CEBU CITY – Dispose of your car batteries properly.
MOTOLITE executives May Guste (left), Natalio Omictin, and Camille Fabrero talk about the company’s efforts help protect the environment from improper disposal of car batteries. (Calvin D. Cordova)
A leading car battery manufacturer issued this reminder as it aims to reduce the environmental hazards caused by improper discarding of car batteries.
Camille Fabrero, Brand Activation Supervisor at Motolite, admitted that there is a challenge in the efforts to ensure proper car battery disposal.
“In terms of education, it’s been a challenge because not everyone is knowledgeable in terms of proper segregation, discarding of batteries. That’s why we’ve been actively partnering with media and other companies to ensure that everyone is knowledgeable at least of the basics,” Fabrero said in a recent press briefing here.
Fabrero said they are also banking on the increasing popularity of social media to strengthen the information drive.
“We’ve seen a lot of instances where batteries are given to junk shops, batteries thrown in rivers, and we highly discouraged that as batteries have toxic materials if not properly taken care of,” Fabrero added.
Fabrero and Natalio Omictin, regional sales manager, were in Cebu to lead the launching of Motolite Express Hatid (MEH). May Guste, MEH head of hub operations, was also present.
The three executives believed that the MEH, which was only available in Metro Manila before it was brought to Cebu, will be a big boost in the campaign on proper disposal of car batteries.
Under MEH, car owners will only have to call a hotline for battery replacement. Old batteries will then be bought by MEH, ensuring a proper disposal, Fabrero said.
Other services of MEH include emergency refueling, tire assistance, and overheating.
“This will also help lessen traffic as we have personnel who will readily assist if someone’s car got stalled on the road due to defective batteries and other concerns,” said Omictin.
With the rising popularity of electric vehicles (EVs), Fabreo also announced that Motolite is also looking forward to manufacturing lithium batteries in the country.
“Motolite is definitely looking at manufacturing lithium batteries in the country because we know that there is a need, especially with the popularity of EVs in the Philippines. There might be an announcement this year or in the following years,” said Fabrero.
Lithium batteries are a critical component in EVs because of their high energy density, long lifespan, and ability to deliver consistent power.