Imagine it’s three days before Christmas in the Philippines. All you’re thinking about at this point is Noche Buena; what will be served, are the presents wrapped, and who is picking up your relatives at the airport. Work is the farthest thing from your mind.

For some in the local automotive market, however, they’re thinking about a new advisory from the Department of Energy (DOE) of the Philippines that was released on 22 December. And the implication is this: it will revamp the DOE’s Recognized EV List system used for electric and hybrid electric vehicles.

As you may know, a law came into effect that sought to promote wider EV adoption in the Philippines by offering certain benefits like lower costs through tax and duty exemptions as well as exemption from number coding in cities that have such a policy. The law made EV and HEVs that were fitted with green and white plates quite attractive to consumers, and it was all based on the recognized EV list of the DOE. There are going to be some changes though.

Department Circular DC2025-09-0015 mandates a new system wherein car companies will still retain the recognition of their EV (and hybrid models) in the list. The catch is they will have to re-register brand’s vehicles for the list under the new system with VFELP or the Vehicle Fuel Economy Labeling Program that the DOE has been preparing for a while now. VFELP is an unusual acronym but it directs automotive “manufacturers, assemblers, importers, and rebuilders” or MARS (again, the acronym) to log on to vfelp.doe.gov.ph (a portal similar to the LTO’s registration and renewal site) to create an account and begin the process.  

The unusual bit is the advisory which was sent out on 22 December that cited the 90-day period after the passing of the amendments. That deadline is 29 December. Think of the advisory like a “gentle reminder” type of email.

What does it mean for consumers? Not much really. The registration will be carried over for now, but they will have to comply with the new measures and update the paperwork. It will undoubtedly be adding some extra stress over these holidays for many “MARs” given the necessary measures needed.

What VFELP will do for consumers, however, is to provide an official fuel economy and/or energy efficiency label similar to what the US has with the EPA rating.  That will make things very interesting, as customers will now have an official certified fuel or energy usage ratings to cite with their vehicles or to compare on the showroom floor. Such numbers are not commonly issued by automakers, and now it will be made standard.