[ Manila Bulletin Online ] November 10, 2008
By JUNE S. BLANCO
The Bohol Provincial Development Council (PDC) has recently passed two resolutions aimed at catapulting to success the island province’s newest sunshine industry – biofuel production from Jatropha curcas, locally known as tuba-tuba or kasla.
Chaired by Gov. Erico Aumentado, the PDC Executive Committee passed a resolution urging President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo to require the Land Bank of the Philippines (LBP) to liberalize its loan terms for jatropha and other biofuel projects.
The Execom also passed a resolution endorsing jatropha and other biofuel projects as a provincial development thrust. As such, it pushes for the planting of jatropha and other biofuel sources in the reforestation of denuded watershed areas.
Lawyer John Titus Vistal, provincial planning and development coordinator, heads the PDC secretariat.
The moves came after the recent spike in fuel prices underscored the urgent need – especially in the Philippines – to develop alternative sources of fuel because fluctuations in oil prices have a direct effect on the prices of basic commodities.
Since Bohol has areas suitable to jatropha, Aumentado said planting the shrub in commercial quantities would not only meet the province’s biofuel needs but would reforest massive denuded watershed areas as well.
The development council particularly identified areas in the northeastern part of the province that are mostly cogonal grasslands not utilized for any productive purpose.
Jatropha can grow in alienable and disposable areas too. As such, and to prevent disagreements over land use, the governor asked Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Officer Nestor Canda to delineate lands according to slope.
Under the proposed delineation, those below 12 degrees will be used for rice, corn and other agricultural crops. Those with slopes of 12 to 18 degrees will be used for oil palm while those above 18 degrees can be utilized for jatropha.
Using such guideline, Canda identified 13,000 hectares suitable for jatropha planting.
However, a major hindrance remains in the massive production of the shrub in Bohol: LBP has an allocation of funds for the purpose but has not liberalized its voluminous requirements, making it difficult for farmers to tap the loan facility.
Liberalization, the resolution said, would allow more farmers to avail of capital, facilitate the production of biofuels and in the process achieve economic growth for their own households.
The Execom furnished copies of the resolution to President Arroyo, Finance Secretary Margarito Teves, President Gilda Pico of LBP and President Peter Anthony Abaya of the Philippine National Oil Company-Alternative Fuels Corp. (PNOC-AFC) which will buy all the jatropha production.
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