The abaca sector is poised to benefit from an advanced study funded by auto-maker Daimler Chrysler and German's DEG for the extensive use of environment-friendly abaca to replace fiberglass on cars.

The study which started some two years ago is now on a second phase to be implemented up to 2007. The project, which is also being funded by Euronature, a German foundation, and the University of Hohenheim, has promising developments.

"The mission is to replace fiberglass with abaca fiber. Abaca fiber is light and strong and is biodegradable. The lighter the material for cars, the less requirement for fuel and the less emission of carbon dioxide," said Paciencia P. Milan, Leyte State University (LSU) president, in an interview.

Abaca fiber is now being used in manufacturing expensive luxury cars Mercedes Benz. However, the study may be more focused on commercializing the use of abaca on averagely-priced cars. This should boost the Philippines present $ 80 to $ 90-million abaca export earnings yearly.

While the use of abaca fiber may make car material cost to be more expensive, Europeans who have more paying capacity are normally willing to pay for the cost of protecting the environment.

"Fiberglass is cheaper, but cost is not the only issue. It's easier to use fiberglass than natural fiber. But corporate responsibility, along with the intention to help farmers, is important. They only want to get fiber from sustainable farms. They want to make sure that farmers will not cut forest in order to plant abaca (because) abaca also needs shade," she said.

Rather than the actual abaca production cost, it is really freight that's pushing up prices.

LSU has been breeding through molecular assisted breeding (MAB) abaca varieties that are free from bunchy top virus which can obliterate much of yield when infestation is heavy. It operates a tissue culture laboratory and disease diagnostic laboratory run by plant pathologists (who study diseases) and epidemiologists (who identify distribution process of diseases) for disease control.

The state school has also developed a portable stripping machine that is saving a lot of abaca fiber from waste.

"It can increase yield because recovery is high. And you can bring it to the top of the mountain so that many fibers can be stripped, and the waste products can be left to decompose and fertilize the soil," she said.

Aside from the abaca study, LSU has also embarked on another environmental protection project, the rainforest reforestation strategy on its Fori Farm.

"When we reforest, we use native trees which increases our biodiversity. Dipterocarps are hardwood premium species as those used in Galleon Trade. They need 20 years to harvest but are very durable and last for a very long time," said Milan, a Pantas awardee for her outstanding contribution through this program.

Farmers prefer planting popular species like Gmelina because these take shorter time of about five years to harvest. The LSU project determines the indigenous specie in a certain area and then replant those seedlings. Among these dipterocarps native to the Philippine soil are Apitong, Yakal, Lawaan, Tanguile, and Bagtikan.

"The Philippines was known to have these species during the Spanish and American times. But people are cutting them until nobody was propagating them," she said.

The rainforest project has been replicated since 1993 in more than 20 sites in Leyte (including Baybay, Ormoc, Albuera, Babatngon) and other places (Mindanao, Palawan, Antique, negros, Butuan).

Euronature and German agency GTZ financed the putting up of nursery and identified seedlings for rapid propagation. Farmers also make a livelihood out of planting forest tree seedlings as they have sold P200,000 to P300,000 from seedling sales to Dole and Del Monte.

Another nature-friendly study now in the use of "protos" for fueling stove which makes use of jatropha oil and thus cuts dependence on fossil-fuel based liquefied petroleum gas (LPG).