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www.businessweekmindanao.com VOL. 2, No. 255
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March 18, 2013
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Expect long brownouts as NPC saves power for May polls By Malu Cadelina-Manar of MindaNews.com
KIDAPAWAN City––The long brownouts experienced in parts of Mindanao since early March are reportedly meant to conserve energy for the May 13 polls, an official of the National Power Corp. said. Omar Pacilan, spokesperson
for the NPC-Power Sector Assets Liabilities and Management (PSALM), said the directive to ensure the region has stable power supply for one week starting May 12 came from the Commission on Elections and the Department of Energy. In an interview over radio station DXND, Pacilan said that one of the measures they have
adopted to conserve power is to curtail the load assigned to power distribution firms, including the Cotabato Electric Cooperative (Cotelco). Cotelco is serving some 98,000 power consumers in North Cotabato. Since March, Cotelco has been told to maintain nine megawatts daily, which is “way, way below”
the power needed to supply the whole area of coverage of the cooperative, according to its spokesperson, Vicente Baguio. During peak hours, the demand for power in North Cotabato reaches 28 to 32 MW, Baguio said. “This is the reason why we in North Cotabato are again experiencing long brownouts daily,” he stressed.
‘RH’ starts on Easter Sunday AFTER HEALTH DEPARTMENT SIGNS RULES
By RUEL V. PELONE Managing editor
AFTER more than 10 years of waiting, the controversial Reproductive Health care program of the government will finally be fully implemented beginning on Easter Sunday [March 31] after the health department approved its implementing rules and regulations (IRR) Friday. see starts, p.10
Citing data from the NPCPSALM, Pacilan said the total daily power demand for Mindanao, especially during peak hours, ranges from 1,150 MW to 1,200MW. “But because the NPC-PSALM is mandated to conserve power for the May 2013 polls, the generation capacity of our power see expect, p.10
PrimeNews
Outrage swells over poor UP student’s suicide By MARILOU AGUIRRE-TUBURAN of DavaoToday.com
DAVAO City––It is a day of grief for the whole University of the Philippines (UP) community and revealing of the current state of education in the country. Friday’s suicide of a 16-year old first year student of Behavioral Science in UP-Manila sparked an outrage from professors, students in all UP campuses and various groups as well. A system-wide candle lighting was held Friday afternoon at the UP Baguio, UP Diliman, UP Manila, UP Cebu and UP Mindanao. The victim was under financial constraints following her leave of absence (LOA), said the Manila see suicide, p.10
Coast Guard rescues 60 passengers, crew ZAMBOANGA City––The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) rescued Friday a wooden-hulled ferry in distress with 60 people, including crewmen, somewhere between Basilan and Sulu provinces. Lieutenant Commander Jomark Angue, spokesman BLOCKING TEAM. Members of the Butuan City Public Safety Company conducts of the PCG South-Western checkpoint at a road junction leading to Barangay Bonbon where an encounter with the Mindanao District comNew People’s Army took place on March 14, 2013. MindaNews photo by Erwin Mascarinas mand, said the ferry, M/L
Ia-nah, and its passengers were rescued around 12 noon Friday while drifting at sea between the two provinces. Angue said that M/L Ia-nah was sailing from this city towards Tandubas town in Tawi-Tawi when its engine conked out. He said the vessel left Zamboanga at 5 p.m. see rescues, p.10
Cynthia Villar vows to help empower women TEAM PNoy senatorial candidate Cynthia Villar assured to help empower Filipino women because 50 percent of our population are women and more than 50 percent of our Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) are also women. Speaking in yesterday’s celebration of the Women’s Month in Pampanga, Villar also divulged that 95 percent of the OFWs who were provided assistance by the Villar Foundation’s
Sagip-OFW were women. Villar, known as “Misis Hanep Buhay,” is the managing director of the Villar Foundation, which has been helping our OFWs from different countries in the past 20 years. Some of these OFWs, Villar said, were maltreated by their employers, and worse, sexually abused and raped. Because of this, Villar vowed she would not stop helping women and empowering them to become
productive members of the society. She remains thankful to Pampanga Gov. Lilia Pineda and other local officials for inviting her to the momentous event to recognize the important role being played by women. “The women is the sector closest to my heart being a woman and a public servant,” stressed Villar. She said it is always a pleasure for her to interact and see Women, p.10
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