The Department of Agriculture (DA) has endorsed a proposal to immediately raise the country's coco-biodiesel blend to 5 percent (B5), reviving a long-stalled biofuels initiative to boost demand for coconut products, support farmer incomes, and reduce reliance on imported fuel.

Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. said Monday he has endorsed Resolution No. 03, Series of 2026 of the Philippine Council for Agriculture and Fisheries-National Sectoral Committee on Coconut and forwarded it to Senator Francis Pangilinan and Energy Secretary Sharon Garin, who chairs the National Biofuels Board (NBB).

The proposal seeks to expand the use of coconut methyl ester (CME) in diesel fuel under the Biofuels Act of 2006. Previous plans to increase the blend beyond B3 were suspended after a surge in coconut oil prices raised production costs.

“The Department of Agriculture strongly supports the transition to a 5 percent biodiesel blend. This is more than a step toward meeting international standards. It is a meaningful investment in the future of millions of Filipino farmers, workers, and families who rely on the coconut industry for their livelihood," Tiu Laurel said.

He added that expanding demand for CME would help create jobs, maximize existing production capacity, and generate greater value for the coconut sector.

"At the same time, this shift strengthens the country's energy security and self-reliance by reducing dependence on imported fuels and making better use of a homegrown renewable resource," the DA chief added.

Meanwhile, the Department of Energy separately said on Monday that any move to raise the coco-biodiesel blend to 5 percent would depend on the availability of feedstock supply and the readiness of domestic biodiesel producers.

"The 5 percent recommendation has to pass through the National Biofuels Board. So we'll determine the stability of the supply and the readiness of the biorefiners to immediately increase to B5," Energy Undersecretary Alessandro Sales said.

"But if everybody will recall, the DOE actually already had a ladderized increase from B3, B4, and B5. But this was suspended because of the high cost of the cocoa metal esters. So we stopped at B3, but we will reconsider if the DA has taken this action," he added.

If approved, the measure is expected to expand domestic demand for coconut-based biofuel and benefit an estimated 2.5 million to 3.5 million coconut farmers.