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A. LE FLOCH
The Biofuels Act of 2006 (Republic Act 9367) was formally signed into law Wednesday during a ceremony at the presidential Palace befitting a landmark piece of legislation.
Actually, President Arroyo had already signed R.A. 9367 Friday last week. But in the afterglow of the Asean Summit—which produced, among others, the Declaration of East Asian Energy Security—Malacañang could not pass up the photo-op.
In attendance at the Palace rites were administration bigwigs and their congressional allies—giving the impression that the measure was an initiative of the ruling coalition.
In fact, R.A. 9367 was a rare instance when pro-administration lawmakers and their opposition counterparts saw eye to eye. One of the law’s principal sponsors was Senate Minority Leader Aquilino Pimentel Jr.
In a statement Pimentel issued simultaneous with the enactment rites at the Palace, which he snubbed, the opposition senator said the commercial production of biodiesel from coconut oil and ethanol from sugarcane, cassava or sorghum will help cut the amount of petroleum the country imports.
R.A. 9367 could also spur the rise of a biofuel industry, which will generate employment. Already several companies are in the process of putting up ethanol factories on Negros Island and other parts of the Philippines.
The shift to plant-based fuels for transport, which Pimentel referred to as “green fuel,” would help reduce environmental pollution.
“Given the tremendous advantages of the production and use of environmentally safe green fuel, the Biofuels Act may be considered the most important piece of legislation passed by the Thirteenth Congress,” Pimentel said.
Pimentel did not say so, but R.A. 9367 should give us an idea of what our lawmakers can do—if only they work together more often.
No silver bullet
But as both the administration and the opposition were patting themselves on the back over the passage of the Biofuels Act, others were not as impressed.
Biofuels are not a silver bullet to ensure energy security, Greenpeace said in reaction to the Cebu energy declaration.
The environmental group did acknowledge that biodiesel and ethanol, as alternatives to fossil fuels, can partly address concerns over climate change, volatile oil prices and energy security.
Jasper Inventor, climate and energy campaigner for Greenpeace Southeast Asia, however, warned that governments in the region “should not be fooled into thinking that biofuels are the ultimate answer to pressing energy—and environmental—issues.”
Growing crops from which biofuels are extracted could drastically change farming practices and land use in a way that creates even more problems than they solve.
“Development of biofuel plantations must not result in the devastation of intact forest areas, which is among the unacceptable trends currently taking place in Indonesia,” Greenpeace said.
Farmland, especially in our archipelago, is a limited resource. If biofuel production turns out to be highly lucrative business, it could exert great pressure on agricultural producers to cultivate crops for biofuel rather than for food.
A country such as ours, which has yet to attain food security, would be sorely tempted to surrender what little resources it has to reach that goal—all for the sake of biofuel production. And since a ready overseas market for biofuels already exists, we may not be able to resist the temptation.
“These land-use [issues] are particularly worrying especially when they concern global trade—with developed nations such as Japan and European Union-member countries aiming to import biodiesel from developing nations,” Inventor said.
“Displacing biodiversity and food security needs in developing countries in developing countries in order to feed Japanese and European cars poses serious moral questions,” he added.
Freedom from breast cancer
My good friends Danny and Rosa Meneses founded the Philippine Breast Cancer Network (PBCN) in 1997. After Rosa died, Danny carried on the campaign—offering invaluable support to women with breast cancer not only in the Philippines but also overseas.
“The year 2007 marks a decade of the Philippine Breast Cancer Network,” Danny said in a recent e-mail to friends. “Starting with the story of Rosa, PBCN has witnessed a multitude of stories of brave breast cancer warriors the past nine years.”
The PBCN is the only national breast cancer organization that “refuses to accept funding from government agencies or from businesses or institutions that contribute to or profit from cancer.”
While this allows PBCN to speak out honestly on the issues, it makes support from private donors critically important. PBCN is now faced with a serious financial crisis.
Donate now and help the PBCN continue its task on its 10th year of breast cancer advocacy. Visit www.pbcn.org to learn more about its mission.