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Friday, August 12, 2005
Espinoza: Nationalism of taxi operators
By Fred C. Espinoza
MATURE. We appreciate the nationalistic fervor of taxi operators in Cebu City, as well as their remarkable display of maturity, in supporting the government’s move to explore other sources of energy to stabilize the vital transport industry amid fears of more oil price surges in the days ahead.
Recent events have stoked fears of a never-ending cycle of shocking price surges in the cost of fossil fuel. It was reported that oil “blipped” above $64 a barrel to another record high last Tuesday as traders factored in the potential for Middle East supply disruptions that could add strain to a market already struggling with refinery glitches.
Being a Cebuano, I feel proud that our taxi operators are still bubbling with entrepreneurial initiative to help the industry survive the crisis. I would like even to hazard the thought that the leadership example displayed by our local taxi operators may have prompted the Department of Energy (DOE) to work on a “policy framework” to expand the use of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) as transport fuel.
Coming off consultations with industry stakeholders in Cebu last month, DOE Energy Utilization and Management Bureau director Teresita Borra said in an internal memo that one of the items raised during the open forum was the “need to establish a policy framework and identify the specific government agency that will regulate the different components of the auto-gas program implementation.”
These components include registration categories of autogas vehicles as well as safety regulation and certification of vehicle conversion.
A study on the economic benefits and safety of using autogas for private trucks and vehicles in Cebu City was also suggested. Energy Undersecretary Peter Anthony Abaya told media that it took around P50,000 to turn a regular taxi into an autogas or LPG gas-fed cab. He said interested operators can avail themselves of financing from state-owned Development Bank of the Philippines.
Based on the agency’s records, autogas cabs have started to become quite popular in Cebu City. During DOE consultations here, three taxi terminals were inspected. Jays Express Taxi had 43 autogas taxis and a Shell dispensing station. RP Corominas Taxi and Corominas Taxi had a combined 200 autogas cabs and Shell and Petron Corp. dispensing stations.
Shell requires a minimum of 40 taxis for the installation of a dispensing pump in a taxi terminal or garage. According to the DOE’s updated Philippine Energy Plan, an autogas standard for road vehicles, cylinders and dispensing stations would be developed within the year in cooperation with the Department of Trade and Industry.
As a result, Shell is conducting a “pilot project” with taxi operators on autogas operations in Cagayan de Oro. Baguio City and Davao City have been identified as two of the pilot “Clean Cities “ under the US Agency for International Development’s Clean Cities Program, which promotes the use of alternative transport fuels. Iloilo City is a Clean Cities candidate.
LEADER. Meanwhile, tomorrow will be a significant occasion for the Cebu business community with the conferment of the Doctor of Humanities Honoris Causa on Norberto B. Quisumbing Jr. by the University of San Jose-Recoletos.
One of Cebu’s enduring corporate leaders and entrepreneurs, Quisumbing has been cited as a “compleat humanitarian, businessman and family man.
He has touched the lives of many people and worked zealously to improve the quality of human life as an ardent countryside pioneering investor, by helping promote integrity and nobility as well as inculcating values and work ethics. He is also well remembered as the pioneering president of the Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry, as Businessman of the Year, Perlas Awardee in Business and Industry, and Cebu News Correspondence’s Executive of the Year Awardee.
Our heartfelt felicitations to the top honcho of the Norkis Group of Companies!
(August 12, 2005 issue)
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