PNP-HPG will need HEV owners to get certification to be exempted from number coding; DOE says otherwise

One of the few perks that’s enjoyed by hybrid electric vehicle owners in the country (at least until 2030) is that their cars are automatically exempt from number coding, especially in places like Makati City, where number coding is pretty much a whole-day affair.

You can easily tell these cars apart from each other on the road because they have green plates instead of your usual black or red plates. Even the Department of Energy has a complete list of recognized hybrids and electric vehicles that can be easily accessed online, making enforcement supposedly a lot easier.

Unfortunately, it seems that the Philippines National Police-Highway Patrol Group thinks otherwise, as according to HPG director Col. Hansel Marantan, motorists who were issued these green plates will need to get certification from the Department of Energy (DOE) before they are eligible to be exempted from the number coding scheme.

This goes against how manufacturers and distributors have already acquired the certification required to be classified as a hybrid electric vehicle. In fact, the Department of Energy says that there is no need to acquire one.

As of this article’s writing (October 8), there has been no action or follow-up statement from the DOE or PNP-HPG, but the Department of Energy has conducted an emergency meeting yesterday with EV and automotive industry stakeholders.

We hope that this will be clarified soon; otherwise, it will appear that the consumer is the one who will be tasked with the burden of getting the clearance for the coding exemption. Of course, there are two sides to each coin, as this could just be a countermeasure against the increasing amount of non-electrified vehicles utilizing green plates and hybrid badges to evade apprehension, as seen in the photo above.

^{Photo by Sam Surla and Julian Panlilio}