Social media has been buzzing for a few days as motorists—especially EV owners—expressed their frustration over the Philippine National Police-Highway Patrol Group (PNP-HPG) acting chief’s comments during a press conference.

In a press briefing, Col. Hansel Marantan stated that electrified vehicles must have certification from the Department of Energy to qualify for the benefits under Republic Act 11697 (also known as the Electric Vehicle Industry Development Act, or EVIDA—one of which is number-coding exemption.

EV owners quickly took to social media to voice their disappointment. It didn’t help that the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority’s No Contact Apprehension Program had mistakenly flagged a hybrid electric vehicle—specifically a Nissan Kicks—for violating the number-coding scheme.

The MMDA has since apologized to the motorist after the latter contested the violation. The agency said that this was just an isolated incident.

The DOE issued a statement to clarify that all electrified vehicles—including battery electric vehicles, hybrid electric vehicles, plug-in hybrid electric vehicles, and light electric vehicles—are eligible for benefits under EVIDA. The list of models can be seen on the EV Industry Portal page.

The PNP-HPG followed with a statement providing context for its chief’s remarks. In the statement, the law enforcement agency said that there would be no apprehensions or inspections unless there were sufficient grounds for action.

Additionally, Marantan’s comments aimed to prevent the “misuse or falsification of green license plates,” which appears to be a widespread issue. Marantas also formally apologized for the confusion caused by his recent remarks.

Finally, only vehicles listed in the DOE’s recognized Electrified Vehicle List qualify for both fiscal and non-fiscal benefits under EVIDA. For gray-market models, the DOE list only includes those sold officially through local distributors.

While many EV owners have criticized the HPG chief’s statement, he might have actually raised a valid point. We have been receiving photos of non-electrified vehicles sporting green license plates. It is an issue that Marantan has talked about with the media in another interview.

Owners of these vehicles may be enjoying number-coding exemptions even if their vehicles do not have electrified propulsion. Whether these are isolated incidents or whether some enterprising Land Transportation Office personnel are behind this is something that the Department of Transportation needs to look at seriously.

If you’re a legitimate EV owner, there’s nothing to worry about. But if you’ve mistakenly or illegally obtained green plates without actually having an electric vehicle, it’s better to return them now or face serious consequences.