A prototype of the initial four units of the LPG-fueled buses purchased from LPG bus distributor King Long Philippine International Bus Inc. was presented yesterday to Environment and Natural Resources Secretary Jose Atienza Jr. at the DENR office in Quezon City.

The project is a joint effort of the Office of the President, DENR, Department of Transportation and Communication, Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board, Department of Energy, Board of Investment, and Department of Trade and Industry.

According to Philippine LPG Bus and Taxi Co. Inc. chairman Alexis Cowel, the four LPG buses will soon be undergoing test runs along the Fairview-C5 route in Quezon City.

Cowel said that 200 units of LPG-fueled buses coming from Xiamen, China will be commercialized in Metro Manila, and in San Pedro, Biñan, and Sta. Rosa towns in Laguna once the test runs prove that the units are effective.

He also said that the city bus type model has a Yu Chai engine, which is equipped with 240-liter LPG.

"We welcome this initiative because the use of LPG in motorized vehicles will improve the quality of air in Metro Manila, whose dramatic improvement we expect to see in the next two years," Atienza said.

"But the problem is that buses, taxis, and tricycles using diesel and gasoline fuels roam around Metro Manila without passing the required emission testing. We can reduce air pollution in Metro Manila by 40 to 50 percent if we can only convince these transport vehicles to shift from the use of diesel and gasoline to LPG," he added.