Manufacturing growth eased to 4.8% in December, says PSA

By Julito G. Rada

MANUFACTURING growth slowed to 4.8 percent in December from the previous months amid higher inflation and softer demand for technology products, data from the Philippine Statistics Authority show.

Rizal Commercial Banking Corp. chief economist Michael Ricafort said the slower manufacturing growth in December was due to “the higher number of holidays that somewhat slowed down manufacturing/production activities

Leighton Asia set to build third Candaba bridge

By Darwin G. Amojelar

NLEX Corp. said Thursday it awarded a P6.1-billion contract to CIMIC Group’s Leighton Asia-Philippines Branch for the design and construction of the new five-kilometer third Candaba viaduct.

“After a thorough bidding process and evaluation, we have awarded the project to Leighton Asia. We trust their knowledge and expertise when it comes to building safe and highquality roads and bridges, having completed a lot of our major projects, with the NLEX Harbor Link as the most recent one,” NLEX president and general manager J. Luigi Bautista said.

Situated between Pulilan, Bulacan and Apalit, Pampanga, the Candaba Viaduct is a strategic expressway link that has been serving Metro Manila and Central and North Luzon corridor for several years.

A new bridge will be built in the middle of the two existing viaducts, which is set to start within first quarter of the year until 2024 to enhance motorists’ safety and mobility.

The Candaba 3rd Viaduct Project will make travel safer and easier as it expands the road from three lanes without shoulder to three lanes with inner and outer shoulder in each direction, according to NLEX Corp.

“We are honored to build on our long-term partnership with NLEX Corp., whom we have worked for over two decades to enhance the transportation network in the Philippines,” Leighton Asia Philippines, Indonesia and Malaysia general manager Jan Torka said.

“We will apply Leighton Asia’s international expertise and local experience to ensure the safe and successful delivery of this project,” Torka said.

NLEX continues to make viable engineering interventions to improve the capacity and serviceability of the Candaba Viaduct. It is undertaking a major safety upgrade of the southbound portion of the viaduct to further ensure the safety of motorists.

NLEX upgraded some priority bridge link slabs, strengthened columns through steel jacketing and constructed lay-bys or emergency stops in both northbound and southbound directions of the bridge.

during the month; as well as higher prices/ inflation, higher interest rates, risk of US recession that are drags on manufacturing and investment activities.”

Results of the PSA’s monthly integrated survey of selected industries showed that the volume of production index for manufacturing recorded a year-on-year increase of 4.8 percent in December, slower than the annual increase of 5.9 percent in November and 19.2 percent a year earlier.

The PSA said the biggest contributors to the slowdown were transport equipment; computer, electronic and optical products; and basic metals.

Ricafort said the slower growth may have to do with the normalization of the base/denominator effects of a much higher base a year ago and the strong growth levels seen in earlier months.

“Nonetheless, the modest, singledigit growth in the manufacturing vol-

Korean firm remains interested in rehabilitation of BNPP

By Alena Mae S. Flores

A SOUTH Korean company remains keen on repowering the mothballed 620-megawatt Bataan Nuclear Power Plant, an official of state-run Philippine Nuclear Research Institute said Thursday.

“The one that is really interested is Korea, because Korea has an exact model. And they say they can revive it in five years because the facility is already existing,” PNRI director Carlo Arcilla said at the sidelines of the Powertrends 2023 Forum.

Arcilla said Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power Co. Ltd., a subsidiary of Korea Electric Power Corp., could repower the BNPP in five years.

He said the five-year timeline would cover regulatory preparations, including compliance with the 19 infrastructure requirements of the International Atom- ic Energy Agency.

“What’s important for PBBM [President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.] is we can do nuclear before the end of his term and the fastest is BNPP,” he said.

Arcilla said the cost to repower BNPP, estimated previously at $1 billion to $2 billion, could be recovered in two to three years from the electricity savings generated. He said the government could also explore other options for BNPP such as leasing out the facilities or privatizing them. Arcilla said the government would also need to address who would regulate nuclear power in the country.

The Department of Energy wants an independent nuclear power regulator under the Office of the President. Arcilla’s statement came in the wake of a possible nuclear cooperation with China, which the Department of Energy is studying.

DOE director for energy policy and planning bureau Michael Sinocruz said the nuclear energy partnership with China would be under “government-togovernment.”

“We have not discussed what will be the coverage of the energy cooperation,” he said.

Sinocruz said studies were ongoing for the inclusion of nuclear in the power generation mix under the updated Philippine Energy Plan, which may be extended until 2050.

The latest PEP covers the period 2020 to 2030.

“We’re going to include now nuclear...What will be the impact of nuclear in our energy mix in terms of reducing our CO2 emission, in terms of cost, among others,” Sinocruz said.

Sinocruz said the DOE was conducting an assessment on conventional nuclear power plants, with 13 sites identified including Bataan.

ERC opposes consolidation of SMC power units’ cases

THE Energy Regulatory Commission through the Office of Solicitor General filed an opposition to the decision of the Court of Appeals consolidating the cases filed by two power subsidiaries of San Miguel Corp. on their 2019 power supply agreements with Manila Electric Co.

The CA’s 16th Division earlier denied the request for a temporary retaining order by San Miguel Energy Corp., but ruled that the subject case should be consolidated with another case filed by South Premiere Power Corp. with the 13th Division.

“On SMEC, the 16th Division denied the TRO and injunction but they granted the consolidation so the OSG as our counsel filed a partial motion for reconsideration on the consolidation so in a way, they opposed the consolidation,” ERC chairperson Monalisa Dimalanmta said.

“As to the other case, the one in the 13th Division, there is no submission yet,” Dimalanta said.

“The argument of the OSG is, the two cases have different legal issues so it’s not prime for consolidation,’ she said.

The companies filed for a temporary rate hike with the ERC based on the change in circumstance, which the regulator denied. This prompted the