Mindanao Daily NEWS
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Volume II, No. 250
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Thursday
See story P15.00 on Page 12 May 8, 2014
Traders not happy over Cepalco’s long brownouts Regional Top Stories
By CHENG ORDOÑEZ, and CRIS DIAZ with RUEL PELONE, MDN Editors
CARAGA
CAGAYAN de Oro City--Businessmen here are complaining over the long hours of rotating brownout which Cagayan Electric Power and Light Cooperative (Cepalco) has implemented since May 6.
Surneco requested Pacemco power supply cut, says grid operator u 4 WESTMIN
Police tell refugees to avail of relocation program in Zamboanga City u 8
See FULL STORY, page 2
Zamsureco-1 to implement 8-hr blackout
DAVAO
Military, police: Key NPA leader, girlfriend arrested in Davao City u 9
BLACKOUT. Mr. Felix Hauffman holds a bible study among his congregation amid the worsening rotating brownouts that struck Cagayan de Oro City since May 6. Photo by Gerry Gorit of Mindanao Daily News
10 hours Steag coal plant resumes operations today Jerome Soldevilla, Steag 10 percent to the Mindanao, power generating turbine, brownouts communications officer, grid which is now suffering also capable of producing de Oro City–– said repairs on Unit 1 ca- a 300MW deficiency after 105MW, will also be back hit Zambo CAGAYAN The Steag State Power, pable of producing 105MW National Power Corporation online this coming June 1. By Froilan Gallardo
ZAMBOANGA City––The daily rotational brownouts in this city have further increased to as long as 10 hours brought about by the worsening power situation in the Mindanao grid. Omar Sahi, Zamboanga City Electric Cooperative (Zamcelco) president, said Wednesday that Zamcelco is now receiving only a total of 47 megawatts power supply when its daily peak-load demand is 85MW. The 10-hour brownouts came barely a week after Zamcelco’s 130,000 member-consumers started experiencing power outages of six to eight hours daily. Earlier this year, the rotational brownout in this city ranged only from two to four hours a day. Zamcelco’s electricity is being supplied by the Power Sector Assets and See 10-hour, page 11
Inc., operator of the lone 210-megawatt coal plant in Mindanao, announced that it will resume supplying electricity to island’s grid starting today (May 8).
of electricity have already been done and the power generator is expected to be back online today. He said the power generated would be an additional
Acquisition of modular gensets in Surigao blocked
SURIGAO City––Some members-consumers of the Surigao del Norte del Norte Electric Cooperative, Inc. (SURNECO) have blocked the acquisition of five units of modular generator sets by filing a temporary restraining order at a local court. Four petitioners filed an “Injunction with Prayer for Preliminary Mandatory Injunction and/or Temporary Restraining Order” at the Regional Trial Court Branch 29 Friday last week. The complainants are Jaime E. Jamil of Nagkahiusang Mag-uuma sa Surigao del Norte (NAMASUN); Leonila C. Yu, representative of Urban Poor Association known as Kadamay in Barangay Washington; Edgar Canda, representing the militant group Bayan Muna; and Carlito E. Argente, representing the labor sector. All of them are consumer-members of the electric utility. Based on the seven-page complaint, they alleged See BLOCKED, page 11
started load shedding early this month. “We hope our entry can decrease the brownouts by two hours,” Soldevilla said. Soldevilla said another
Steag operates two turbines in Villanueva, Misamis Oriental, which were damaged and conked out during an island-wide See TODAY, page 11
PAGADIAN City, Zamboanga del Sur––The memberconsumers of the Zamboanga del Sur Electric Cooperative-1 (Zamsureco-1) have to contend with an eight-hour daily brownout besetting the cooperative brought about by the decreasing supply from the Mindanao Grid. Zamsureco-1 Information Officer Liberal Cabatcha said Wednesday this is because of the shortage of power generation from Agus 1 of the National Power Corporation (Napocor) and that of the See blackout, page 11
BANGSAMORO BASIC LAW. Dr. Bashary A. Latiph, chairman of Sajahatra Bangsamoro, and Datu Musa M. Sultan, secretary general of Ranao Confederation for Peace, explain to reporters the importance of the Bangsamoro Basic Law during a press conference held at the city hall in Marawi. Thousands of people joined the May 4 simultaneous rallies in key areas in Mindanao to show their support for the swift passage of the Bangsamoro Basic law. Photo by Sonny Sudaria of Mindanao Daily News-Armm
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