From this so-called City of Golden Friendship, the President will fly to Barangay 4 in Talakag town to inspect the Jatropha Demo and Seed Production Farm and explain to the residents through a Pulong Bayan the positive impact of renewable energy in protecting the environment and creating more jobs.

Upon her arrival, the President will be briefed via video presentation by Philippine National Oil Co.-Alternative Fuels Corp. (PNOC-AFC) Chairman Rene Velasco on the development status of the 500 hectares Jatropha farm in Talakag and another nursery plantation in Cagayan de Oro City.

Aside from these two nursery plants, the government has another 50 hectares of Jatropha farm inside the military camp of Fort Magsaysay in Nueva Ecija.

After the Pulong Bayan, the President will fly back to Cagayan de Oro City to attend the 55th founding anniversary of the Radio Mindanao Network (RMN)-DXCC Radio Station.

Signed into law in January 2007, Republic Act No. 9367, otherwise known as the Biofuels Act, mandates the use of biofuels in the Philippines.

To meet the demand for biodiesel, the President tasked the PNOC-AFC to set up Jatropha nurseries and plantations and build refinery plants to process oil extracted from Jatropha seeds.

Jatropha Curcas, locally known as "tuba-tuba" or "tubang bakod," is now a promising plant for making biofuel because it can grow on poor land and is less likely to displace food crops.

© AHN Media Corp