Republic Act 11697 or the Electric Vehicle Industry Development Act could be one of the most important laws that the Duterte administration would leave behind.
The law is unique in itself because it marks the Philippine government’s resolve to participate in the global push to save our planet with the use of cleaner energy and away from the fossil fuel. To jumpstart, DTI Secretary Ramon M. Lopez already fired the first salvo to start the ball rolling with hearings by the Tariff Commission for zero tariff on imported completely built-up EVs from the current 30 percent rate.
Mandated under the law as the primary government agency in the promotion and development of the local EV manufacturing industry, DTI has already started meeting potential investors in battery production for EVs utilizing local nickel and other minerals, which are currently exported raw and imported as finished materials.