GREEN TRANSPORT INITIATIVES TAGGED AS NATIONAL PRIORITY

The Congressional Commission on Science and Technology and Engineering (COMSTE) identified the development of electric vehicles and green transport as priority projects of the commission for 2011 in an en banc meeting held at the Senate yesterday.

Senator Edgardo J. Angara, Chair of COMSTE, enumerated the flagship projects of the commission, which are Telehealth for remote areas and Digital Medical Records, Remote-Sensing for Agriculture, Electronic Vehicles and Green Transport and Disaster Science, Biotechnology for Health and food security, and Renewable Energy Systems.

Angara said that innovative Green transport systems such as electric tricycles, hybrid jeepneys, buses and electric bicycles have the potential to lessen pollution caused by conventional transportation and the dependency on fossil fuels.

"We import roughly 96% of our petroleum, the majority of which is consumed by the growing transport sector. This same sector accounts for the biggest share of the energy use, nearing 40%," said Angara, who Chairs COMSTE.

"It has long been one of the goals of the government to become energy independent. I believe that this can be achieved by promoting innovative projects that can reduce our foreign dependence on fuel and at the same time create a less-polluted, environmentally friendly cities," noted Angara

Angara referred to a recent ADB study showed that Metro Manila ranks high among the megacities of Asia that have air quality problems, with a level of suspended particulate matter (SPM) that is more than double the standard of the World Health Organization. The DENR has also identified that 70% of air pollution in Metro Manila is from motor vehicles, "highlighting the need for a cleaner mode of transport," Angara said.