BusinessWeek MINDANAO Best in Business and Economic Reporting Philippine Press Institute Civic Journalism Community Press Awards 2013
Volume IV, No. 101
Market Indicators
As of 6:10 pm may 13, 2014 (Tuesday)
FOREX
PHISIX
US$1 = P43.81
6,852.81 points
10 cents
X
41.47 points
X
Briefly Rate hike review THE involvement of the city government in the application of the Cagayan de Oro Electric Power and Light Company (Cepalco) for rate adjustment is being sought by the 17th City Council headed by Vice Mayor Caesar Ian E. Acenas. Through Resolution No. 11685-2014, the City Council on Monday created an adhoc committee that will study and review the applications and petitions of the local power firm with the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC). This is an offshoot of the special report of Councilor President D. Elipe regarding an increase in power rates in Cepalco’s franchise area. The councilor said the city should come up with its official stand on the matter as Kagay-anons will be most affected when the petition is approved by the ERC.
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Power coops say IMEM to cause higher rates A
By FROILAN GALLARDO, MindaNews
SCENARIO of electricity rates as high as P32 per kilowatt hour looms with the government planning to implement the Interim Mindanao Electric Market (IMEM) system in the island, a group of electric cooperatives warned on Monday.
Adrian Ebcas of the Northern Mindanao Electric Cooperatives Association (NORMECO) said this will be among the bases for their objections [to the IMEM] that they will raise to Energy Secretary Carlos Jericho Petilla who will meet them in Manila on Wednesday. Ebcas said the scenario of electricity rates costing P32 per kilowatt hour will wipe out poor families and small businesses in Mindanao. He said a small house with one or two bulbs using 30 kilowatts (kW) in a month will find itself billed at least
P900 a month. “We are not opposing IMEM but we are objecting the provisions that will lead to high electricity rates. We are duty-bound to protect ou r consu me rs ,” Eb c as , who is also the general manager of Camiguin Electric Cooperative, said. He s aid maj or it y of the consumers of electric cooperatives are small houses using 30 kW a month and small business using less than 100 kW. “This will wipe them out. The P32 per kilowatt hour of IMEM/PAGE 11 NEW HYDRO PLANTS. Hedcor’s two hydro power plants with a combined capacity of 13.6-megawatts were recently launched boosting Davao’s power supply.
Solar panel DAVAO City -- The Davao City Investment Promotion Center (DCIPC) is considering a solar panel manufacturing as a priority investment in wake of the worsening power problem in the city. DCIPC chief Ivan Chin Cortez said DCIPC is planning to sell the idea of solar panel manufacturing to a Chinese businessman soon. He however, opted not to identify the Chinese businessman in order not to preempt the negotiation. Cortez said the solar panels are installed on roofs to produce power. He said DCIPC is currently discussing the matter with some partner agencies.
Wednesday | May 14, 2014
Biz group to power firms: Mindanao power Follow outage schedules crisis a supply problem: solon By MINDANEWS
BROOMS AND VROOM: A motorcycle fully loaded with soft brooms made of Tahiti (Tiger grass) negotiates the dirt road of Barangay Tagbak, Magpet, North Cotabato on Friday, May 9. Soft broom making is a source of income for people in remote areas of Msagpet. mindanews photo by keith bacongco
DAVAO City — Power utilities should stick to their posted schedules of power interruptions to prevent further losses on the part of employers, the Philippine Exporters Confederation (PhilExport) said. In an interview Monday at ”Kapehan sa Dabaw” at SM City Davao Annex, PhilExport president Ferdinand Maranon said their members have complained that the power interruptions have not been followed. These have resulted in higher production costs as their workers have been asked to report at a certain time but do not get to work, he said.
Maranon said that his frozen banana export business itself is directly affected by the rotating brownouts, as the microwavable products require refrigeration along the production process. His clients come from as far as the United States, Australia and Canada. So far, he said there have not yet been reports of clients backing out from export products that have been delayed because of power interruptions. “I hope they stick to a regular schedule, even if it takes eight hours. The businesses are being affected,” power/PAGE 11
R E P. E d g a r d o R a m a Masongsong of the 1st Consumers Alliance for Rural Energy, Inc. (1-CARE) Party-List expressed his disappointment over the blame game directed to Electric Cooperatives (ECs) for the worsening power shortage in Mindanao. In an ambush interview in Bohol, President Benigno Aquino III blamed the ECs in Mindanao for being too slow in availing of the modular gensets, which was launched in July of last year, making them a scapegoat for the lack of power source since the power crisis started to Crisis/PAGE 11
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