DOE donating 45 Toyota Prius hybrid patrol cars to PNP

Enforcers of the Philippine National Police (PNP) in Region 8 can now go after criminals and lawless elements with “stylish and sophisticated” patrol vehicles, courtesy of the 45 hybrid cars donated to the law enforcement agency by the Department of Energy (DOE).

The DOE’s turnover of the 2017 Toyota Prius model of hybrid vehicles had been on August 16 (Wednesday) at the PNP Region 8 headquarters in Kangleon, Palo, Leyte.

All 45 hybrid vehicles will be deployed in the provinces of Leyte, Samar, Eastern Samar and Northern Samar.

In handing over the vehicle-donations, Energy Secretary Alfonso G. Cusi noted that more than the goal of advancing the use of energy-efficient and environment-friendly technology in the vehicle use of critical agencies of the government, this package for the PNP is a symbolic gesture of helping the beneficiary-provinces from their rebuilding state out of the supertyphoon Yolanda nightmare about four years ago.

“The donation serves as an opportunity for the DOE to support the development of areas affected by typhoon Yolanda,” the energy chief said.

As to the department’s own objectives, the PNP donation would still form part of its ongoing “research, performance testing and promotion of alternative vehicles,” which could then set the basis for the country’s jumpstart point into targets of mass scale rollout of electric vehicles.

The energy department has been pushing EV as an alternative mode of public transport, but the general sentiment is for this option to thrive without punishing the public utility vehicle (PUV) drivers and without also robbing the government of subsidies or cash dole-outs.

For the donated vehicles to the PNP, this is still part of the 500 million Japanese yen grant that the government of Japan had extended to the Philippines.

It had been anchored on goals of procurement and delivery of nextgeneration vehicles, including those of hybrid, plug-in hybrid and purely electric-powered vehicles.

The Japanese grant was from its Non-Project Grant Aid (NPGA) and had been channeled through the Philippine DOE as the implementing agency.