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Volume XI, No. 146
AS OF 6:00 PM MAY 25, 2021 (TUESDAY)
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WESM relaunch THE Department of Energy (DoE) hopes to launch by June 26 various rule changes to the wholesale ele c tric it y sp ot market ( WESM), which will reduce the time between scheduling and dispatch of power, among others, according to an advisory posted last week on the department’s website. According to the advisory, before receiving DoE clearance to launch the enhanced WESM d e s ig n an d o perat i o ns (EWDO), the Philippine Electricity Market Corp. (PEM C) must at test to the market readiness of t he t hree maj or i s lan d groups, the DoE said. Other proposed changes to WESM operations include automatic pricing corrections and one-part settlements of energy trading amounts, the Independent Electricit y Market Operator of the Philippines (IEMOP) said in January.
Isolation CAGAYAN d e Oro Cit y Mayor Oscar Moreno has asked the family members of coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) positive patients to consider i s o l at i n g at te m p o r ar y treatment and monitoring facilities (TTMFs). "If the case is asymptomatic, it would be better if he/she will not be confined in the hospital," Moreno said in a virtual press briefing Saturday. Moreno said the use of such facilities can help to unburden the hospital system amid the spike of coronavirus cases in this city and in other places in Northern Mindanao region.
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By BONG S. SARMIENTO, MindaNews
ATU PAGLAS, Maguindanao — Once a busy hive of activities, the headquarters of banana producer La Frutera, Inc. is now eerily still.
Cobwebs hang from the ceilings and mar the view of glass windows, and unkempt grasses have taken over what used to be a well-manicured lawn for decades. The signage of the company still stands prominently on the side of the highway but the wrought iron gate leading to the offices is closed, a huge tarpaulin announcing the compound is “Temporary (sic) Closed.” L a Fr utera Inc. was established in 1997, the year after the Final Peace
Agreement between the government and the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) was signed, and easily became the model of an “Arms-to-Farms” success story that was showcased locally and abroad. The firm stopped operations “for almost two years now,” said Haji Mohamad “Tong” Paglas, Sr., chair of Paglas Corporation, La Frutera’s ancillary service provider and local partner. At least 2,000 workers SPARK/PAGE 6
DREAM HIGH FOR PEACE. A total of 54 youth leaders from nine war-torn villages in the municipalities of Datu Piang, Datu Saudi Ampatuan and Datu Hoffer Ampatuan in the province of Maguindanao express their peace aspirations through paper planes. This was the culminating activity of the Maguindanao Youth Leaders’ Peace Camp held in Lake Sebu, South Cotabato from May 22 to 24, 2021, a collaboration of the Bangsamoro Youth Commission and the Islamic Relief Worldwide. mindanews photo by jules l. benitez
Commercial operation of Alsons' first hydro project is on track By MYRNA M. VELASCO, Contributor
IN line with its investment shift to renewable energy, A lca nta ra-led A lsons Consolidated Resources I n c . ( AC R ) s a i d t h e
commercial operation of its first 14.5-megawatt Siguil hydropower project is on track. During the company’s
annual stockholders’ meeting on May 20, ACR Executive Vice President Tirso G. Santillan noted that “work is ongoing…and Siguil hydro is on-track to commence HYDRO/PAGE 7
FIRST DOSE. A medical worker extracts a dose of Pfizer vaccine during the vaccination rollout for senior citizens at the covered court of Brokenshire Hospital in Davao City on Thursday (20 May 2021). mindanews photo
P30-m worth of smuggled cigars seized in MisOr port A SHIPMENT of cigarettes from China estimated to be worth P30 million was confiscated by the Bureau of Customs in Region 10 (BOC-10) at the Tagoloan port in Misamis Oriental Monday. Oliver Valiente, Customs Intelligence and Investigation Service field station chief, said they were informed beforehand that a suspicious shipment was set to arrive in a port under the BOC-10 jurisdiction. Valiente said the seized items were wrongfully declared as personal effects. He said they “received derogator y
information from national intelligence agencies about the said shipment,” prompting them to request John Simon, the BOC-10 district collector, to issue an alert order. He said the shipment arrived at the Mindanao Container Terminal sub-port in Tagoloan, Misamis Oriental on May 20. The next day, officials from the BOC10’s X-ray field office, Enforcement Security Services, and the Philippine Coast Guard conducted a partial examination and discovered the imported cigarettes together CIGARS/PAGE 7
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