Philippine President Benigno Aquino III, left, waves as he rides a passenger electric tricycle known as "e-Trykes" during its launching in Mandaluyong city, east of Manila, Philippines. -- PHOTO: AP
MANILA - THE Philippines wants to replace millions of petrol-powered tricycles with electric ones as part of efforts to clean up the nation's polluting mass transport system, President Benigno Aquino said on Friday.
The government will initially replace 20,000 tricycles that ply minor streets across the capital Manila and eventually expand the project throughout the country, Mr Aquino said in a speech to government employees.
It is hoped the scheme will save the impoverished country tens of millions of dollars annually.
'The (project) is an ambitious multi-year plan to wean public utility vehicles from the use of gasoline and diesel and to encourage them to shift to alternatives like natural gas, electricity and hybrid engines,' he said.
'I would like to see the day when nearly all public utility vehicles... run on alternative fuel, freeing the public transport sector and commuters from the threat of unreasonably high oil prices and unhealthy levels of air pollution.' Mr Aquino did not give a definite timetable of the programme, which was launched this week when 20 so-called 'e-tricycles' hit the streets of a Manila suburb.
Manila-based Asian Development Bank, which is funding the initial stage of the project, said transport sector emissions accounted for 30 per cent of all pollution in the Philippines. In Manila, vehicle emissions account for 80 per cent of all pollution, it said. -- AFP
