Approval of biofuels act to benefit coco farmers

The government said the recent signing of the Biofuels Act and the Cebu Declaration for Energy Security will benefit the thousands of coconut and sugar cane farmers in the country.

The government said that the Philippines, which is importing 30 percent of its fuel requirements, is expected to save P1.3 billion with biofuels and other alternative fuel sources.

Recently, the Department of Agriculture announced that the Biofuels Act could benefit some 3.5 million coconut farmers and 56,000 sugar cane farmers and its "passage is guaranteed to give a significant boost for our rebounding agriculture sector and raise rural incomes, while developing markets and demands for our sugar and coconut industries."

Agriculture Secretary Arthur Yap also said that the measure would not only ease the country's dependence on dollar-draining imported fossil fuel but would help energize the countryside and help raise incomes for farmers and workers in the sugar and coconut industries.

Coconuts can be used as raw material for coco methyl ester and coco-biodiesel while sugar cane can be source of ethanol, another alternative fuel.

Biofuel refers to bioethanol and biodiesel and other fuels made from biomass and primarily used for motive, thermal, and power generation with quality specifications in accordance with the Philippine National Standards.

Yap said that with the passage of the Biofuels Act, his office will speed up its ongoing efforts with the Sugar Regulatory Administration to pinpoint some 200,000 hectares of farmlands devoted to other crops that can otherwise be planted to sugarcane, and which investors can consider as investment sites for ethanol projects.

The DA through the Philippine Coconut Authority would also find ways to develop an additional 122,000 hectares of coconut lands to meet the demand for coconut methyl ester or coco diesel.

Republic Act 9367 otherwise known as the Biofuels Act of 2006 will promote the use of alternative transport fuels consistent with the Cebu Declaration on Energy Security, which was ratified by the 16 leaders of the East Asia during the 12th ASEAN Summit in Cebu last week.

To speed up the implementation of Biofuels Act, the Department of Energy will start its public consultation among different stakeholders next week on the drafting of the implementing rules and regulations of the law.

Energy Secretary Raphael Lotilla said that these series of consultations is expected to provide extensive inputs for the smooth implementation of the Act.

The Biofuels Act initially mandates a minimum of one percent biodiesel blend within three months from the effectivity of the Act, and at least five percent bioethanol blend within two years upon effectivity of the law.

The Secretary added that the measure also mandates implementation of at least two percent biodiesel blend within two years upon effectivity of the Act and 10 percent bioethanol fuel within four years after the effectivity of the Act. He stressed that the government, biofuels producers, oil firms and vehicle assemblers will work closely together to make this a reality as soon as the IRR is completed.

Parallel to the drafting of the IRR, the DOE is also mandated to prepare the Philippine Biofuels Program under its existing Alternative Fuels Program. Among others, the Biofuels Program includes the establishment of support facilities to ensure security of feedstock supply and investments in supply infrastructure, directions on the availability of alternative fuel technologies for vehicles, engines and parts and identification of other viable feedstock for the production of biofuels. - Wenna A. Berondo/MEEV