By Myrna M. Velasco Another oil firm that is joining the investment bandwagon on electric vehicles charging stations is leading oil firm Petron Corporation, according to Energy Secretary Alfonso G. Cusi. Fundamentally, the San Miguel Corporation-held oil company will be following the lead of multinational oil firm subsidiary Shell Philippines on this alternative transport foray. “To show our support to the country’s transport modernization program, we looked for ways on how to set up the charging stations for EVs. Shell has already committed, and Petron also,” the energy chief stressed. He admitted though that the installation of EV charging networks had still been fledgling – due to the slow ascent of electric vehicles deployment also in the country. “The program is not being accelerated yet because of some dilemmas,” Cusi said, although he believes that once policy hurdles are resolved, rollout ramping up will come to fore. He noted that the Department of Energy (DOE) fully supports the modernization of fleets in the transport sector, and EV is one proposition that is being dangled by the department. On the sphere of investment incentives though, there had been nothing firmed up yet – but for now, Cusi opined that cost savings may suffice as enticement to proposed shift. The DOE has likewise been advancing proposal to the Department of Transportation (DOTr) that the portion of the government’s loan with the Asian Development Bank (ADB) on the electric tricycles deployment program be availed of again – but this time, to finance rollout of wider array of electric vehicles such as e-jeepneys and buses. “I was talking to Secretary Art (Arthur Tugade), and I told him it (ADB loan) could be an option in the modernization program – rather than having it scrapped,” Cusi said. The energy chief reckoned that some vehicles on the road can still be converted into EVs and access to ADB financing could be a recourse that the government can opt for.