DOE launches Eco-Jeepney Program to combat rising cost of petroleum

MANILA, Philippines - The Department of Energy (DOE) has launched the Eco-Jeepney Program to help combat the rising cost of petroleum.

The DOE signed over the weekend a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Liga ng Transportasyon at Operator sa Pilipinas (LTOP), Makati Jeepeney Operators and Drivers Association (MJODA), Public Transport Workers Foundation (PTWF), Alliance of Concerned Transport Organizations (ACTO), Federation of Jeepney Operators and Drivers Association of the Philippines (FEJODAP), Pasang Masda, Alliance of Transport Operators and Drivers Association of the Philippines (ALTODAP) and United Transport Coalition (1-UTAK) for a program that promotes the use of auto-liquefied petroleum gas (auto-LPG) and/or compressed natural gas(CNG)-fed engines.

The MOU envisions to convert as many passenger jeepneys, which are being run by diesel, to the alternative fuel sources.

Energy Secretary Jose Rene Almendras said the use of auto-LPG, particularly in taxis, has proven to be more cost-effective and cleaner than diesel or gasoline.

As of March 17, pump prices for diesel hovered between P40.25, to P42.55 per liter while gasoline was priced between P48.50 and P50.30 per liter compared with auto-LPG which was priced at only between P27.74 and P30.12 per liter. CNG is priced even lower.

There are currently some 12,000 auto-LPG converted vehicles nationwide.

The country’s first foray toward the utilization of CNG was through the Natural Gas Vehicle Program for Public Transport (NGVPPT) of the government which was signed and implemented through Executive Order 290 in February 2004.

The NGVPPT was a project aimed to partially liberate the country from unstable world crude prices through the use of indigenous fuel.

Aside from pricing consideration, the project was also aimed to reduce carbon emissions in support of the Clean Air Act (RA 8749).

Earlier, the DOE has proposed to put up a second daughter CNG station to further support the country’s NGVPPT.

Based on initial study, there is a need to put up another daughter station to allow a free flow of CNG to fuel up CNG-run buses.

According to the DOE, it had already identified several areas to put the daughter station. There are proposals to put it along the Batangas routes while another proposal is in Turbina, Calamba, Laguna.

The DOE is also coordinating with Philippine National Oil Co. (PNOC) for the construction of the Batangas-Manila gas pipeline.