LA TRINIDAD, Bebguet -- Agriculturists and villagers are propagating seedlings of a “petroleum nut” locally known as apisang which, they say, could be an alternative source of fuel and energy.

Michael Bengwayan, an agriculturist, said the oil extracted from the nut could be used for cooking and lighting.

More than 30,000 seedlings have been produced since 2007, he said. The first batch was planted by 23 farmers in Kapangan and Kibungan towns.

Agriculture scientists see the nut, or resin cheesewood (scientific name Pittosporum resiniferum), as a source of sustainable fuel in the Cordillera and the answer to India’s jatropha (Jatropha curcas), which is now being promoted by biodiesel advocates all over the world.

“Why does the government have to spend P125 million for jatropha when we have our own source of alternative fuel?” asked Bengwayan in a press forum here.

He presented research results on the nut that showed its prospect as an alternative fuel that, he said, could energize rural households.

Bengwayan, also a director of the Pine Tree, a non-profit organization working on ecological education, training, research and information, said the nut has a higher rate of octane, which was more combustible than jatropha.

The Benguet State University is doing research on areas where the apisang trees thrive, the germination of the seeds, multiplication of the seedlings and their sustainability, Bengwayan said.

The tree is endemic to the Philippines and is believed to be the country’s “most promising biofuel treasure, which could provide energy to rural areas and reduce global warming,” he said.

It thrives in Benguet, Nueva Vizcaya, Mt. Province, and Ifugao and is also known locally as hanga (Tagalog), dingo (Mt. Province) and sagaga (Abra).

Bengwayan said the extracted oil could be used for cooking when blended with kerosene (with a ratio of three parts oil and one part kerosene) and for lighting.

The oil could also be used to cure stomachache and prevent skin infection, he said.

Propagating the seedlings can help contribute to the region’s carbon sink, a process that helps reduce carbon dioxide in the environment and reduce global warming, he said.

Bengwayan said more seedlings would be distributed to farmers and villagers.

“They may sell the oil if they have an excess supply. But the important factor here is we are able to save and not destroy the environment,” he said.

Bengwayan’s group has established a seed bank in the village of Longlong here to keep the seedlings. It has been training farmers to maintain their own seed bank. Desiree Caluza, Inquirer Northern Luzon