BBM pushes for MD Juan to build EVs

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., through the Department of Science and Technology (DOST), wants to support MD Juan Enterprises Inc.’s venture into the manufacture of electric vehicles (EV) by providing the 60-year-old traditional jeepney manufacturer with new and modern equipment.

MD is a beneficiary of DOST’s Small Enterprise Technology Upgrading Program (SETUP), which provides micro, small and medium enterprises (MSME) with seed fund for technology acquisition.

Beneficiaries of SETUP receive technical training and consultancy services, packaging and label design, database information systems and support for establishment of product standards.

Pres. Marcos visited MD’s office in Caloocan to review DOST’s assessment on what equipment are needed to manufacture electric tricycles and jeepneys.

“We are here to assess what needs to be done so that they will be capable of fabricating all-Filipino electric tricycles and electric jeepneys, should the need [for it] arise,” the President said.

“So, the next step is to put in some of the new equipment that is still necessary for the production of the electric vehicle.”

MD began its operations producing replacement and restoration parts for American military and civilian jeeps and now serves customers in the United States, Europe, and other international markets.

“MD Juan is recognized as a company with long-standing experience in this field; they are at the forefront of the technologies we need to assemble, fabricate, and manufacture electric vehicles—with everything sourced right here in the Philippines,” Marcos said.

The Marcos administration is currently pushing local EV production through Executive Order (EO) No. 121, which establishes the P60-billion Electric Vehicle Incentive Strategy (EVIS) Program.

The chief executive said the local production will help mainstream EVs, which will reduce the country’s dependence on imported petroleum products and the implementation of the government’s public utility vehicle modernization efforts.