BusinessWeek MINDANAO
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YOUR DAILY Mindanao-wide BUSINESS NEWSPAPER
sat-Mon|January 16-18, 2016
Power... from page 1
to impose rotating brownouts again if the situation does not improve. “Rotating power interruptions may be implemented again if power supply remains to be lower than the franchise’s demand despite optimizing its contingency measures,” said the company, whose franchise areas cover Davao City and parts of Davao del Norte province. T h e Ab o i t i z - o w n e d distribution firm said its allocation from the National Power Corp.-Power Sector Assets and Liabilities Management Corp. (NPCPSALM), the agency that manages the Agus and Pulangi hydroelectric complexes, has gone down further to 108 MW from the 140 MW it was allocated during the initial reduction late last year. “The reasons cited were due to the reduced capacity of the Agus and Pulangi plants due to low water inflow,” the statement said. Based on the forecast of the country’s weather bureau, the prevailing El Niño that started last year will continue until the middle of this year. El Niño is the large-scale ocean-atmosphere climate interaction linked to a periodic warming in sea surface temperatures across the central and east-central Equatorial Pacific (http:// oceanservice.noaa.gov/). As of yesterday, the Mindanao grid’s system capacity was 1,571 MW while peak demand was 1,501 MW, leaving a minimal reserve of 70 MW, based on the monitoring of the National Grid Corp. of the Philippines (NGCP). Davao Light said it is currently maximizing its contracts with sister companies to augment its supply, including: 100 MW from the newly inaugurated coal-fired plants of Therma South Inc.; 30 MW from Therma Marine Inc.; 52 MW from Hedcor Sibulan; and 4 MW from Hedcor Talomo. It is also sourcing 18 MW from the Alcantara-owned Western Mindanao Power Corp. TRANSMISSION The company also said that two of the hydroelectric plants of Agus, with a combined capacity of 260 MW, remain isolated as the right-of-way issue has yet to be settled. In his visit to the city last week, President Benigno S. C. Aquino III announced that he was calling a meeting to discuss the problem. Earlier this month, officials of the Lanao provinces where the facilities are located and NGCP representatives met to discuss the problem -- the grid operator has threatened to continue filing expropriation proceedings should the owners of the properties where the towers are located continue to refuse to give way. Based on Section 4 of
Republic Act 9511, the NGCP, being the franchisee in transmission operations, is granted with “the right of eminent domain insofar as it may be reasonably necessary for the construction, expansion and efficient maintenance and operation of the transmission system and grid.” “The grantee may acquire such private property as is actually necessary for the realization of the purposes for which this franchise is granted: provided, that the applicable law on eminent domain shall be observed, particularly, the prerequisites of taking of possession and the determination and payment of just compensation,” the provision specifies. The grid operator has also sought the help of local government units in the area, where there are 147 claimants, to create an ordinance that criminalizes the setting up of structures near the towers. A Lanao del Sur official, who was present during the meeting, told BusinessWeek Mindanao on condition of anonymity that the NGCP, i ns t e a d of u s i ng l e g a l remedies, should pursue other measures such as providing livelihood to the communities to encourage them to protect the towers. “NGCP should not antagonize the communities because this will be a long fight if that is the case,” the official said.
Tower... from page 1
According to Capulong, seven tower bombings were recorded in December 2015 alone: Towers 25, 19, 20, 95, 68, 168, and 153. Support from the public, local government, Philippine National Police, Armed Forces of the Philippines, local community leaders was encouraged to help monitor “the safety of the towers so that transmission services remain uninterrupted.” Last January 6, the grid operator placed Mindanao under red alert status after the island’s power reserves went zero and warned of possible grid collapse due to the insufficient power supply and the bombing of Tower 25 in Lanao del Sur on December 4 which isolated Agus 1 and Agus 2. But it was back on yellow alert level again the following day. The transmission company usually declares yellow alert status when “contingency reserve is less than the capacity of the largest synchronized unit of the grid.” Capulong added repair of Tower 63 was facilitated immediately because there is no land dispute between the landowners and the National Power Corporation (Napocor). She said Agus 1 and Agus 2, with combined installed capacity of 150 MW, remained isolated from Mindanao because landowners Johnny Intan and Naguib Sambitori
refused entr y to NGCP personnel, pending unsettled claims by the Napocor. She said NGCP “awaits re s olut i on on r i g ht of way between landowner Sambitoris and governmentowned National Transmission Corporation (Transco)”. “The dispute remains unresolved to this day,” she added. Energy Secretary Zenaida Monsada, told reporters during the inauguration of Therma South Inc.’s (TSI) 300MW coal-fired power plant in Binugao, Toril, Davao City last January 8, that they were verifying whether some of the claimants have been paid for the right of way. She said most claims have already been paid, but they are still looking for the records for those who have not been paid yet. “We still have to check if the claims are still valid, and as to how much, and if the amount is reasonable,” she said. (Antonio L. Colina IV / MindaNews)
DOLE... from page 2
deserving students, ages 15 – 25 years old and enrolled or intending to enroll in any educational institution for secondary, tertiary, vocational or technological education. On the other hand, the Labor Market Information (LMI) focuses on the operations of labor demand and supply; wages, hours of works; employer hiring practices, worker job preferences; and many other factors which shape employer - worker relationship, policies and programs of government, investment decision by employers, and job selection by workers among others. The data users can access to a wider range of labor market-related statistical i n f o r m at i o n , c o v e r i n g mainly the following data comp onents: Economic Structure; Demography ; Labor and Employment; Income, Wages and Salaries; Education and Manpower Development; O verseas E mpl oy me nt ; F i l ipi no s Overseas; Investments; DOLE Administrative Statistics; Employment Opportunities; and APEC-LMI data. Furthermore, Cabañog also advocated the Career Guidance and Employment Coaching (CGEC), which aim to guide students and
jobseekers with appropriate education and career paths. He also stressed that the establishment of Networks of Guidance Counselors (NGCs), has helped the Department in boosting employment facilitation. At the same time, it is a measure to augment the limited number of Registered Guidance Counselors (RGCs) in the countr y in providing education, personal/motivational, and career guidance counseling to students and jobseekers. The provision of the Career Guidance and Employment Coaching and the services offered by the GCs are medium for sharing relevant labor market information (LMI), trends, and issues which will guide the clients in choosing a career. (Joseph Nathan Fabrega/DOLE-X LDN PFO)
Anti-poverty... from page 2
the ‘Apat Dapat program’ is initially a short-term program, gradually we’re expecting that we’ll earn the necessary experience and milestones for the continuity and expansion of the program into a long-term solution to poverty,” Alba said. To e n s u r e t h at t h e program will meet its goals, the DSWD will oversee the conduct of case management of every household. It also hopes to coordinate with the Department of Health’s rural health units and its nutritionists in monitoring the health. Three towns in f ive provinces of the region comprised the 15 pilot areas. These are the towns of Matanog, Barira and Datu Ang ga l Midt imb ang in Maguindanao; Balindong, Lumba-Bayabao, and Taraka in Lanao del Sur; Tuburan, Tipu-tipo, and Sumisip in Basilan; Talipao, Parang, and Pandami in Sulu; and Tandubas, Simunul, and Sibutu in Tawi-Tawi. (PNA)
Larawan... from page 4
corrupt activities cannot just endure during Aquino’s administration unlike his predecessors’. (For instance, behold what happened to senators Estrada, Enrile and Revilla who were imprisoned for plunder. Although Enrile had been questionably bailed,
Republic of the Philippines Province of Misamis Oriental Municipality of Initao NOTICE TO THE PUBLIC CFN-0001-2016
Date January 15, 2016
In Compliance with the publication requirement and pursuant to OCRG Memorandum Circular No. 2013-1 Guidelines in the Implementation of the Administrative Order No.1 Series of 2012 (IRR on R.A.10172), Notice is hereby served to the public that BEULAH D. ECHAVES has filed with this Office, a petition for change of first name from “VIOLA” to “BEULAH” and correction of entry in sex from “ “ to “ “ or correction of entry in the date of birth from “ “ to “ “ in the certificate of live birth of VIOLA D. ECHAVEZ at Initao, Misamis Oriental and whose parents are FORTUNATO E. ECHAVEZ and LUISA D. DANDASAN. Any person adversely affected by said petition may file his written opposition with this Office not later than February 9, 2016. BWM: Jan. 18 & 25, 2016
(Sgd.) ISAIAS A. JARALES Municipal Civil Registrar
that was the act of the weak judiciary, not Aquino’s.) But still, Aquino needs to make things right and avoid throwing his legacy to the dominion of darkness after he advocated the reign of light (?) He can still follow what his conscience dictates like what he did to his close ally, Purisima. May God enlighten and guide you, Mr.President.
Bunye... from page 4
former Comelec Chairman Brillantes, were one in expressing grave concern over the controversy. How can we have peaceful elections if none exists among the Comelec Commissioners, observers asked. Already, men-in-the-streets have started to refer to the Comelec as “Commotion on Elections”. But as they say, all is well that ends well. Following the intervention of the other Comelec Commissioners, the protagonists were convinced to bury the hatchet (hopefully, not in each other’s back.) Note: You may email us at totingbunye2000@gmail. com.
Hurst... from page 4
Son, Jesus, to die for all our wrongs and sins. So today, you yourself can ask and receive His forgiveness and new life. Jesus will give you the power to start changing into a new person who learns to love and make others happy just Jesus does. Just Think a Minute…
Imports... from page 5
Herminio B. C oloma Jr. announced that the government is planning to import up to 400,000 MT of rice on top of the 500,000 MT it initially procured in view of the threat posed by the prolonged dry spell. The volume is lower than the FSC’s initial recommendation of 1.3 million MT (MMT). “We have new data from the PSA showing that the expected production for [the last quarter of 2015] and the first semester of [2016] is likely going to be more favorable than expected,” Neda Director General Arsenio M. Balisacan earlier said. The drought caused by
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El Niño made it difficult for rice farmers to increase output in 2015. “[Based on the 2015 projected rice production at] 18.9 MMT, my barometer [for the rice-import volume] is 1.7 MMT. We need a buffer stock of almost 1 MMT, and the gap between production and demand is 700,000 MT. If you will recall, production declined to 18.3 MMT last year, from 18.97 MMT [the previous year],” Dalisay said. “Hopefully, rice output this year will be higher to reduce imports. But until we produce all our requirements, including the buffer stock of NFA, we would have to import what we need,” he added. According to data from the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa), the current El Niño episode is expected to persist until the first half of 2016. “ The chance of El Niño is greater than 95 percent through Northern Hemisphere winter [December to February], with the event slowly weakening during spring [March to May] 2016,” Pagasa said, quoting the Climate Prediction Center and International Research Institute consensus as of October 15. Experts said the weakening of El Niño and the increase in the water level of major dams following the onslaught of Typhoon Nona (international code name Melor) in Luzon could help ensure that the Philippines would be able to boost rice production this year. Dr. Rolando Dy, executive director of the University of Asia and the Pacific’s Center for Food and Agribusiness, said the additional volume of rice, which the Philippines plans to import, “appears to be adequate” However, the economist warned the government against importing more than the needed volume, as it might affect the supply and price situation of rice in the global market. “We need not overimport, since world stocks are ample, and rice prices in Thailand and Vietnam are low—way below $400 per MT [freightonboard]. We have to play the market well. Importing large volumes can perk up world prices to our detriment,” Dy said.