Biodiesel project has Arroyo's full support

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo has given her full backing to a multi-billion peso coconut bio-diesel venture that involves the long-term lease of up to 400,00 hectares of public lands, according to the project’s proponents. Baterina said the Japanese proponents told the President they were ready to invest an initial P3.5 billion for the planting of coconuts in northern Luzon, citing the ready market among Japan’s public buses for coco biofuel. Ablan said the President has already ordered Environment Secretary Lito Atienza to expedite the release of documents identifying idle public lands that may be used for the project and granting project proponents tenurial rights of up to 50 years. The project was the subject of a Memorandum of Understanding between the DENR and the Philippine Coconut Authority. Baterina said he has already started planting coconuts on 1,500 hectares of land in Pagudpud, Ilocos Norte. A farmers group had criticized the project as a “sell-out” to foreign investors. But Ablan and Baterina defended the project, saying it would provide jobs for residents in the project areas and generate new taxes for the government. (June 23, 2009)