Philippines President Receives Delivery of First CNG Bus

1 July 2005

PNA. Philippine President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo yesterday received the delivery of the first CNG-fueled bus as part of the government’s natural gas vehicle program for public transport (NGVPPT—earlier post).

The CNG-fueled bus is the first of 200 units arriving in the country between December 2005 and the first quarter of 2006 for the public transport system in Metro Manila. The government said it hopes to have 2,000 CNG buses on major Metro Manila routes by 2010.

The buses use Cummins-Wesport CNG engines, and are built by Chineses manufacturers Anhui Ankai Automobile and Zhengzhou Yutong Company.

President Arroyo and her administration have been actively promoting the use of natural gas in public transport. During her visit to China last September, the President witnessed the signing of supply agreements between Cummins Westport and Philippine bus operators.

We need to reduce our country’s dependence on imported oil, and our vulnerability to spiking world oil prices. We are committed to the fast-tracking of the implementation of the NGVPPT with the continued roll-out of more CNG buses.

In the long term, I think the critical thing here is the infrastructure which includes a pipeline from Batangas to Manila in order to really have widespread distribution of CNG stations all over Metro Manila.

—Energy Secretary Raphael Lotilla

The new Malampaya station will produce the CNG fuel.