Jathropa research funding pulled

CEBU, Philippines - An official of the Department of Energy said that jathropa, considered as source of biodiesel oil, is still a research until now and that the government has stopped providing budget for this research.

DOE-Oil Industry Management Bureau Director Zenaida Monsada said that the continuation of the research on jathropa species that may produce substantial diesel oil will no longer receive budget from the Philippine National Oil Corp. and the Department of Science and Technology.

“It is still in the experimental stage. Wala ng budget for this. It is still a research as well since it is very site specific… Gi-stop na ang funding for this, wala na siyay budget sa general appropriation. Somehow, the government would like to have another alternative like the natural gas,” Monsada said.

Monsada said that the plantations of the jathropa in the different parts of the country were already stopped.

According to Philippine Network of Food Security Programs website, President Gloria Arroyo released P500 million for planting jathropa in military camps in 2006. PNOC through its Alternative Fuel Corp. planned to grow 700,000 hectares of jathropa in from 2008 to 2010 with an estimate that the plants will be able to produce a million metric tons of biodiesel by 2011, but until now, this was not realized as it stills remains a research.

Monsada, however, said the government is not discouraging anybody, especially private entities, from pursuing this research.

Meanwhile, Monsada said that the demand for oil in the country has grown but somehow, she was happy since DOE’s energy efficiency management has a good effect.

“Dili na wasteful ang mga tawo unlike before, they know already how to budget the energy that they have in their households, they treat energy as a way of life,” Monsada said.  (FREEMAN)