The problem is, people without a driver's license can operate them, owing to the "bike" classification or lack of vehicle classification. Imagine a person who lacks knowledge of traffic rules driving a heavy, high-speed vehicle on chaotic Philippine roads.
The typical use-case of these vehicle is "hatid-sundo," or parents driving their children to and from school. I have yet to see a driver or the children wear helmets.
However, soon these vehicles will require registration and proper classification, and only licensed drivers will be permitted to operate them.
On a separate note, Tesla started posting local job listings a few days ago, hinting expansion in the country.
The jeepney isnt exactly enviroment friendly, but it gets the job done and is easy to repair/maintain. Thats where the focus is in that kind of economy.
This seems like a similar situation.
That doesn't surprise me, anyone who has lived there knows how terrible the grid is. Brown-outs are a (frequent) fact of life, entire outages not uncommon. I've seen the Manila Airport lose power on multiple occasions while waiting to get on a flight.
What does surprise me is the slow adoption to solar power, my guess is that the grid isn't prepared for that either, and off-grid setups can be fairly expensive for many that need it most.