ADVANCING E-MOBILITY. Filipino-American singer Apl.de.Ap (seated, center), founder of Apl.de.Ap Foundation International, signs an agreement with Asian Development Bank vice president for market solutions Bhargav Dasgupta (seated, left), and Legacy EV president Maverick Knoles for education and training program for Filipino youth in e-mobility, on March 11, 2024 at Solaire in Parañaque City. The event was witnessed by US Executive Director to the ADB Ambassador Chantale Wong (standing, 2nd from left), Trade Secretary Alfredo Pascual (standing, 3rd from left), US Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo (standing, 3rd from right), and economic czar Secretary Frederick Go (standing, 2nd from right). (PNA photo by Kris M. Crismundo)
MANILA – The foundation of Filipino-American rapper and singer Allan Pineda a.k.a Apl.de.Ap has partnered with the Asian Development Bank (ADB), and Arizona-based Legacy EV, LLC to equip young Filipinos with technical know-how on the electric vehicle (EV) sector.
Apl.de.Ap Foundation International (APLFI), ADB, and Legacy EV signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on Monday in Parañaque City on the sidelines of the US Presidential Trade and Investment Mission (PTIM) led by US Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo.
The signatories for the MOU were Pineda, ADB vice president for market solutions Bhargav Dasgupta, and Legacy EV president and co-founder Maverick Knoles.
In an interview on Tuesday, Pineda said this is the first time for his foundation to focus training on e-mobility in the Philippines.
“I’ve done education, scholarship programs, and building schools. Now that we’re going to an electric future and the Philippines starts having electric cars, we have to fix them, we have to learn to fix them,” he told reporters on the sidelines of a business forum in Makati City.
He added that through the partnership with ADB and Legacy EV, APLFI also aims to help jeepney drivers who will be affected by the Public Utility Vehicle (PUV) Modernization Program to transform their jeepneys into cleaner and green vehicles.
APLFI executive director Audie Vergara said the partnership with ADB and Legacy EV will develop an EV curriculum suitable for the Philippines.
“Our interest right now is on education and upskilling. We’re very much into e-mobility. But electrification—even in the United States—for us in the US to achieve electrification, it really requires a skilled workforce,” Vergara added.
Aside from education and training, the MOU also includes the formation of a center of excellence for e-mobility training and development.
On Monday, Raimondo announced that part of the US PTIM delegation’s commitment is the establishment of an EV innovation hub.
“The MOU provides a strong foundation to bring together ADB's ambition to be Asia and the Pacific’s climate bank, APLFI's commitment to youth empowerment and economic development, and Legacy EV's cutting-edge electric vehicle technology and educational programs,” US Executive Director to the Asian Development Bank Ambassador Chantale Wong said.
“Together, these organizations can support advancements in e-mobility and sustainable development across the Philippines,” Wong added. (PNA)
