This Pinoy is no "enercop"
When world oil prices hit new highs last year, the government offered a two-pronged approach to deal with the problem. Revive the enercon (energy conservation) movement, and form enercops (energy police) to oversee the enercon program.
I roundly criticized this myopic government response. It is defeatist to say the least.
Since the oil crisis of the early 1970s hit the world, many countries, which like the Philippines where dependent on oil importation, embarked on energy self-sufficiency programs. Thus, Brazil became among the world's leader in ethanol, Germany in solar power, Spain in wind power, England in tidal power, China, India, Egypt went on massive biomass production, among others. The US, of course, is ahead in developing all of these in addition to nuclear power.
And the Philippines’ solution? Well, enercon during the Marcos years, and enercops under GMA!
I have written a number of times before that energy conservation programs were good so long as we honestly implement it. However, the problem with the government and many of our people is ningas cogon. We are only good at the starting block. Thereafter, no more.
The right solution to the energy crisis is, of course, not just conservation but more importantly alternative energy production. We need to develop alternative resources to the expensive and pollutive imported coal and fossil oil. Our country is rich in natural, indigenous, renewable and environment-friendly energy resources. Name it and we have it - solar, hydro, wind, biomass and geothermal, among others.
If we are to solve our energy problem and be free from oil dependence, we must embark on this alternative energy development. Full speed ahead and not mere paying lip service to it!
Our country has many talents too to help us embark on this massive program, although many of our scientists and engineers have gone abroad for greener pastures and/or escape the crisis here.
However, I know of one Filipino who returned home precisely to help us with our energy problem. Meet Deo C. Reloj, Jr. He is a native of Aklan and a successful engineer. Before “clean air” became a buzzword, he was already advocating the use of unleaded fuel, low-sulfur diesel, etc. The local oil industry was not ready yet. So, he was prevailed upon to keep the novel idea to himself.
Poor Deo had to seek elsewhere to practice his trade. In Omaha, Nebraska he became active in the Clean Cities Program and built a Filipino-American company, Amptron Corp. USA. It specializes in fuel additives, high-tech lubricants and ultra-clean fuel refineries.
With the current energy crisis, Deo is now back. He has taken the complete fifth floor of the San Miguel Properties Center in Ortigas for his latest venture - TriboMaxx Corporation. Its vision is to turn every citizen of every country to become crusaders of clean air and environment protectors.
He is producing the DM-X technology-based EcoGreen petroleum products. It boasts of a “Product of the Year” award in 1999 from the prestigious Hart’s Lubricants World in the US.
Deo is also busy preparing to produce a colorless, odorless "synthetic fuel" from locally available raw materials.
Surely, this one Pinoy is not content with just following enercon tips or dodging enercops.
(Submitted as Signs of the Times column article for Mindanao Times for March 23, 2006)
I roundly criticized this myopic government response. It is defeatist to say the least.
Since the oil crisis of the early 1970s hit the world, many countries, which like the Philippines where dependent on oil importation, embarked on energy self-sufficiency programs. Thus, Brazil became among the world's leader in ethanol, Germany in solar power, Spain in wind power, England in tidal power, China, India, Egypt went on massive biomass production, among others. The US, of course, is ahead in developing all of these in addition to nuclear power.
And the Philippines’ solution? Well, enercon during the Marcos years, and enercops under GMA!
I have written a number of times before that energy conservation programs were good so long as we honestly implement it. However, the problem with the government and many of our people is ningas cogon. We are only good at the starting block. Thereafter, no more.
The right solution to the energy crisis is, of course, not just conservation but more importantly alternative energy production. We need to develop alternative resources to the expensive and pollutive imported coal and fossil oil. Our country is rich in natural, indigenous, renewable and environment-friendly energy resources. Name it and we have it - solar, hydro, wind, biomass and geothermal, among others.
If we are to solve our energy problem and be free from oil dependence, we must embark on this alternative energy development. Full speed ahead and not mere paying lip service to it!
Our country has many talents too to help us embark on this massive program, although many of our scientists and engineers have gone abroad for greener pastures and/or escape the crisis here.
However, I know of one Filipino who returned home precisely to help us with our energy problem. Meet Deo C. Reloj, Jr. He is a native of Aklan and a successful engineer. Before “clean air” became a buzzword, he was already advocating the use of unleaded fuel, low-sulfur diesel, etc. The local oil industry was not ready yet. So, he was prevailed upon to keep the novel idea to himself.
Poor Deo had to seek elsewhere to practice his trade. In Omaha, Nebraska he became active in the Clean Cities Program and built a Filipino-American company, Amptron Corp. USA. It specializes in fuel additives, high-tech lubricants and ultra-clean fuel refineries.
With the current energy crisis, Deo is now back. He has taken the complete fifth floor of the San Miguel Properties Center in Ortigas for his latest venture - TriboMaxx Corporation. Its vision is to turn every citizen of every country to become crusaders of clean air and environment protectors.
He is producing the DM-X technology-based EcoGreen petroleum products. It boasts of a “Product of the Year” award in 1999 from the prestigious Hart’s Lubricants World in the US.
Deo is also busy preparing to produce a colorless, odorless "synthetic fuel" from locally available raw materials.
Surely, this one Pinoy is not content with just following enercon tips or dodging enercops.
(Submitted as Signs of the Times column article for Mindanao Times for March 23, 2006)
posted by Gelo | 8:04:00 AM
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