Aquino inaugurates 100-MW Coal-Fired Power Plant in Cebu
NAGA CITY, Cebu: President Benigno S. Aquino III will inaugurate a 100-megawatt power plant during his visit to this province on Monday (June 27).
Joining the President for the inaugural of the Korean Electric Power Corporation’s (KEPCO) Cebu Coal Fired Power Plant will be Energy Secretary Jose Almendras, Cebu Governor Gwendolyn Garcia and KEPCO officials led by its president Ssang Su Kim.
The power plant, which is located in Barangay Colon here, uses clean coal technology and is expected to provide 11.24 percent of the Visayas Grid’s power requirements.
It is equipped with Circulation Fluidized Bed Combustion (CFBC) technology which is intended to reduce generated greenhouse emissions while offering cost savings in its operation.
Cebu officials lauded KEPCO for its energy project saying it would address the power requirements of the region as they asked the power company to construct more power plants in the area.
Cebu Provincial Board (PB) members Thaddeus Sybico and Alex Binghay of the fifth and third districts of Cebu respectively, have openly expressed their desire for KEPCO “build more electricity generation facilities in Cebu Province.”
Sybico and Binghay pointed to Danao (5th District) and Balamban (3rdDistrict) as potential sites for power generation plants of the Korean Electric Power Corporation.
Governor Garcia, meanwhile, said KEPCO’s plant here will ensure the growth and sustainability of business and industries in Cebu and encourage more investments in the province. (PCOO)
Ochoa: Adequate operational support for gov't forces underway
The Aquino administration is committed to reforming the armed forces and bringing in adequate operational support to government troops to help the military carry out its missions.
"We all want the best for our country and want to help our people weather whatever storms that come their way. Today we have a Commander-in-Chief who is committed to providing you the support you need to allow you to perform your duties to the best of your abilities," Executive Secretary Paquito N. Ochoa Jr. said at the conclusion of the Air Power Symposium of the Philippine Air Force (PAF) in the Mall of Asia on Friday.
The reforms, Ochoa said, are part of the 16-Point Agenda of President Benigno Aquino III envisioned to re-energize and transform a demoralized but dedicated military, police and civil servants to professional and motivated bureaucracies equipped with means to perform their public service missions.
The Executive Secretary lamented the plight of the PAF, which is the most dependent on equipment among the services under the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP).
"It goes without saying that our pilots are some of the best in the world, whether they fly for the country or for a commercial airline. But no matter how great our pilots are, their capabilities can only be exploited if they have the equipment that can do them justice," Ochoa pointed out.
He stressed that the President is aware of the need to upgrade the equipment and capabilities of the armed forces, noting that one of the priority bills the Palace is pushing is a legislation that would extend the life of the AFP modernization program until 2025 to enable the military develop and put in place capabilities that can address threats to national security.
Part of this proposed measure authorizes the Department of National Defense (DND) and the AFP to forge contracts of sale, lease and joint venture involving real properties owned by the armed forces or pursue public-private partnerships in order to raise funds for the modernization program.
As chair of the Cabinet cluster on security, justice and peace, Ochoa said, he is committed to realizing and implementing the programs and reforms laid down by the President.
The Executive Secretary cited military reforms which have been instituted by the administration, among them the comprehensive review of the financial management systems within the AFP to ensure the full implementation of the defense program and that funds earmarked for this purpose are spent judiciously.
Other reforms include the Aquino administration's appropriation of P4.2 billion to build 20,000 houses for low-salaried members of the AFP and Philippine National Police, and the increase in the combat duty pay and incentive pay for officers and enlisted personnel engaged in combat operations. (PCOO)
Aquino to convene LEDAC next month
President Benigno S. Aquino III will convene the Legislative Executive Development Advisory Council (LEDAC) next month where they will be discussing updates on the pending proposed legislative measures and the presentation of the Philippine Development Plan.
In a radio interview over government-run radio station dzRB Radyo ng Bayan Presidential Deputy Spokesperson Abigail Valte said that part of the agenda in the second LEDAC meeting on July 12 are the updates on the common legislative agenda and the master plan for the country’s development efforts.
“Sa akin pong pagkakaalam ay magkakaroon po ng update doon sa common legislative agenda noong mga miyembro po ng LEDAC at magkakaroon po ng presentation nung Philippine Development Plan,” Valte said.
At present, Valte said, there will be no additional proposed measures to the 19 pending bills but the council will discuss the updates on those submitted during the first LEDAC meeting held last February 27 this year.
During the first LEDAC meeting, the Chief Executive presented 22 priority bills to the members of Congress.
Among the priority bills passed by Congress since the first LEDAC meeting include the postponement of elections in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM), the Government-Owned and Controlled Corporations Act of 2011, the extension of the Electric Power Industry Reform Act (Epira) and the removal of the prohibition on night work for women. (PCOO)
Malacanang says government ready to provide assistance to Filipino Pulitzer Prize awardee
Malacanang said the Aquino government is ready to extend all necessary assistance to the Filipino Pulitzer Prize winner who admitted that he is an undocumented resident in the United States.
In an interview over government-run radio station dzRB Radyo ng Bayan on Sunday, Presidential Deputy Spokesperson Abigail Valte said that the Philippine Consulate in the United States is willing to extend help to Jose Antonio Vargas if he will ask for it after exposing himself as an undocumented alien in the US.
Valte added that the Department of Foreign Affairs has not yet received any request for assistance from Vargas.
“Upon hearing of this, I coordinated with the DFA, ang sabi po nila ay wala pa po silang nare-receive na request for assistance mula po kay G. Jose Vargas… gayun pa man, handa po tumulong yung ating mga kasama doon sa konsulado natin sa Amerika, kahit sino po namang Pilipino ang humingi ng tulong handa po tayo magbigay ng assistance,” Valte said.
Vargas shared a Pulitzer Prize — a prestigious American journalism award — with colleagues at the Washington Post for covering the 2007 Virginia Tech massacre, the deadliest shooting incident by a single gunman in U.S. history.
Vargas, 30, revealed in a 4,300-word article published in The New York Times magazine on Wednesday that he is an illegal immigrant and has been hiding it for nearly 20 years.
He said he was speaking out now in a bid to drum up support for the DREAM Act, a bill which would provide young immigrant students with the possibility of gaining US citizenship.
He also tells his story in a video “Define American: Jose's Story” posted on YouTube.
Vargas, originally from the Philippines, said his mother put him on a plane for the United States in 1993, when he was 12, to live with his grandparents in the San Francisco area.
He said he discovered he was living in the United States illegally when he attempted to get a driving license at the age of 16 and was told by a clerk to go away because his papers were fake. (PCOO)
NAGA CITY, Cebu: President Benigno S. Aquino III will inaugurate a 100-megawatt power plant during his visit to this province on Monday (June 27).
Joining the President for the inaugural of the Korean Electric Power Corporation’s (KEPCO) Cebu Coal Fired Power Plant will be Energy Secretary Jose Almendras, Cebu Governor Gwendolyn Garcia and KEPCO officials led by its president Ssang Su Kim.
The power plant, which is located in Barangay Colon here, uses clean coal technology and is expected to provide 11.24 percent of the Visayas Grid’s power requirements.
It is equipped with Circulation Fluidized Bed Combustion (CFBC) technology which is intended to reduce generated greenhouse emissions while offering cost savings in its operation.
Cebu officials lauded KEPCO for its energy project saying it would address the power requirements of the region as they asked the power company to construct more power plants in the area.
Cebu Provincial Board (PB) members Thaddeus Sybico and Alex Binghay of the fifth and third districts of Cebu respectively, have openly expressed their desire for KEPCO “build more electricity generation facilities in Cebu Province.”
Sybico and Binghay pointed to Danao (5th District) and Balamban (3rdDistrict) as potential sites for power generation plants of the Korean Electric Power Corporation.
Governor Garcia, meanwhile, said KEPCO’s plant here will ensure the growth and sustainability of business and industries in Cebu and encourage more investments in the province. (PCOO)
Ochoa: Adequate operational support for gov't forces underway
The Aquino administration is committed to reforming the armed forces and bringing in adequate operational support to government troops to help the military carry out its missions.
"We all want the best for our country and want to help our people weather whatever storms that come their way. Today we have a Commander-in-Chief who is committed to providing you the support you need to allow you to perform your duties to the best of your abilities," Executive Secretary Paquito N. Ochoa Jr. said at the conclusion of the Air Power Symposium of the Philippine Air Force (PAF) in the Mall of Asia on Friday.
The reforms, Ochoa said, are part of the 16-Point Agenda of President Benigno Aquino III envisioned to re-energize and transform a demoralized but dedicated military, police and civil servants to professional and motivated bureaucracies equipped with means to perform their public service missions.
The Executive Secretary lamented the plight of the PAF, which is the most dependent on equipment among the services under the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP).
"It goes without saying that our pilots are some of the best in the world, whether they fly for the country or for a commercial airline. But no matter how great our pilots are, their capabilities can only be exploited if they have the equipment that can do them justice," Ochoa pointed out.
He stressed that the President is aware of the need to upgrade the equipment and capabilities of the armed forces, noting that one of the priority bills the Palace is pushing is a legislation that would extend the life of the AFP modernization program until 2025 to enable the military develop and put in place capabilities that can address threats to national security.
Part of this proposed measure authorizes the Department of National Defense (DND) and the AFP to forge contracts of sale, lease and joint venture involving real properties owned by the armed forces or pursue public-private partnerships in order to raise funds for the modernization program.
As chair of the Cabinet cluster on security, justice and peace, Ochoa said, he is committed to realizing and implementing the programs and reforms laid down by the President.
The Executive Secretary cited military reforms which have been instituted by the administration, among them the comprehensive review of the financial management systems within the AFP to ensure the full implementation of the defense program and that funds earmarked for this purpose are spent judiciously.
Other reforms include the Aquino administration's appropriation of P4.2 billion to build 20,000 houses for low-salaried members of the AFP and Philippine National Police, and the increase in the combat duty pay and incentive pay for officers and enlisted personnel engaged in combat operations. (PCOO)
Aquino to convene LEDAC next month
President Benigno S. Aquino III will convene the Legislative Executive Development Advisory Council (LEDAC) next month where they will be discussing updates on the pending proposed legislative measures and the presentation of the Philippine Development Plan.
In a radio interview over government-run radio station dzRB Radyo ng Bayan Presidential Deputy Spokesperson Abigail Valte said that part of the agenda in the second LEDAC meeting on July 12 are the updates on the common legislative agenda and the master plan for the country’s development efforts.
“Sa akin pong pagkakaalam ay magkakaroon po ng update doon sa common legislative agenda noong mga miyembro po ng LEDAC at magkakaroon po ng presentation nung Philippine Development Plan,” Valte said.
At present, Valte said, there will be no additional proposed measures to the 19 pending bills but the council will discuss the updates on those submitted during the first LEDAC meeting held last February 27 this year.
During the first LEDAC meeting, the Chief Executive presented 22 priority bills to the members of Congress.
Among the priority bills passed by Congress since the first LEDAC meeting include the postponement of elections in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM), the Government-Owned and Controlled Corporations Act of 2011, the extension of the Electric Power Industry Reform Act (Epira) and the removal of the prohibition on night work for women. (PCOO)
Malacanang says government ready to provide assistance to Filipino Pulitzer Prize awardee
Malacanang said the Aquino government is ready to extend all necessary assistance to the Filipino Pulitzer Prize winner who admitted that he is an undocumented resident in the United States.
In an interview over government-run radio station dzRB Radyo ng Bayan on Sunday, Presidential Deputy Spokesperson Abigail Valte said that the Philippine Consulate in the United States is willing to extend help to Jose Antonio Vargas if he will ask for it after exposing himself as an undocumented alien in the US.
Valte added that the Department of Foreign Affairs has not yet received any request for assistance from Vargas.
“Upon hearing of this, I coordinated with the DFA, ang sabi po nila ay wala pa po silang nare-receive na request for assistance mula po kay G. Jose Vargas… gayun pa man, handa po tumulong yung ating mga kasama doon sa konsulado natin sa Amerika, kahit sino po namang Pilipino ang humingi ng tulong handa po tayo magbigay ng assistance,” Valte said.
Vargas shared a Pulitzer Prize — a prestigious American journalism award — with colleagues at the Washington Post for covering the 2007 Virginia Tech massacre, the deadliest shooting incident by a single gunman in U.S. history.
Vargas, 30, revealed in a 4,300-word article published in The New York Times magazine on Wednesday that he is an illegal immigrant and has been hiding it for nearly 20 years.
He said he was speaking out now in a bid to drum up support for the DREAM Act, a bill which would provide young immigrant students with the possibility of gaining US citizenship.
He also tells his story in a video “Define American: Jose's Story” posted on YouTube.
Vargas, originally from the Philippines, said his mother put him on a plane for the United States in 1993, when he was 12, to live with his grandparents in the San Francisco area.
He said he discovered he was living in the United States illegally when he attempted to get a driving license at the age of 16 and was told by a clerk to go away because his papers were fake. (PCOO)
