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REPLACING POLLUTING DIESEL ENGINES
The Philippine STAR
January 29, 2007
We would like to extend our admiration to Mr. Cito Beltran in his Philippine STAR column “CTalk” (“Losers who won big,” Jan. 24, 2007) where he mentioned a program I initiated as DENR Secretary in 2002 to replace the surplus diesel-fed engines of public transportation vehicles in the country to cut down harmful emissions.
The scheme we organized then was for jeepney drivers and operators to avail of a loan package that will allow them to replace their old, rundown diesel engines with remanufactured ones that complied with emission standards under Republic Act 8749 or the Clean Air Act of 1999, a law which I crafted in the Senate, and later send to our House counterpart for enactment.
We signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) with the Federation of Jeepney Operators and Drivers Association of the Philippines (FEDJODAP), Pilipinas Engine Remanufacturing and Reconditioning Corporation (PERRC) and Petron Corp. for that project.
Under the MOA, the DENR, through its corporate arm, the Natural Resources Development Corp. (NRDC), provided financial assistance or “seed money” to FEDJODAP members to purchase re-manufactured engines from PERRC.
FEDJODAP then collected from its member-beneficiaries its obligations on a daily basis which remitted in return to the NRDC on a weekly basis. PERRC also provided warranty servicing of the engines and the training of jeepney drivers and operators on the proper handling and maintenance.
Petron gasoline stations nationwide conducted emission testings, provided technical experts and options for remedies, including repairs, the installation or emission control devices and clean diesel fuel.
However, I am unsure whether my successors in the Department continued the program.
I also glad that Mr. Beltran revives our proposal for the establishment of an enforcement body, separate from the DENR that would be in charge of enforcing environmental laws.
When I was in the Senate, I filed a bill calling for the creation of the National Environmental Management Authority (NEMA) which would be responsible for the vigorous implementation of environmental laws and regulations.
At present, the DENR’s undermanned Environmental Management Bureau (EMB) is the government’s arm tasked to implement policies on the protection and conservation of the environment. But despite the immensity of its work, the EMB’s budget is a measly three percent of the entire DENR budget.
We hope more members of the media could do their share for the environment by helping inform our citizenry on the urgent need to protect our planet, our home.
HEHERSON T. ALVAREZ
Former Senator and DENR Secretary
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