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Sunday, June 12, 2016 Vol. 11 No. 246
P25.00 nationwide | 4 sections 20 pages | 7 days a week
Cost of solar power plants down 50% By Lenie Lectura
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@llectura
HE cost of h a r nessi ng power from the sun is fast declining, said Solar Philippines, noting that cost has gone down 50 percent from the previous eed-in-tariff (FiT) rate of P9.68 per kilowatt-hour (kWh). Solar Philippines President Leandro L. Leviste said solar-power costs have fallen mainly on account of the decrease in the cost of solar panels, low interest rates, high levels of sunlight and advances in technology, among others. “Costs have gone down and efficiency gone up, allowing new solar-power plants to sell at half the cost of the original tariff rate,” Leviste said. Many perceive solar power as expensive, and will take decades more to be competitive. Yet, last month, Leviste said, the world’s lowest-priced solar power was bid in Dubai at P1.345 per kWh. Other bids resulted in P1.575 in Mexico and P1.741 in the United States. “We must send a strong message to everyone in the power industry that the time of low-cost solar has arrived, and the era of fossil fuel is near its end,” Leviste said. Fossil fuel includes coal, which averages P4; gas, P6; and diesel, P8. “The debate is over...given solar is cheaper, and we’re building projects to prove it,” Leviste said. Solar Philippines recently announced the country’s first local solar-manufacturing plant, and plans to complete 500 megawatts (mW) of solar capacity by 2017. “Today our solar installation at
Muhammad Ali’s wife Lonnie Ali speaks during his memorial service on June 10 in Louisville Kentucky. AP/Darron Cummings
Iata: Airfares likely Tribute fit for to remain stable in H2 ‘the greatest’ By Lorenz S. Marasigan
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@lorenzmarasigan
VEN with oil prices up more than 80 percent since January, airfares worldwide will likely remain stable in the second half of 2016, a trade organization of global airlines said in a report. The International Air Transport Association (Iata) said in a report that crude-oil prices may have increased from January to May due to short-term supply disruption, but the cost of fuel will remain low through mid-2018 at $55 per barrel. “Airfares are expected to decline further in the near future, as prior declines in jet-fuel prices feed through. That said, with oil prices now up more than 80 percent since their January low, the stimulus to demand from lower airfares
is likely to fade in the second half of 2016,” Iata said. Domestic and international air travel then is expected to continue getting a boost, as demand for air travel in and out of the country continues to rise. Passengers have been enjoying lower fares since early-2015, when the regulator decided to scrap off the fuel-surcharge component from airline fares due to the declining prices of jet fuel in the international market. A fuel surcharge is a temporary
relief granted to airlines to help them recover losses incurred from higher jet-fuel prices. It ranges from P500 to as high as P15,000, depending on the destination. Fuel prices have been dropping, as the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries decided to maintain current production levels despite a glut in the market, with an estimated oversupply of 1.5 million to 2 million barrels daily. Fuel accounts for as much as 60 percent of an airline’s operating cost per passenger, and is the second-highest expense next to labor. The Philippines is one of the countries with the fastest-growing commercial-aviation industries in Asean. In fact, it is poised to become the third fastest-growing market in Southeast Asia, as its economy continues to grow in midsingle digits. “Demand has grown, boosted by a surging economy,” aviation think tank Centre for Asia-Pacific Aviation (Capa) said in a June report. “Growth in the Philippines will
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OUISVILLE, Kentucky—The day began where Muhammad Ali’s life began, on the Louisville city streets, a simple black hearse adorned with “A.D. Porter and Sons” giving the champ one last parade for his people. From his boyhood home at Grand Avenue to his final resting place at the Cave Hill Cemetery, through littered lots and gleaming buildings filled with unconditional love, Ali’s funeral procession on Friday morning spanned 74 years, 19 miles and countless tears that streaked beneath sweat towels and sunglasses “A-li, A-li, A-li,” chanted the hundreds of sweltering folks, as they crowded the corner of Muhammad Ali Boulevard and Ninth Street, reaching arms toward the unadorned black car as if believing “The Greatest” was still alive and smiling and dancing inside. Hours later, the day ended as Muhammad Ali’s life was lived, with a raucous and passionate memorial service in a glittering basketball arena on a muddy Ohio River, whose bridges he once walked with his dreams. “I am Muhammad Ali,” chanted the crowd in the overflow arena at the KFC Yum! Center, answering the urgings of Rabbi Joe Rapport, one of the many speakers of many faiths
who turned the service into a pep rally for humanity. Ali, the former three-time heavyweight champion and world’s most impactful athlete who died last week at age 74 after a three-decade battle with Parkinson’s disease, rested amid a wonderful absence of quiet on a day he would have loved. He floated through the city as if on the wings of a butterfly, then he was the focus of a series of uplifting and challenging tributes that stung like a bee. “You shook up the world in life, and now you’re shaking up the world in death,” said Rasheda Ali-Walsh, one of Ali’s nine children.“Daddy is looking down at us, right? Saying, ‘I told you I was The Greatest!’” The procession was, indeed, the greatest, a morning-long preamble through a crowd of about 100,000 folks who hugged and wept, and threw flowers on the hearse after leaving the local funeral home. “He gave so much to the world, he taught us we could do anything,” said Clinton Bacon, a construction worker standing and sweating on the corner of Ali and Ninth. The ensuing memorial service, which fittingly started an hour late, Continued on A2
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See “Solar power,” A2
Zambales opens current year with new e-school buildings
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A POWERFUL MESSAGE FOR ALL Dear Lord, the empty tomb and the marble slab on which You were laid have always had a powerful message for all those who visit the holy site; “Christ is not here because He has been raised just as He said.” Such was the good news proclaimed by the angel who appeared to the women. Such was the internal voice that echoed in the hearts of John and Peter as they examined the burial cloths that had wrapped Jesus’ body and pondered on what its absence from the tomb could mean. “Jesus has risen from death,” proclaims the empty tomb. “The one who was crucified has conquered death and now lives never more to die.” We thank Jesus for His love for us. Amen! Word & Life, Fr. Sal Putzu, SDB and Luisa M. Lacson, HFL
BA, Zambales—With thousands of students expected to remain in senior high school this coming school year under the government’s K to 12 Basic Education Program, the provincial government of Zambales is completing close to P300 million worth of new-generation school buildings in time for the opening of classes on Monday. Gov. Hermogenes E. Ebdane Jr. said the government has constructed at least one unit of the so-called e-building in each of the 13 towns in the province in answer to the growing number of students here. School officials said they expect more than 8,900 enrollees in senior high school this year, on top of the more than 42,000 in junior high. Meanwhile, around 108,000 pupils are expected to be enrolled in elementary grades throughout the province. Because of the anticipated surge, Ebdane promised in his State
PESO exchange rates n US 45.9170
of the Province Address in 2015 to build new school buildings in each of the 13 towns in the province. “This is important, because education is the best foundation in developing the community, and it is also the key that will unlock more opportunities for our children,” Ebdane said. “We completed the new e-buildings this summer, so they are ready for school children when schools open on Monday.” The new school buildings, which got their name from the shape of the structure, are two-story facilities that house 10 classrooms, four separate male and female toilets, a principal’s office and a built-in stage for school programs. The construction of e-buildings was a project of the Provincial Engineer’s Office (PEO), with the basic design developed by one of its draftsmen, Delson Ejanda. Each unit cost P23 million, with basic furnishings, like blackboards, chairs and tables,
FLYING HIGH Designed as a kite, a series of Philippine flags flies high in the skyline of Santiago City, Isabela, to commemorate the 118 years of Philippine Independence. The country celebrates Independence Day every June 12, since 1898. SUZANNE JUNE G. PERANTE and ceiling fans thrown in. “It’s a spacious, sturdy, wellventilated building that is practically flood-proof, as it is built at least 1 meter above the ground,” said Luciano Reglos, chief of
planning and design at the PEO. “Governor Ebdane wanted something that would last years and years, comfortable and conducive to learning, and can accommod ate t he g row ing student
population, so we came up with this design.” Funding for the e-buildings came from the Special Education Fund handled by the Provincial School See “Zambales,” A2
n japan 0.4288 n UK 66.4006 n HK 5.9164 n CHINA 6.9878 n singapore 33.9497 n australia 34.1026 n EU 51.9689 n SAUDI arabia 12.2478
Source: BSP (10 June 2016 )