Gov’t to tap new project to address Mindoro outages

THE government is seeking to resolve the power crisis in Occidental Mindoro through the additional 17-megawatt (MW) contract to provide continuous power in the province.

Department of Energy (DOE) Assistant Secretary Mario Marasigan also said the National Electrification Administration (NEA) is consolidating available resources to address the 20hour daily power outage in Occidental Mindoro, including the assessment of a powerplant that could give additional 6 MW, and generator sets that have 8-MW capacity.

Marasigan, quoted by GMA News, said “this will happen in two months while we build the additional 17 megawatts that will provide 24/7 operation in Occidental Mindoro. This will give us the remedy for the electricity supply in the province to become continuous.”

“Ito po ang magbibigay ng lunas sa atin para maging continuous na ang suplay ng kuryente sa Mindoro,” he added. NEA administrator Antonio Mariano Almeda earlier said that the DOE already issued a certificate of exemption or emergency power supply agreement (EPSA), which allowed the government to enter a contract with DMCI for the additional 17-MW power supply, GMA News further reported.

According to Almeda, DMCI committed to roll out 10 MW in 30 days and the other seven MW in two months.

Governor Eduardo Gadiano on Friday said Occidental Mindoro is currently under a state of calamity due to power outages for the last month and a half.

Sandigan says Ampatuan graft ruling now final

FORMER Maguindanao governor Sajid Ampatuan has been found guilty of multiple counts of graft, malversation, and falsification of public documents, the Sandiganyan said.

The Sandiganbayan also said the decision is “final and executory.”

This developed after the anti-graft court’s Sixth Division, in an April 20 resolution, junked Ampatuan’s Motion To Reinstate the Right of the Accused to Avail of Post-Conviction Remedies due to lack of merit, GMA News reported.

The Sandiganbayan ruling said Ampatuan failed to comply with the requirements needed to avail of such remedy under the Rules of Court, namely that he must first surrender to the Court within 15 days from the date of the promulgation of judgment, and to show that his absence during the February 9 promulgation was for a justifiable cause.

“Accused Ampatuan had fifteen (15) days from February 13, 2023, or until February 28, 2023, within which to surrender and file a motion for leave of court to avail of the remedies. Although accused Ampatuan filed his instant Motion well within the said period, he has not yet surrendered to the Court,” the Sandiganbayan, quoted by GMA News, said.

“Thus, the requirements for allowing a convicted accused to regain standing and to avail of the remedies under the Rules of Court have not been complied with. There being no motion for reconsideration or notice of appeal filed within the said 15-day period, the Court’s judgment has now become final and executory,” it added.

The Sandiganbayan likewise reiterated its directive for the issuance of a warrant of arrest against Ampatuan for the said cases, which were in connection with bogus school projects in 2009 worth P72 million.