THE Commission on Audit raised its hackles over a P14-million energy efficiency project of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST), after state auditors found that it was not completed.

The commission bared in the 2011 report that the P14.24-million program of the agency, which included the purchase of 33 vehicles, were not accomplished.

In 2010, DOST embarked on an alternative fuel study, in which the agency is expected to come up with reports on the performance of alternative fuel and biofuel with different blends and a nationwide promotion and awareness of alternative fuel use for transport.

The Roll-out Extension Program on Alternative Fuel for Transport received a funding of P14.15 million and P88,000 where DOST-central Visayas was made as the lead agency.

Part of the program was the purchase of 33 motor vehicles for distribution to various DOST regional offices including the National Capital Region.

The 33 motor vehicles were transferred to the 16 regional offices of DOST, where these were used in the conduct of on-road testing to find out the performance of alternative fuel in relation to fuel consumption, effects of alternative fuel in the fuel line and emission level.

Ethanol blend and auto liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) were used as alternative fuels.

Test vehicles first ran on commercial fuel for data on performance and maintenance conditions to be gathered. Then, they ran on alternative energy.

In a questionnaire sent to regional auditors whose province received the vehicles, 11 regional offices stated that the test vehicles assigned to them used only the ethanol blend E10, the regular fuel sold in gas stations.

Auto LPG was not used because LPG converter kit was not installed on the test vehicles and there was no gas refueling stations in their area.

In Region X, they were not convinced to use the auto LPG alternative fuel, citing health hazard to the driver and passengers.

Three regional offices were said to have installed auto LPG converter kit in 2012, which is one year beyond the project duration of May 31, 2011.

The auditing body said that problems encountered in the installation of the auto-LPG kit to the test vehicles was not reported by the concerned regional offices to DOST.

Auditors said that it can be gleaned from the results of the survey that the project failed to find out the performance of the alternative fuel because the on-road testing was not fully completed.

The DOST-Central Visayas and the Philippine Council for Industry, Energy and Emerging Technology Research and Development, the monitoring agency, failed to come up with validated report.

“The project’s objectives were not accomplished. The amount expended totaling P14.24 million, specifically for the procurement of 33 motor vehicles was a waste of government funds,” the report said.

DOST replied that E10 was only used during the test run, while the installation of LPG converter will be done in June 2012 to May 2013.

The use of alternative fuel was supposed to done in 2012 during the project’s extension period.

In places where there are no gas refilling stations, test vehicles shall continue using the blended gasoline (E10) and if available, test higher blends, the department said.

By way of rejoinder, auditors said that the project was not implemented in accordance with the approved project proposal.

To extend the project is deemed unnecessary, considering the objective of the project was to support government for energy self-sufficiency level by 60 percent in 2010, the commission said.

“Extension will only mean additional costs to the government and the results that can be derived may have no use because the project was already overtaken by events,” the Commission noted.