DOE: Reliable Power Supply Ensures Sustained Economic Growth

Wazzup Pilipinas!

With the current power supply situation, the Department of Energy (DOE) is looking for mechanisms to ensure the adequacy, availability and stability of electricity necessary to sustain the country's economic growth.

The recent spate of Yellow Alert Status declaration by the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) prompted the DOE to assess whether there are enough measures or standards for power generation companies to ensure their power plants are always in good condition and are able to meet their obligations to their respective customers. It has been observed that the lack of power supply or thinning power reserves for the past days have been due to the forced outages of various generating plants in Luzon.

Energy Secretary Alfonso G. Cusi said “We are keen on improving the power supply situation in the country. We will strengthen the policies and programs and we will work with the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) to ensure that all standards are enforced to ascertain reliable, stable and reasonably priced electricity, because we cannot let the people suffer from power interruptions.”

Mechanisms that are being studied by the DOE include looking into the provision of replacement power for contracted capacities and the creation of technical audit teams to assess the operations and contracts of generation companies and distribution utilities as well as strengthening the promotion of energy investments to augment the supply of electricity in the country.

Today (04 August), the power supply situation in Luzon was placed again in Yellow Alert Status following the forced/unplanned outage of various plants totaling to 1,297 megawatts (MW), including the 50MW Angat Main Hydropower Plant Unit 4, the 180 MW Kalayaan Hydroelectric Power Plant U1, the Makban Geothermal Power Plant U1 and U10 with a combined capacity of 83 MW, the 60 MW Limay Cogeneration Plant Block 5, the 382 MW Pagbilao Coal-Fired Power Plant U2, the 122 MW South Luzon Thermal Energy Corp. Coal-Fired Power Plant U1, 280 MW Malaya Thermal Power Plant U1 and the 140 MW Southwest Luzon Power Generation Corp. Coal Fired Power Plant U2.

Meanwhile, the power plants on planned maintenance shutdown are the 180 Kalayaan U2, the 265 MW Sta. Rita U2, the 55 MW Bacman Geothermal Power Plant and the 600 MW Ilijan Natural Gas Power Plant Block B.

Based on the 6:00 a.m. advisory of NGCP, Luzon system capacity stood at 9,805 MW, while the system peak demand is projected to reach 9,128 MW at 11 a.m.leaving reserve capacity at 364 MW. Moreover, Visayas and Mindanao grids are operating on normal condition.

The DOE also reiterates its call to the public to judiciously manage energy consumption as this matter is better resolved with everyone’s cooperation.

#DutertePleaseAppointMe Trends After Appointment of Mocha Uson at BOC

Wazzup Pilipinas!

There's a new hashtag trending in Twitter, and even in Facebook, which apparently started after shocking news about Mocha Uson being appointed by President Rodrigo Duterte as Social Medial Consultant at the Bureau i=of Customs (BOC).

However, as per BOC social media account on Twitter, Comm. Nicanor Faeldon has stated that it will not appoint her as consultant but she can write about BOC on her blog.

The information turned out to be false but it did not stop Twitter users from unleashing humor and some hugot using the hashtag ‪#‎DutertePleaseAppoint‬Me

"I will not defend mocha as she can do it her own damn self, but look at how easy it is to rile up people with nothing so much as the stench of meat. Some bit of gratification in the confirmation of "i was right, he's stupid" without confirming first or even after confirming following up on the news beat. This is why the triggered culture is dangerous. Opting for outbursts of opinion rather than dialogue, digging deep into the the toolbox of the old conservatist movements while supposing to espouse liberal values." -Brylle Latorre

"Binawi na ba talaga ang appointment kay Mocha Uson bilang Social Media Consultant ng Bureau of Customs? Balita ko gagawan talaga ng bagong department with 4 attached bureaus - bu for promoting male sexuality, bu for promoting multiple orgasms for women, bu for overcoming lgbt bias, bu for maintaining sexual virility among thunders"

Duterte Wants ROTC Mandatory Again

Wazzup Pilipinas!

"Another mandatory, obligatory, military training? When a "bright idea" is made mandatory and obligatory, 90-99% it is a stupid idea. People have to be coerced, mandated and arm-twisted to obey that "bright idea"."

Reviving the Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC) is not a good idea. We all know that it trains the similar mindset just as what is taught to the military and police - follow orders without thinking or asking, like mindless drones that the government can manipulate or use for their own selfish purposes.

ROTC was a waste of time. Standing under the sun, marching around on dirt, and learning how to hold a wooden rifle is archaic. As much as possible ,a nation should avoid 'militarism' as it will lead to Fascism, which is a suppression by force, thus reducing man into mechanical tool instead of a human being.

Believing this will instill discipline and patriotism among the youth, is the thinking of a madman.

I'm not in favor of it, but I am in favor of a better funded and organized voluntary system that steers young men and women towards a solid reserve system with national guard like periodic training and development would be better, and money spent more efficiently. I'm talking about prioritizing Fitness training + self defense + survival training + first aid + disaster management, and not hours of marching under the sun.

The military and police have been rampantly used against the people. Contrary to what the government tells us, the presence of such forces only provokes other nations to counter by creating more of their own, thus war would always be inevitable if governments continue to raise arms in preparation for possible war or conflict. Only fools would believe that we will be safe if we hoard more military guns, ammunition, machines and reserves. We are only further assuring a greater chance to be annihilated when war suddenly surprises us in the middle of the night.

This is why people fear men in uniform for we will never really know who are genuinely concerned about our welfare and safety, and who are the real protectors and even co-masterminds of all these drug-related activities, robberies, syndicates, etc.

There's now a nationwide purging or cleansing going on. Many are cleaning up their association or links with the people who could easily point them.

We should not let our youth be brainwashed to think that they are obligated to become slaves of the government. Everyone has the right to question the actions of anyone even if he has the highest authority in the land.

We are constantly plagued by governments ran by only a few, which imposes laws selectively and without any public consultation. They just evolve into different forms yet are still the same crooked personalities.