President Aquino leads launch of 420-megawatt
power plant project
President Benigno S. Aquino III on Thursday led
the ceremonial launch of the 420-megawatt Pagbilao III Power Plant project,
signaling the start of the 37-month construction of the plant in Barangay
Ibabang Polo, Pagbilao, Quezon province.
“This (project) is absolutely necessary to
ensure a steady supply of the power that Filipinos need day in, and day out,
even as we seek to diversify the energy mix by bringing in other power
sources,” President Aquino said in his speech during the event, held in
Fairmont Hotel in Makati City.
The President said that apart from supplying
additional coal power, the construction of the plant would create 2,000 jobs,
which will have a multiplier effect in the community.
“So, to TeaM Energy Corporation and Aboitiz
Power Corporation, thank you for your continuing confidence in the
Philippines,” he said, referring to the Japanese and Filipino companies that
have teamed up to construct the power plant.
President of the Tokyo Electric Power Company
(TEPCO), which is a partner of TeaM Energy, Naomi Hirose said they were
investing in the Philippines due to President Aquino’s good governance, the
country’s Triple “B” credit rating, and economic growth.
“This investment of close to $1 billion will be
equipped with the latest, reliable environmental technologies, such as
state-of-the-art flue gas desulfurizer. This will ensure strict adherence to
the country’s environmental laws and regulations,” Hirose said.
Meanwhile, Aboitiz Power Corporation Chief
Executive Officer Erramon Aboitiz said his company initiated the project
because it believes that “the Electric Power Industry Reform Act (EPIRA) is
working.”
The EPIRA Law or RA 9136 is designed to reduce
electricity rates and improve the delivery of power supply to end-users by
encouraging greater competition and efficiency in the power industry.
Also present during the launch were Energy
Secretary Jericho Petilla; Aboitiz Equity Ventures Chairman Jon Ramon Aboitiz;
Vice Chairman of Marubeni Corporation, the other partner of TeaM Energy, Mamoru
Sekiyama; and Fairmont Hotel General Manager David Bachelor. PNA (ag)
President Aquino receives Temasek officials
during courtesy call in Malacañang
President Benigno S. Aquino III received
officials of Temasek, a Singapore-based investment company, during a courtesy
call in Malacañang Palace on Thursday.
The Temasek officials who called on President
Aquino included Temasek International Pte. Ltd. president Then Kiat Lee;
Temasek Foundation chief executive officer Benedict Cheong; managing director
Jeffrey Chua; and director Eddy Jetjiwarat.
Finance Secretary Cesar Purisima and Trade
Secretary Gregory Domingo were also present.
Temasek's portfolio is mainly concentrated in
Asia and Singapore, covering a broad spectrum of industries.
The Temasek Foundation, set up by the company,
is a philanthropic organization that seeks to build a more prosperous, stable
and connected Asia through building human and social capital.
Working with expertise institutions from
Singapore and the region, the foundation supports training programs that build
capabilities in health care, education, public administration and disaster
response, as well as programs that promote positive networks of cooperation
across Asia. PND (as)
Government to prosecute garlic hoarders, Palace
official says
President Benigno S. Aquino III has directed two
Cabinet Secretaries to coordinate with the Department of Justice (DOJ) to build
up cases against those involved in garlic hoarding and price manipulation.
In a press briefing in Malacañang on Thursday,
Presidential Communications Operations Office Secretary Herminio Coloma, Jr.
said the instruction was directed at Agriculture Secretary Proceso Alcala and
Presidential Assistant on Food Security and Agricultural Modernization
Secretary Francis Pangilinan.
“He also instructed (Trade and Industry)
Secretary Gregory Domingo to work closely with the two Secretaries to ensure
faster response to unusual increases in the prices of rice and other
commodities through the National Price Coordinating Council,” said Coloma.
The directives came after Justice Secretary
Leila De Lima and DOJ Assistant Secretary Geronimo Sy briefed the President and
other members of the Cabinet on Wednesday, regarding the result of the probe on
garlic supply and prices conducted by the DOJ and the National Bureau of
Investigation.
“According to Secretary De Lima, the NBI shall
pursue the leads and gather further evidence to prosecute the personalities
involved in garlic hoarding and price manipulation, including officials of the
Department of Agriculture and the Bureau of Plant Industry, who may have been
in collusion with them,” Coloma said. PND (ag)
New MRT 3 coaches to start arriving in September
2015, Palace says
The Palace announced on Thursday that 48 brand
new coaches for MRT 3 will arrive starting September next year to improve the
services of the light railway system.
The delivery of the new coaches will increase
MRT 3’s capacity by 66 percent and improve headway -- the gap between trains--
to 2.5 minutes, Presidential Communications Operations Office Secretary
Herminio Coloma, Jr. told reporters during a press briefing in Malacañang.
He said Transportation and Communications
Secretary Joseph Emilio Abaya informed President Aquino of the delivery of the
coaches during a meeting at the Palace on Wednesday.
Coloma further said that aside from the delivery
of the new coaches, the government will also carry out maintenance and
improvement projects for the light railway system.
These include train overhaul and general repair
of 28 cars amounting to P1.156 billion; upgrade of the power substations and
ancillary systems for P870 million; upgrade of signaling system and computer
software for P184.7 million;
Improvement of radio communication system for
P110 million; replacement of old rail tracks for P119.5 million; replacement of
traction motors for P94.5 million; and upgrade and replacement of elevators and
escalators for the benefit of persons with disability, senior citizens and
pregnant women for P50 million.
The procurement of these equipment and services
are either ongoing or will start next month, Coloma said, noting that most of
the projects will be fully implemented in 2015, according to the Department of
Transportation and Communications.
Abaya also reported on the ongoing selection
process for a new maintenance service provider that will service the light
railway system in the next three years, Coloma added. PND (as)
President Aquino still has confidence in Social
Welfare Secretary Dinky Soliman, Palace official says
President Benigno S. Aquino III still has
confidence in Social Welfare Secretary Dinky Soliman, the Palace said on
Thursday.
“Patuloy ang pagtitiwala ni Pangulong Aquino kay
Secretary Soliman dahil sa kanyang dedikasyon sa tungkulin at kasipagan,”
Presidential Communications Operations Office Secretary Herminio Coloma, Jr.
said during a press briefing in Malacañang.
Coloma was responding to calls for the President
to dismiss Soliman over reports that Family Food Packs meant for survivors of
Typhoon Yolanda had been lost to spoilage due to improper handling.
He noted that the government understands the
frustration felt by the victims of Typhoon Yolanda.
“Unawain lang po natin na libu-libo ang mga
taong apektado at kung mayroong iilan na magpapahayag ng hindi pagiging
kuntento sa mga serbisyo, mauunawaan po natin ‘yan, dahil batid din natin na
malawak at naging malalim ang pinsala at hindi naman nagpapanggap ang
pamahalaan na solusyunan na itong isandaang porsyento,” he said.
He said the status of international donations to
the typhoon victims could be verified at the Foreign Aid Transparency Hub
(FAiTH) website. PND (ag)
President Aquino to ask Congress to allow
government to address power deficit
President Benigno S. Aquino III said Thursday he
will ask Congress to authorize the government to contract an additional power
generating capacity to meet the 300-megawatt power shortage projected for next
year.
“To be more efficient and impactful in our
efforts, very soon, we will formally ask Congress for a joint resolution that
will authorize the national government to contract an additional generating
capacity to address the 300-megawatt projected deficit, on top of that, to have
sufficient regulating reserves equivalent to four percent of peak demand, for
another 300 megawatts,” the President said during the launch of the
420-megawatt Pagbilao III Power Plant project in Fairmont Hotel in Makati City.
The ceremonial launch signaled the start of the
37-month construction of the plant in Barangay Ibabang Polo, Pagbilao, Quezon
province.
In his speech, the President said his
administration has always underscored the importance of reforms in the energy
sector.
He noted that growing demand, brought about by
the country’s economic resurgence and changes in personal lifestyle, is only
one of the challenges faced by the energy sector.
“Forced power plant outages have been observed
to rise, especially in the summer months, coinciding with the periods of peak
demand. This situation results in quite thin reserves, particularly in Luzon,”
he said, adding that these outages are the result of ambient temperatures on
the operation of thermal plants; low water supply for hydropower plants; and
turbine and part issues of other power plants.
“And there are the many other factors that
affect our power supply adversely: weather phenomena such as El Niño and the
typhoons that visit our country every year; the de-rating of plants due to
unforeseen problems; and delays in the construction of power plants; and
various legal challenges to the setting up these power plants are also part of
the problem mix,” he said.
He further said that many power plants are still
running beyond their maximum age.
The President however assured that the
government is on top of the situation.
“We are keeping tabs on all the factors
involved, and I am very much aware that government cannot be complacent in
addressing these issues,” he said, adding that the Department of Energy has
intensified its coordination and consultation with consumers, industry
stakeholders, and other agencies in trying to find solutions.
The President also guaranteed that the
government would not interfere in the current provisions that allow
competitiveness in the electricity sector under the Electric Power Industry
Reform Act (EPIRA).
“Government intervention will be focused solely
on addressing the projected shortage. We have no plans of intervening to
distort the market or complicate the situation even further,” he said.
Under the EPIRA or RA 9136, the government encourages
competition among power suppliers to reduce electricity rates and improve the
delivery of power supply to end-users.
During Thursday’s press briefing in Malacañang,
Presidential Communications Operations Office Secretary Herminio Coloma, Jr.
said the joint resolution is only one of the government’s options in addressing
the possible electricity shortage.
“Hindi naman nagfo-focus lamang doon sa sinabi
ng Pangulo na hinihiling sa Kongreso at ito naman ay para bang naniniguro lang
na meron tayong pampupuno doon sa maaaring kakulangan dahil hindi naman kagyat
ito,” Coloma said, adding that the Department of Energy will also continue to
solicit participation in the Interruptible Load Program. PND (ag)
Philippines supports U.S. strategy against Islamic
State, Palace says
Malacañang said it supports the United States'
newly announced strategy to defeat the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS).
During Thursday’s press briefing at the Palace,
Presidential Communications Operations Office Secretary Herminio Coloma, Jr.
said the Philippines is behind US President Barack Obama's plan to fight
terror.
"In principle lang po," he told
reporters about the nature of the country's support. "Iyong posisyon kasi
ng Pilipinas ay ‘yung paglaban din sa mga acts of terror, saan man ito
magaganap."
He cited as an example the September 11 attack
in the US 13 years ago, which was condemned by many countries across the world.
"Kaya’t ang tinutukoy na acts of terror ay
kinokondena hindi lamang ng Estados Unidos pero ng Pilipinas at ng lahat ng mga
bansang pinapahalagahan ang buhay at ang katahimikan at kaayusan sa ating bansa
at sa daigdig," he said.
Obama on September 10 outlined his strategy to
destroy the ISIS through a systematic campaign of air strikes and increased
support for allied ground forces fighting the militants.
Prior to Obama's announcement, he rallied the
support of other allies, especially those from European countries to work
together in annihilating ISIS.
US officials are also working to forge a strong
alliance with Mideast countries to defeat the terror organization. PND (as)
