Lawmakers support measure on biofuels

Lawmakers have vowed to support the legislation promoting the use of biofuels such as ethanol and coco-biodiesel in the light of the continued rise in world oil prices.

During the launching of The Philippine Biodiesel Association (TPBA) last Wednesday night, Rep. Alipio Badelles of Surigao, Rep. Luis Villafuerte of Camarines and Rep. Francis Escudero of Sorsogon have signified keen interest to work out a law that will mandate the use of ethanol and coco-biodiesel in the transport sector.

Villafuerte said last week, the Legislative Executive Development Advisory Council (LEDAC) has agreed to certify the Ethanol Bill as urgent legislation and will likely be passed by end-November this year.

"Ethanol bill is in the last stage of plenary deliberation," Villafuerte said. This bill aims to mandate the use of ethanol blend to gasoline of five percent in the first two years and 10 percent in the third and fourth years.

But Villafuerte said there is a proposal to consolidate the ethanol and coco-biodiesel bills into biofuels bill. "We hope to consolidate before the end of the year so we will be able to support the development of such technology that will not only help alleviate burden on high oil prices but also pave the way for a cleaner environment," Villafuerte said.

The coco-biodiesel bill, on the other hand, seeks the use of one percent blend to diesel. At present, the DOE and other government agencies have been using coco methyl ester (CME) or coco-biodiesel in their vehicles.

Escudero, for his part, said the Biofuel Law is one of the areas where opposition and administration congressmen agree. "We promised to support this effort. There is no political parties in this case where the life of the Filipino people and the environment is at stake," Escudero said.

At present, there are two coco-biodiesel suppliers (Chemrez Inc. and Senbel) certified by the Department of Energy (DOE). Another RI Chemicals, owned by group of Meneleo Carlos, is in the process of seeking a certification from the energy authorities.

Under the proposed B1 (coco-diesel at one percent blend) program, the country is seen to save around P23 billion every year in diesel fuel importation. 

In addition to this, local sale of one percent coco-biodiesel will translate to P4.2 billion in new money for the coconut industry yearly.

Diaz said in countries like the United States, the use of a mixture of five percent biodiesel and 95 percent (called B5) diesel is practiced not only to improve engine or fuel systems in terms of lubricity, solvency and detergency, but also to significantly reduce harmful emissions and air pollutants to comply with stringent clear air acts.

Coco-biodiesel, a new renewable and biodegradable diesel fuel extracted from coconut oil, cuts maintenance costs because of its superior lubricating and cleaning properties; promotes better, more efficient combustion and less engine vibration because of its higher cetane number and inherent oxygen content. It boosts engine power and acceleration response and improves fuel mileage economy from 10 percent to as much as 20 percent which means big saving per liter.

The mixture of 100 ml of coco-biodiesel in every 10 liters of diesel will result to a savings to motorists of about P1 per additional kilometer traveled.