By Tessa R. Salazar
The Oct 7, 2025 advisory of the Philippine National Police-Highway Patrol Group (PNP-HPG) requiring owners of electric vehicles (EVs) and hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) to secure a certification from the Department of Energy (DOE) as a prerequisite for exemption from the number coding scheme implemented along EDSA and other major thoroughfares in Metro Manila caused enough of a public uproar to prompt a government agency, a lawmaker, the Electric Vehicle Association of the Philippines (EVAP), and the PNP-HPG itself to issue statements to clarify its earlier pronouncements.
EVAP president Edmund Araga said that the statement of the PNP-HPG requiring EV owners to present certification from the Department of Energy is “unnecessary.”
“Redundancy is not a solution but mere corruption,” Araga stressed.
The day after issuing its advisory, the PNP-HPG clarified on Oct. 8 that its statement was directed at individuals illegally using green plates to exploit privileges, particularly exemptions from the Unified Vehicle Volume Reduction Program (UVVRP), or the “number coding” system implemented by the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) to reduce weekday traffic congestion in the country’s capital region via restrictions on travel based on the vehicles’ last digit on their license plates. Under the Electric Vehicle Industry Development Act (Evida), battery EVs and full hybrids are exempted from the number coding scheme.
The Department of Energy published a statement on its website addressing the matter. The statement reads: “Section 25(a)(2) of Republic Act No. 11697, also known as Evida, provides an exemption from the mandatory UVVRP or number coding implemented by MMDA and other relevant agencies. This exemption is valid for 8 years from the Act’s implementation and applies to all EVs.”
Patrick Aquino, Director of the DOE’s Energy Utilization Management Bureau, said: “The DOE is clear. If it’s in the list that’s it. EV users don’t need to do anything else. EV recognition with DOE is a one-time process secured by the importer or dealer. Being in the EV recognition list should be sufficient. The issuance of green plate already indicates that it is an EV. LTO requires DOE recognition as part of license plate issuance.”
Araga said: “It is unnecessary to secure certification as provided under DOE Circulation No 2025 09-0015 on EV recognition guidelines. The confirmation and other specific details were reviewed and submitted to the PNP-HPG in order to proceed with registration. It would be burdensome for owners to provide another set of certifications. (If I may suggest), to improve implementation of the number coding scheme, license plates issued for all EVs must have easily identifiable shades.”
Senator Win Gatchalian was more direct in his criticism of the PNP-HPG’s original pronouncements, posting on his Facebook page that “roadside inspections of vehicles with green plates have no legal basis under the Evida Law.”
Gatchalian added: “As the author and sponsor of this law, I want to make it clear: Nowhere does it require registration with the DOE or empower the HPG to conduct inspections to verify a vehicle’s eligibility for a green plate. Such actions add red tape and burden motorists. Walang probisyon sa batas na ganito kaya huwag nating dagdagan ng patakarang labag sa diwa ng Evida (There’s no such provision in the law, so let’s not add any measures contrary to the spirit of Evida). Instead of roadside checks, the HPG should coordinate with the LTO and concerned agencies on green plate usage,” said Gatchalian.