BACOLOD City — Twenty barangays in Bacolod City are set to receive electric utility vehicles (EVs) worth more than P30 million in total national government assistance as the city moves to expand the use of cleaner transportation.
Bacolod Lone District Rep. Alfredo Abelardo Benitez said the EVs will be distributed to barangays with large populations and will be used as utility vehicles to support their daily operations and delivery of public services.
The funding will come from the Local Government Support Fund (LGSF), with each of the 20 recipient barangays expected to receive one electric utility van, Benitez said.
He said the project is part of efforts to gradually shift Bacolod’s public transportation and government vehicles to electric-powered units.
“The purpose is for the City of Bacolod to migrate our public transportation into EVs,” Benitez said, citing the potential of electric vehicles to reduce operating costs and environmental impact.
Benitez said the experience of some tricycle and jeepney drivers who have shifted to electric vehicles showed potential savings in operating and maintenance expenses.
He noted that EVs generally have fewer moving components than conventional internal-combustion engines, which could mean fewer maintenance requirements.
The lawmaker said the availability of national government funding provides Bacolod with an opportunity to further expand its adoption of electric vehicles.
Benitez disclosed the EV project to members of the media on September 4, 2026, after distributing P5,000 each from his personal funds to 23 households affected by a fire in Purok San Jose 2, Barangay Sum-ag, on September 1.
The fire displaced 91 individuals, with nine houses completely destroyed and five others damaged.
Benitez said the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) will also provide financial assistance to the fire victims, to be facilitated through his office.
Meanwhile, the Bacolod City government, through the Department of Social Services and Development (DSSD), is processing additional financial assistance for the affected families.
The EV project is expected to provide the recipient barangays with additional mobility for government operations while supporting the city’s efforts to adopt more environmentally sustainable transportation./PN
