GOVERNMENT SHOULD LEAD IN USING BIOFUELS

As the collective owner of one of the biggest transportation fleets in the country, the government should take the lead in using biofuels in all of their vehicles. And I do not just mean the vehicles of the executive branch, I also mean the vehicles of the judicial and the legislative branches. As far as I know, there is really nothing wrong with our local biofuels, including our biodiesels. The problem I think is economic rather than scientific, because as of now, the regular diesel product that is derived from fossil fuels is cheaper than the biodiesels. I do not know which agency of the government could do it, but I think that if a macroeconomic study is done, it would come out that in the overall, it would be cheaper to use biodiesels compared to the regular diesel fuels. What macroeconomic costs and benefits should we consider? First in my list is the livelihood opportunities it would create if more coconut farmers could sell more of their produce. Second is the potential savings in foreign exchange if we could reduce the imports of foreign fuels. Third is the job opportunities it would create in the local manufacturing of biodiesels. Fourth would be the reduction of our carbon footprints as we reduce the importation of the foreign fuels. The list could go on and on but what is important is the real awareness that we should not limit ourselves to myopic microeconomic analysis to arrive at the real costs of these fuels. IKE SENERES/02-03-2024