Government taking a proactive stand on impending
power shortage, Palace says
The government is taking a proactive stand in
anticipating an impending power shortage in the summer of 2015, Presidential
Communications Operations Office Secretary Herminio Coloma, Jr. said on
Tuesday.
“The Department of Energy (DOE) anticipates that
between March and May of 2015, there could be a possible shortfall of 200
megawatts. On account of which, Secretary Jericho Petilla is proposing an
additional capacity of 200 to 300 (megawatts), making a total of 400 to 500
megawatts in new capacity in Luzon and parts of the Visayas,” Coloma said
during a press briefing.
Energy Secretary Petilla is proposing that
President Benigno S. Aquino III be given emergency powers to address the
impending shortage in power supply.
“Ang nililinaw niya (Petilla) ay nagiging
proactive lamang siya at ang Department of Energy sa paghahain ng impormasyon
na maaaring magkaroon ng shortfall sa summer months na even for a brief period
ay hindi ito dapat magdulot ng ligalig sa ating mga mamamayan,” Coloma
explained.
Under the existing Electric Power Industry
Reform Act (EPIRA) or Republic Act No. 9136, the private sector has the primary
responsibility for providing new generation capacity, and the government may
step in only if there is an emergency.
“Hence, he (Petilla) says, there is a need for
the government to study at this point whether this course of action is
warranted way ahead of the projected time of shortfall,” Coloma said.
The Communications Secretary attributed the
impending power shortage to “dynamic” factors, such as an increase in demand
for electricity due to economic growth, as well as the “unscheduled breakdowns”
of old power plants.
He also noted that the shortfall might be
incurred despite the construction of several power plants, which will be
operational by the second half of 2015.
Giving the President emergency powers to address
the impending power crisis is just one of the options, Coloma said.
“Kaya naman naipanukala niya (Petilla) na ngayon
pa lang, habang maaga, pag-aralan na ito para masuri kung ano ang iba’t ibang
opsyon,” he added. PND (ag)
Philippine government working hard to repatriate
Filipinos from Libya
The Palace said the government is doing
everything to help overseas Filipinos workers (OFWs) who want to leave Libya
because of the worsening security situation there.
"Ginagawa ng Department of Foreign Affairs
ang lahat ng makakayanan nito. Nagpadala na o nagtalaga na ng rapid response
teams at pinagtutulungan ito ng lahat ng embahada ng Pilipinas sa Gitnang
Silangan," Presidential Communications Operations Office Secretary
Herminio Coloma, Jr. said in a press briefing in Malacañang on Tuesday.
Among the major complaints of OFWs in Libya is
safety during travel, with many fearing being kidnapped or taken hostage.
Coloma said the government recognizes the
concerns of OFWs in Libya, and that is why it is working hard to bring them out
of harm’s way.
Due to the grave security situation there, the
Department of Foreign Affairs has issued Alert Level No. 4, according to
Coloma.
The Palace official said the Philippine
government had faced a similar situation before, when it hired a ship to ferry
Filipino workers from a conflict area in the Middle East.
Embassy officials face mounting challenges in
bringing OFWs from conflict zones because they have to transport them to safe
areas by land, he said, noting that arranging for transportation is very
difficult in danger zones.
The Philippine government is also working with
other governments to evacuate OFWs in Libya, he said.
Coloma said that Philippine embassies normally
have 25 to 30 personnel and they could hardly accommodate the repatriation of
13,000 Filipinos in Libya.
"Kaya humihingi po tayo ng tulong sa iba’t
ibang mga bansa, katulad ng Indonesia na meron ding mga nationals sa mga lugar
na ‘yan, para mabawasan ang panganib sa ating mga mamamayan."
Last week, the United Nations said it was
evacuating its remaining staff from Libya because of the deteriorating security
situation in the country.
The Libyan government has indicated that it is
considering calling for international forces to help re-establish security
after deadly clashes closed Tripoli airport. Attacks have severed air links
with the outside world.
Liberals and Islamist militias have been
fighting for control in Libya since the overthrow of Libyan dictator Muammar
Gaddafi in 2011. PND (as)
President Aquino to tackle social welfare, peace
and security in his State of the Nation Address on Monday
President Benigno S. Aquino III's State of the
Nation Address (SONA) on Monday will focus on what is being done by the
government to improve the condition of Filipinos, a Palace official has said.
"Katulad din po ng dati, nais niyang
malaman at maunawaan ng mga mamamayan kung ano ang mga ginagawa ng kanilang
Pangulo at pamahalaan sa iba’t ibang larangan," Presidential
Communications Operations Office Secretary Herminio Coloma, Jr. said in a press
briefing on Tuesday.
The President's upcoming SONA is in line with
the administration's Philippine Development Plan, he said.
He will tackle such issues as livelihood, social
welfare and social protection, security and peace and order, good governance
and anti-corruption, as well as climate change mitigation and adaptation.
President Aquino will particularly focus on
climate issues because of the devastation caused by Typhoon ‘Yolanda’ and the
earthquake in Bohol and Cebu, Coloma said.
"Kaya’t iyan ang maaaring maging tema ng
nilalaman ng talumpati ng Pangulo na katulad noong mga nakaraang SONA ay
naglalayung ipaalam kay Juan dela Cruz ang mga ginagawa ng pamahalaan para sa
kanyang kapakanan," he added.
As in the past, the President thinks of the
concept of his SONA, does the outline of his speech, and lists the points he
wants to convey to the people, Coloma said. PND (as)
Government might consider proposal for Bataan
Nuclear Power Plant conversion, Palace says
The government will look into proposals to
convert the Bataan Nuclear Power Plant (BNPP) into a natural gas-powered
facility to ease the country's growing demand for energy, Presidential
Communications Operations Office Secretary Herminio Coloma, Jr. said Tuesday.
"Mainam na pag-aralan ang panukalang iyan,
kung ito ay posible at kapaki-pakinabang," Coloma said when asked if the
government is willing to consider a proposal in Congress to convert the
mothballed nuclear plant into a gas-fired plant.
The suggestion to convert the BNPP has been
raised before, he said, adding that there is a need to reassess a previous
study to know if the proposal is viable for the government and interested
investors.
Proponents of the conversion of the BNPP have
said that operating the plant would be easy because the country has natural gas
in Palawan.
Instead of spending P26 million annually on the
plant’s maintenance, the government could convert it to produce 1,800 megawatts
of power, they said.
“Ito ay naimungkahi ng ibang mga private
investors, at dahil sa mga kadahilanang ito ay napapanahon na bigyan ito muli
ng masusing pag-aaral,” Coloma said.
A South Korean firm has also reportedly shown
interest in converting the BNPP into a coal-powered plant. PND (as)
