Japanese group ties up with local firm for bio-fuel project

VIGAN CITY, Philippines — Six top Japanese dignitaries, ranking members of Japan’s new majority party, flew in unannounced a few days before Christmas to Ilocos Norte’s northernmost point — Pagudpud town — to check on a coconut plantation project started in December 2007 by a group of Japanese and Filipino investors for the production of bio-fuel.

This was learned from former Ilocos Sur Rep. Salacnib Baterina, president of Bio-Energy Northern Luzon Inc. (Benlinc).

Benlinc had teamed up with Pacific Bio-Fields Corp. (PBFC) headed by Japanese national Moriaki Hayashida for the venture that aims to process coconuts into coco-methyl ester (CME), an essential component for bio-diesel production.

Pacific Bio-Fields Holdings director May Tan Tiu identified the dignitaries who were in the country for two days as Hajime Ishii, a top member of the House of Councilors which is the equivalent of the Philippine Senate, and his colleagues Takeshi Maeda, and Tsukasa Iwamoto, and House of Representatives members Issei Koga, Yukio Ubukata and Koki Kobayashi.

Tiu said they are all ranking officers of the Democratic Party Japan (DPJ) which recently gained control of the government in Japan. Ishii is reportedly the party’s second highest ranking officer.

Accompanied by Ilocos Norte Rep. Roque Ablan Jr., Baterina and PBFC and Benlinc officers, the visitors inspected the 100-hectare plantation located in barangay Caparispisan in Pagudpud town last Dec. 21.

Tiu said Ishii and his group which has been to other Asian countries before flying to Manila pledged to endorse the PBFC-Benlinc bio-diesel project to the Japanese government for funding.

Japan has been under pressure by the international community to fund projects that would contribute to reducing the impact of global warming especially in countries found to be most vulnerable.   

During President Arroyo’s visit to Japan last year, its officials pledged to allocate $100 million for environmental and related projects in the Philippines. 

Baterina said the Japanese-Filipino partnership will put up a coco-oil processing plant in a 10-hectare lot in Pasuquin, Ilocos Norte this year for CME production.

He said the group, initially, will buy raw materials for the processing plant from coconut growing areas around the country.

The coconut plants being grown in public non-disposable lands in Pagudpud are over a year-old, it was learned. Eventually, the group aims to expand the plantation to similar lands in Cagayan and Ilocos Sur. It had earlier forged a memorandum of agreement with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources to utilize public lands in the northern provinces. – Teddy Molina