The Department of Energy (DOE) is also eyeing to donate the rest of the 3,000 electric tricycle (e-trike) units to the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), Philippine National Police (PNP) and other qualified local government units (LGUs).
This is after the department announced that it will donate 200 e-trike units to battle-scarred Marawi City.
Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi said that the government will shoulder the payment of the e-trike units.
“Government will pay that. The problem is the e-trikes are not viable for commercial use. If it’s priced at around P150,000, it can be viable. But the price is already close to P500,000,” Cusi said.
“That’s why we asked to change the model. We asked NEDA (National Economic and Development Authority) on our dispersal. And in fact, we asked ADB to tell us how they came up with this project,” he added.
Guidelines will be determined by the Asia Development Bank and the Department of Finance (DOF) to know which LGUs are eligible to receive e-trike donations.
“We expect a lot of LGUs to suddenly be very interested because of the fact that we can donate. But there is a criteria set by the DOF and ADB, we have to follow that criteria very carefully,” Cusi added.
Among qualified LGUs those who have been hit by natural or manmade disasters; have historical and/or tourism significance; have existing ordinances supporting e-vehicles within the locality; areas with poor air quality due to tricycle emissions; and those who will facilitate the setup of charging infrastructure and demonstrated plan to support the project.
Last week, the DOE signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Task Force Bangon Marawi (TFBM) to donate 200 e-trikes that roughly costs around P90 million at a price of P450,000 per unit.
“The donation to Marawi can go up, depending on how this will develop,” Cusi said.
The donation is to help rebuild the city following a five-month take-over by terrorists that resulted to around P17 billion in property damage.
“More than having an energy-efficient mode of transportation, the DOE E-Trikes for Marawi will provide livelihood to its beneficiaries and jumpstart economic activities in the area,” Cusi said.
