Bioenergy Symposium held at SEARCA, Philippines

The University of the Philippines Los Baños Foundation, Incorporated (UPLBFI) headed by Dr. Cecilio Arboleda conducted the “Symposium on Appropriate Bioenergy Technologies for Mitigating Global Warming” at SEARCA on 24 January 2008.

The symposium aimed to to provide a forum for exchange of information between Japan and the Philippines on the state of climate change initiatives in both countries that will lead to possible cooperation and development in biomass energy technologies for mitigating global warming.

The activity was attended by over 85 delegates from Japan such as the Research Institute of Tsukuba Bio-tech Ltd., Nishio Co. Ltd., Stirling, CIGR, Akuto, Sato Kogyo Co., Takatsuka Kensetu, international organizations such as JICA, ICRAF, and SEARCA, national government offices such as DA, DA-BAR, DOE, DENR, DOST-FPRDI, DOST-ITDI, DOST-PCARRD, DOST-PCIERD, DTI-BOI, CHED, PNOC, local government units of Camalig and Daraga, Albay, Visayas State University, Bicol University, private organizations such as REECS, Eco Securities, AREVA, CHEMREZ, Cocotech, and PBCN. Also present were officials from various key units and colleges of the University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB) including Chancellor Luis Rey Velasco who graced the event.

The symposium was organized by UPLBFI and the Research Institute of Tsukuba Bio-tech Ltd. of Japan. The event was co-sponsored by the Jatropha Biodiesel Project (PNOC-AFC), Bicol University (BU), CocoGreen and SEARCA.