CNG bus firms air concern over viability of NGVPPT

MANILA, Philippines – Operators of buses running on compressed natural gas (CNG) have raised concerns on the government’s Natural Gas Vehicle Program for Public Transport (NGVPPT).

In a letter to Energy Scretary Rene Almendras, the bus operators reiterated the issues on the viability of the NGVPPT.

“We reiterate our uncertainties on the viability of the NGVPPT, but given our investments on the said project and the benefits not only to bus operators but ultimately the commuters, we have come up with suggestion for the completion and expansion of the NGVPPT,” they said.

The bus operators said they have drafted proposals on how these issues could be addressed and how the program could be implemented.

The NGVPPT was formally created with the signing and implementation of Executive Order 290 on February 2004.

Based on the revised Philippine Energy Plan (2005-2014), government had programmed that 200 CNG buses to the Batangas-Manila route in 2006 and expand to 2,000 CNG buses on the road, supported by 10 CNG refueling stations directly operational, by 2007.

They said the NGVPPT is a great plan that would have tremendously propelled the Philippine economy by partially liberating the country from unstable world crude prices.

“There are willing participants, but after six years from the signing of the EO, nothing major happened,” they lamented.

“Being the proponent of the program, the DOE has done its job in seeking out participants to this project, but failed miserably on the main objective, the very basis of the existence of the NGVPPT, which is the delivery of natural gas,” they pointed out.

The bus operators argued that instead of looking and working for alternative solutions, the DOE has turned a blind eye to the problems besetting NGVPPT and appears to have put it on the backburner.

On the part of the bus operators, they entered and are still participating in the NGVPTT only upon the guarantee of the government that it will provide for an adequate supply of CNG for 200 up to 2,000 buses, and more as the program starts rolling and progresses.