EVIDA author: HPG has no authority to inspect EVs under law

The PNP-HPG (Philippine National Police-Highway Patrol Group) recently raised eyebrows after a pronouncement that they will conduct roadside inspections of electric vehicles (EV) and require owners to show proof or certification from the Department of Energy (DOE) that their vehicle is, in fact, classified under the Electric Vehicle Industry Development Act (EVIDA) and exempted from the number coding scheme.

“We will inspect motor vehicles sporting green plates because these must have certification from the DOE before being exempted from the number coding scheme,” said PNP-HPG Director Col. Hansel Marantan.

This set off one heck of a social media fire, as netizens questioned why the HPG is requiring an extra step in hybrid certification when the DOE has already certified the said vehicles from the very start. The DOE even released a statement saying that motorists who own hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) need not get another certification. The HPG has also released a statement, explaining that they only want to ensure that legitimate vehicles use the green plates.

This, obviously, didn’t sit well with the law’s author, Sen. Win Gatchalian.

“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 Highway Patrol Group (HPG) to conduct inspections to verify a vehicle’s eligibility for a green plate,” said Sen. Gatchalian. He further added that such added requirements promote red tape and a burden to motorists. The Senator said the PNP-HPG should be focusing instead on coordinating with the Land Transportation Office (LTO) and other law enforcement agencies on green plate usage.

“Walang probisyon sa batas na ganito kaya huwag nating dagdagan ng patakarang labag sa diwa ng EVIDA,” added Gatchalian.

(There is no provision in the law like this, so let's not add a policy that goes against the spirit of EVIDA.)