PILAR, Bataan – Municipal Mayor Charlie Pizarro disclosed Saturday that some P20 million additional funding is being proposed to be infused by the owners of jatropha plantations for the construction of access road and planting of fruit-bearing trees in Barangay Liyang, this town.

Aside from this, Pizarro said the owners are also planning to expand their plantations with the positive growth of their jatropha plant, known locally as tuba-tuba, which covers around 500 hectares that could generate hundreds if not thousands of job opportunities, and millions of pesos of fresh revenues in this investors-friendly town.

It was learned that the owners of the jatropha plantations have chosen this town to pour in their investments after scouring a number of areas in the region due to the viability and accessibility of the site, the prevailing peace and order situation here, and the friendly atmosphere of this town, now becoming the center for commerce with the establishment of the Government Center facility where various government agencies and private companies had put up shops here for the past two years.

The Government Center was jointly initiated by Pizarro, Bataan Gov. Tet Garcia and Rep. Abet S.Garcia (2nd District, Bataan) in their bid to accommodate the growing number of business establishments, among others, here.

Pizarro pointed out that the 500 hectares of once idle land now planted with jatropha in Barangay Liyang is just an initial area and can be expanded as the area becomes productive and suitable to the plant.

“Of course, I cannot allow our productive land to be planted with jatropha,” stressed the young mayor whose town is one of the rice granaries in the province.

Pizarro pointed out that since Pilar town is one of the major rice producers in the province, “this will not affect the food production program of our town.”

Under the scheme, Pizarro said the project will be a community-based program where the members of the community themselves will be the one to plant, grow and harvest the jatropha, giving his constituents the opportunity to earn additional income.

The project is a joint undertaking by the Philippine Forest Corporation, the local government here, and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR).