually prefer EV,” he said.

Unlike Andaya, Camingawan is not worried about battery replacement. He believes modern batteries can last ten years and says he would gladly continue driving an electric taxi under a future car plan, despite the higher rental cost.

The private sector’s bet

Where government policy sets the direction, private investment determines the pace. One company betting on the transition is Electryx, founded by Martin Angelo Hao, who also serves as president of Maligaya Taxi.

“Government incentives are required because they get rid of a lot of barriers in buying electric vehicles,” Hao said.

For Hao, the vehicle is only one piece of the puzzle. “A vehicle is just a part of the ecosystem,” he said.

“Charging infrastructure needs to be built alongside it.” Motorists, he argued, will not adopt electric cars until recharging becomes as convenient and reliable as filling up at a gas station. Until then, uncertainty keeps many buyers away and pushes others toward hybrids as a compromise.

Dr. Angela Magno, a private motorist who regularly travels outside Davao City for work, was initially hesitant about her BYD Seal 5, a plug-in hybrid. She expected cost savings and comfort but worried about maintenance and range.

Those concerns faded as she learned the vehicle’s quirks.

“Every day, I learn something new about the electric vehicle,” she said. “I learned how to maximize charging on the road, when to switch between EV mode and hybrid mode if the battery percentage drops, and how my speed helps conserve battery power.”

Her experience has been positive. “My everyday experience with a BYD has been very cost-effective and time-saving,” she said. “Compared with regular vehicles, I can save up to 60 to 80 percent on the costs of gas. I once went four months before refueling with gasoline.”

Charging takes one to two hours, and Magno admits the vehicle is not without flaws — its low ground clearance demands caution on uneven roads. But the bigger barrier, she believes, is price. “I think the cost-effectiveness needs improvement,” she said.

Reflecting on her experience in China, Magno pointed to a model the Philippines could emulate. Chinese EVs carry green license plates that are cheaper than the blue plates issued to conventional cars.

“That is why the majority of Chinese use electric cars as they are cheaper,” she said. “I think that coming up with such a scheme will encourage more Filipinos to use EVs and will benefit them in the future.”

Her experience underscores the industry’s broader trajectory: hybrids offer a bridge for motorists who want lower costs and cleaner emissions without committing fully to electric, at least until charging networks catch up. But affordable vehicles without charging infrastructure or charging infrastructure without affordable vehicles will only stall adoption.

The question that remains, for Davao and the country, is whether the grid powering all these vehicles can keep up, and whether the electricity flowing into them is any cleaner than the gasoline it replaces. (davaotoday.com)

Reporting for this story was supported by the Local Climate Story Hubs initiative powered by Lyf and Fyt Media.

During the State of the Presidency (SOP) 2026 forum held July 20, President and Chief Economist of Credit Rating Investors’ Services Philippines (CRISP) Prof. Emmanuel Leyco presented data showing inflation’s uneven burden. 

Headline inflation peaked at 8.7 percent in January 2023 and 7.2 percent in April 2026, but inflation among the poorest households reached even higher levels – 9.7 percent and 8.5 percent respectively.

“A classification is a certificate, not a condition,” Leyco said, cautioning that the country’s recent attainment of upper-middle-income economy status does not fully reflect lived experiences.

“Economic indicators should be weighed alongside people’s actual living conditions.”

Fuel prices climbed to approximately 130 per liter for diesel and 100 per liter for gasoline during the crisis periods. Leyco estimated that 3.1 million Filipinos were at risk of falling into poverty due to the energy shock, noting that the government’s average fuel subsidy for public utility vehicles amounted to only 247 per week.

Beyond household impacts, Leyco questioned the country’s investment trajectory. While the Philippines maintained its investment-grade status, international credit agencies revised their outlooks downward. 

“The milestone was earned by the economy’s past; the outlook is being marked down by its present governance,” he said. 

He emphasized that public confidence should be treated as an economic measure reflected in borrowing costs, investment flows, and institutional trust, urging the administration to respect accountability processes and ensure official statements are backed by accurate data.

Foreign policy concerns raised

Prof. Bobby Tuazon, Vice Chairperson of Center for People Empowerment in Governance (CenPeg), examined the Marcos administration’s foreign policy direction, particularly its deepening defense cooperation with the United States amid escalating tensions in the West Philippine Sea (WPS).

Tuazon noted the expansion of Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) sites from five to nine locations, alongside closer security coordination with Washington. At the same time, he acknowledged efforts to maintain dialogue with Beijing regarding maritime disputes and potential economic cooperation.

However, Tuazon challenged whether the Philippines maintains genuine independence in its diplomatic posture. 

“Does the Philippines really have an independent foreign policy? I think many of us here would say right away that there’s no such thing,” he said. 

“A foreign policy, in theory, should be dictated by national interests and not the U.S.”

He expressed concern that expanded military cooperation with Washington could increase risks for the Philippines should tensions between the United States and China escalate.

Media’s role in accountability

Kabataan Party-list Rep. Renee Louise Co emphasized the responsibility of media organizations to make complex legal proceedings accessible to ordinary Filipinos through concise reporting, explainer pieces and social media content.

“I think we could be doing more to ensure that the public is continuously engaged and informed with the process,” Co said. She called for translating legal developments into language that citizens can readily understand.

Co stressed that accountability must extend beyond the impeachment trial through sustained civic engagement. 

“We have to hold onto the issues that everyone understands, offer solutions coming not from individual people or select groups, but from the people themselves, and then campaign to ensure that these solutions become policy and become our reality,” she said.

The SOP 2026 forum, organized by CenPEG in partnership with the University of the Philippines College of Media and Communication, was held at the UP College of Media and Communication Auditorium. 

It served as one of several pre-SONA discussions assessing the Marcos administration’s record on governance, the economy, accountability and foreign policy ahead of President Marcos Jr.’s fifth State of the Nation Address scheduled for July 27. (davaotoday.com)

Green Action Week (GAW) is a global annual campaign launched in 2010 participated in by 50 countries. It promotes the power of community sharing and sustainable consumption and lifestyle, aiming to create lasting impact that inspires action.

Last week’s Knowledge Exchange session centered on Sustainable Technologies for Community Resilience. I was tasked with sharing MASIPAG’s Farmer Developed and Adapted Technologies (FDAT) program, which aims to strengthen local farming knowledge and provide new methods for farmers.

MASIPAG’s FDAT seeks to uplift small farmers through technological sovereignty. Foreign corporate control has deprived farmers of space for natural creativity, resulting in stunted capabilities and changes in their cultural and socio-economic status.  

In the Philippines, technology is dominated by corporate interests coupled with government neglect, causing our nation to lag behind technologically. Our mechanization rate is only 2.7–2.8 horsepower per hectare, far below the global average of 4.0 horsepower per hectare and significantly lower than our neighboring Asian countries.

It is in this context that MASIPAG farmers are taking the lead in solving their practical needs. By empowering farmers to develop and implement their own technologies, FDAT helps reclaim their natural creativity and problem-solving skills. At the core of MASIPAG’s FDAT is its democratic principle: technology from and for the people.

Now, let us discuss technology through a more specific example: the Philippine corn industry. Corn is an important crop for most Filipinos, serving as our second staple after rice. Yet the lack of effective programs in our country has left Filipino corn farmers in precarious positions.

Corn farmers are highly dependent on chemicals, specifically herbicides containing glyphosate. These herbicides are systemic and environmentally destructive. In our research, supported by the Swedish Society for Nature Conservation (SSNC), we found that corn farming using glyphosate produces five times more soil loss than traditional farming methods.

The inefficiency of post-harvest processing is also painfully evident. Corn farmers suffered from cuts while manually shelling their corn. Recognizing this problem, MASIPAG farmers formulated a natural herbicide from coconut juice fermented with salt. For every 16 liters of coconut juice (which is equivalent to 1 knapsack sprayer), add 3 kilos of salt and ferment for one month. Spraying this solution directly at noon time or early afternoon yields higher efficacy. 

However, we still advise farmers to use this in moderation to prevent soil salinity. 

MASIPAG farmers here in Mindanao have applied technology shared with them by our member NGO partners a few decades ago. The manual corn sheller increased corn-shelling efficiency at least tenfold compared to hand shelling. 

Thus, we at MASIPAG believe that technology should not be expensive. Technology must be effective. The ultimate test for technology is whether it serves the farmers and the people while protecting our planet. Padayon! (davaotoday.com)

(Note: The knowledge Sharing Session can be viewed here: Sustainable Technologies for Community Resilience | Global Knowledge Exchange | Green Action Week 26)

Jeanette Ampog, executive director of Talikala Inc., a women and child rights organization, said financial vulnerability sits at the center of cases where children are exploited for payment, even as she acknowledged that not all forms of online sexual exploitation such as sextortion and intimate image abuse stem directly from poverty.

“If we say it’s not just poverty, it’s important that we have context about the victims,” Ampog said. “If we can prove that these families are below the poverty line or struggling, then it is still poverty.”

Commodification of people

She cautioned against attributing the trade in children to materialism alone, pointing instead to broader structural forces that commodify people. 

“A child was promised something, where else do we attribute that? To materialism or consumerism? We should also look at capitalism, where everything can be sold, including people,” she said.

Ampog called for prevention efforts that go beyond awareness drives, urging the government to address digital safety gaps, economic insecurity and weak community-based child protection systems. 

She said many children lack basic knowledge of digital safety, leaving social media accounts open to anyone who might message them and gain their trust.

“If families are economically empowered, they won’t become vulnerable,” she said. “I would affirm the value of awareness raising, but we also need to look into other preventive mechanisms so Filipino families are not vulnerable to OSAEC.”

She also pressed government agencies to make reporting mechanisms more accessible at the community level, saying authorities must “popularize” the channels for reporting suspected cases so ordinary residents know how and where to come forward.

How the gov’t sees OSAEC

Law enforcement and prosecution officials, while intensifying their crackdown, said the roots of OSAEC cannot be reduced to poverty alone.

Deputy Regional Prosecutor Karl Andre Salcedo of the Department of Justice’s Regional Prosecution Office XI said the causes are multifactorial. “Not only poverty, because we also have victims who are not really poor but are exposed online,” he said.

Salcedo said many cases involve perpetrators who are members of the victims’ own families like their parents, aunts or other relatives, a pattern investigators call “in-house.” Abuse occurring inside homes, he noted, creates additional hurdles because authorities must gather sufficient documentary evidence to secure convictions.

Provincial Prosecutor Norman Solis of Davao del Sur echoed that assessment, saying their review of OSAEC cases found that perpetrators are typically people children know and trust, making the crimes harder to detect and prevent. He also stressed that children remain vulnerable regardless of sex.

Regional Prosecutor Janet Grace Dalisay-Fabrero said authorities have intensified efforts against OSAEC, citing recent rescue operations in Davao del Sur and stronger coordination with cyber investigators in building cases against perpetrators.

By the numbers

The DOJ has handled 11 OSAEC case build-ups as of July 15 and expects more before the end of the year as collaboration with law enforcement deepens, Dalisay-Fabrero said.

Among the cases intercepted in the first half of 2026 were operations in Digos City and Matanao, both in Davao del Sur. The Digos City case involved five minor children, while the Matanao case involved a victim as young as 2 years old.

“It is sad to note that in the first incident, it involves five minor children, the one intercepted in Digos City,” Dalisay-Fabrero said. “And in Matanao, it involves as young as two years old.”

The regional prosecution office is currently handling 203 active trafficking-related cases, including 148 trafficking-in-persons cases and other offenses related to trafficking such as OSAEC. (davaotoday.com)