The eMagazine of Philippine Information Agency 10
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 26, 2016
Electric coops to protect end users in any gov’t form
CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY – The Association of Mindanao Rural Electric Cooperatives, Inc. (AMRECO) in partnership with the Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA) will hold the AMRECO Summit 2016 on November 25-26 this year to come up with legislative measures that will ensure that the electricity end users will be protected whatever will be the impact of the shift of government form to the cost of electricity in the country.
With the theme, “Federalism, its impact on Mindanao Electric Cooperatives and its member/ consumers,” the event will serve as the venue for electric cooperatives in Mindanao to discuss with the political leaders the issues at hand, to be able to prepare the systems and processes ensuring Mindanao electric cooperatives can harvest the benefit of federalism through reduction of electricity cost. To ensure that the people in Mindanao can benefit from the present administration, AMRECO President Sergio C. Dagooc said, “We would like to come up with some advocacies maximizing the leadership of a Mindanaoan.” Thus, Dagooc is hopeful that something valuable will be produced from the summit where 34 cooperatives and 700 to 1,000 participants are expected. For his part, Engr. Glen Jay Reston, Mindanao Power Monitoring Committee (MPMC) officer-in-charge, said that one of the concerns of MinDA is really to attract investors so we have to maintain this competitive advantage that we have a cheaper power as compared to Luzon and Visayas. He added that they are advocating for the non-privatization of the government-owned power plant such as the Agus and Pulangui Power Plant Complexes to make sure that the government has the control when it comes to the changes of electricity
rate. Reston said that pursuing the renewable energy will aid in ensuring cheap electricity source since it is not affected by the currency, rate exchange and oil price fluctuation. Hence, the rate will stay the same and as of now, the generation cost of such source per kilowatt hour is less than P1 and it is sold at P2.63 compared to the P5 per KWh rate of the private industries. Furthermore, Dagooc said that their advocacy is centered on Mindanao for the Mindanaoan and “we don’t want that the market in electricity will be governed by the people in Luzon and Visayas.” In fact, on their meeting with MPMC on November 15, Dagooc stressed that one of the agenda is to request that the remaining capacity of the Agus and Pulangui Complexes “should no longer be allocated to the industries; it should be focused to the distribution utilities whether electric cooperatives or private because the distribution utilities are the ones serving the poorest of the poor, which is the target of this administration for the reduction of electricity rate.” The First AMRECO Annual General Membership Assembly and AMRECO Summit 2016 as highlighted by Dagooc, is the perfect occasion for participants to grasp the pulse of Mindanao’s power development plans in the advent of Federalism under the leadership of the new government. (RTP/PIA10)
Educational Assistance for sugar workers’ dependents in Bukidnon given
MALAYBALAY CITY, Bukidnon – The Department of Labor and Employment Bukidnon (DOLE-Bukidnon) announced that Department Order No. 158 has been issued for sugar workers and their dependents to enjoy educational assistance under 9% Socio-Economic Program Related Fund (SEPRF) under its Social Amelioration Program (SAP) effective for School Year 2016-2017 and onwards. DOLE-10 Bukidnon Head Raul Valmores said that the program aims to support the workers and their dependents of the sugarcane industry for college, technical vocational, and skills training courses for themselves or their dependents. “It will cover implementing proponent organizations under Section 10 (b) of RA6982; sugar workers and their dependents whether they are organized or unorganized field or plantation workers, mill workers except managerial employees; and small farm cultivators, marginal sugarcane planters who are agrarian reform beneficiaries and contributing to SAP lien,” Valmores said. Sugarcane workers and their dependents may enjoy either of these two educational assistances: a) College Education Assistance (CEA) – scholarship program provided for the sugar workers and their dependents through provision of capacity building and financial assistance for students who are taking up courses identified in the Human Resource Development
masterplan or as recommended by the Sugar Tripartite Council (STC); and b) Technical Vocational Education and Training Assistance – assistance provided to sugar workers and their dependents to support education or training to general education, the study of technologies and related sciences and the acquisition of practical skills relating to occupations in various sectors of economic life and social life that will be beneficial to the sugarcane industry and contribute to the livelihood and income of the grantee. Accredited Educational Assistance Program (EDAP) partners shall cover all qualified sugar workers, who have rendered at least three months continuous or aggregate service within the current crop year or crop year immediately prior to the availment of grant, and their dependents. “Due to very limited slots allocated per milling district, only one grantee per family can avail at a time of a four or five year college
assistance. However, sugar workers and their families can access technical vocational and skills training courses simultaneously,” Valmores added. DOLE-10 is also pleased to inform the public that the College Educational Assistance shall provide maximum grant assistance of P30,000 per grantee per semester or a maximum of P60,000 per school year, regardless on the number of terms of each year. The grant assistance shall cover payment on any of the following: tuition, laboratory fees, other school fees, uniform/clothing allowance, meal allowance, book allowance, transportation allowance and/or miscellaneous expense. The amount of grant assistance shall be reviewed by the Sugar Tripartite Council every three years. On the other hand, Technical Vocational and Skills Training Program shall provide assistance based on the corresponding Technical Education and Skills Development Authority
(TESDA) rates existing in target areas. In case, courses wherein competency examination is mandatory, at least 50% of the fee shall be subsidized under EDAP. Depending on the nature of the training course, grant assistance may also include provision of starter kits, subsidy allowance for dormitory to accommodate trainee-grantees, and meals and other necessary expenses as required by the training institution during the training period. However, allowance for the Onthe-Job Training shall not be drawn from the EDAP Fund. Interested applicants related to the Sugar Industry in Region X may visit the DOLE-X Bukidnon PFO Office along the Provincial Capitol Compound, Malaybalay City or through telephone number (088) 813-3401. (Jessamie M. Aliño, SAP Project-Based, with additional reporting from Reyna L. Tagailo/DOLE-X/Bukidnon Provincial Field Office)
Camiguin best products, handicrafts ready for the taking in Ugmad
MAMBAJAO, Camiguin – Camiguin kicks-off this year’s grand celebration of the 37th Lanzones Festival on 23 October with the Agro-Industrial Technology Trade Fair dubbed “Ugmad”(to till) as one of its core events.
Ugmad showcases the island’s best agricultural, industries and tourism services at the PPR Tourism and Sports Complex, an annual event organized by the Provincial Government in partnership with Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), local and national government agencies, academe and the private sector. The trade fair is complemented with daily activities, which included the various presentations that highlight tourism, food, local skills and culture of the province through field
demonstrations, technical sessions, indigenous games and dances. DTI said, the activity serves as a venue to promote our micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) especially those with competitive advantage. Camiguin’s Lanzones Festival is an 8-day long ground festival that features tableau of local culture, street dancing, grand parade, street parties and carnival rides as a thanksgiving for the bounty of lanzones in the province. (Zita Maestrado-Abellare, DTI-Camiguin/ PIA-Camiguin i-Net)