The Philippine National Police Highway Patrol Group (PNP-HPG) clarified that it was inspecting vehicles with green plates to prevent their misuse.
HPG Director Col. Hansel Marantan earlier said the national police’s traffic unit would inspect electric vehicles to ensure they have a certificate from the Department of Energy (DOE).
‘I apologize to you if I caused you pain and inconvenience with my statement. That is not the intention of my statement,’ Marantan said, speaking in Filipino during a press briefing in Camp Crame on Wednesday.
‘I am referring to the owners of MVs (motor vehicles) sporting green plates that are not supposed to use that because that is illegal – illegal in the sense that they are not listed on the DOE list,’ he added.
Green license plates are a special type of license plate issued to electric vehicles, which are exempted from the number coding scheme imposed by the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA).
Marantan said the HPG was investigating ‘thousands’ of motor vehicles illegally using green plates, though he declined to give further details, citing their ongoing investigations.
‘It’s manageable still, but it’ll become alarming if law enforcers will not intervene,’ the HPG director said.
He added that the HPG will be coordinating with the Land Transportation Office to curb misuse of green plates.