Arroyo pitches 'jathropa' plant as alternative fuel source

President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo on Monday made a pitch for the cultivation of jathropa, a plant that can be processed into bio-diesel, saying the nation's vast agricultural resources could ease the burden of rising world oil prices. Mrs. Arroyo, in a speech at the groundbreaking of a terminal in Orion, Bataan, encouraged jatropha cultivation, saying the trees could be planted in marginal lots. She added that Petron, the nation's largest oil refiner, is ready to set up a processing plant to extract diesel fuel from the seeds as long as there is enough supply. The Chief Executive told local officials and residents of Bataan that they could buy jatropha seeds from Maj. Gen. Romeo Tolentino, head of the Northern Luzon Command, because soldiers in Fort Magsaysay in Nueva Ecija are about to harvest seeds. Saudi Aramco, the world's largest oil refiner and part owner of Petron, was also reportedly willing to set up a jatropha processing plant or ethanol distillery in Mindanao in order to generate jobs. However, Mrs. Arroyo said Saudi Aramco prefers to build a refinery in Bataan, “because of economics." On the other hand, Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Romulo Neri cautioned private firms against the large-scale planting of jatropha, saying its commercial viability is still being tested in the military camps. Neri said he doesn’t want to be blamed if a venture goes bad.-GMANews.TV