The University Community Development Office in coordination with Broad Initiative for Negros Development (BIND), Southeast Asia Regional Initiative for Community Empowerment (SEARICE), and Third World Network (TWN), spearheaded a Forum on Biofuel on October 21, 2008 at Fr. Cuenca Hall. Fr. Emeterio Buñao, OAR, Director of Scholarships, gave the opening and welcome remarks.
The speaker was Atty. Camila Moreno a Brazilian Lawyer from the University of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil who shared the Brazilian Experience on Agroenergy. Her talk was entitled Food and Energy Sovereignty Now: Brazilian Grassroots Position on Agroenergy.” Atty. Moreno, in a more than two hour talk, emphasized the pros and cons in the governments’ campaign on Biofuels. According to her, assigning marginal and idle lands for biofuel production will further deprive the farmers from cultivating the land for the country’s staple food.
After the talk, an open forum was actively participated by the representatives from the different Non-government Organizations. Dr. Evangeline O. Aboyo, UCDO Director, awarded the Certificate of Appreciation to the speaker, and the closing remark was given by Hon. Jocelle Batapa-Sigue, member of Bacolod City Council.
A total of 62 participants from different Non-Government Organizations, Government Agencies and Academic Institutions attended the activity.