.ASEAN Told: PHL On Track With Cheap, Secure Energy Initiatives

Wazzup Pilipinas!

The Duterte Administration is working doubly hard to provide Filipinos affordable, reliable, secure and environmentally friendly power, the Department of Energy (DOE) reported to the ASEAN member nations.

The DOE issued the update when it hosted the 16th Annual Meeting of the Regional Energy Policy and Planning–Sub-Sector Network (REPP-SSN) recently at the Sofitel Hotel in Pasay City.

The event served as the Third Sub-Sector Network meeting by the DOE in line with the country’s hosting of the last ASEAN Forum.

The other two conferences were the Civilian Nuclear Energy (CNE) held last 19 April and the Energy Efficiency and Conservation (EE&C) held last 5 May.

DOE Undersecretary Jesus Posadas in the meeting said that the DOE under Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi has taken decisive steps in line with the Duterte Administration’s energy objectives and directions for the years 2016 to 2030.

Designated in the DOE as the Senior Official on Energy, Posadas said the thrust is to “ensure energy supply security, improve access to adequate and affordable energy products and services and working towards a low carbon future.”

The Philippines emphasized to the other ASEAN Member Countries the need for regional energy cooperation.

“We will improve the reliability, availability and resiliency of energy infrastructures and facilities, promote technology innovation through research, development, demonstration, deployment and encourage investments in infrastructure development,” said Posadas.

“The DOE will facilitate the build-up of an appropriate portfolio of installed and dependable energy capacities, anchored on a technology-neutral policy, especially for the power sector, for base load, mid-merit and peaking requirements to support our growing economy,” he added.

The 16th REPP-SSN meeting primarily tackled program updates in the ASEAN Plan of Action for Energy Cooperation (APAEC) which are the ASEAN Power Grid, Trans-ASEAN Gas Pipeline, Coal and Clean Coal Technology, Energy Efficiency and Conservation, Renewable Energy, Regional Energy Policy and Planning and Civilian Nuclear Energy.

Those in attendance were updated on the status of energy-related engagements of ASEAN with various dialogue partners and international organizations.

The meeting output which includes refinements to current APAEC program areas and the REPP-SSN’s work program will be presented during the Senior Officials on Energy Meeting (SOME) in July 2017.

Currently chaired by Singapore, the REPP-SSN serves as the venue for monitoring the deliverables under the APAEC. It is also a place for countries to offer suggestions to address energy challenges for the region.

Moreover, the APAEC is the blueprint for better cooperation towards enhancing energy security, accessibility, affordability and sustainability under the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) framework.

DOE Overseeing Full Restoration of Power in Marawi City

Wazzup Pilipinas!

The Department of Energy (DOE) in coordination with the various generation, transmission and electricity distribution players in Mindanao, is trying to bring back power in some critical parts of Marawi City still affected by the ongoing fighting in the area.

The DOE’s Inter-Agency Task Force on Securing Energy Facilities (IATFSEF) reported that, as of 12:00 noon Wednesday, Marawi City remains 45% energized with power restored in some major establishments last June 10.

Among the establishments and areas where power has already been restored are the Provincial Capitol, Amai Pakpak Medical Center, Brigade-Campo Ranao-AFP Camp, Barangay Saber and part of Barangay Matampay.

With proper coordination with the AFP and PNP forcers, technical line personnel are en route to restore power in other vital installations in the affected areas.

On the distribution side, the Lanao del Sur Electric Cooperative, Inc. (LASURECO) said that the current power supply for Lanao del Sur is zero percent in the 1st district covering 15 municipalities, and 100% in the 2nd District with 16 municipalities.

For the Mindanao generation facilities, the National Power Corp. reported that the Agus-Pulangi Hydroelectric Complexes are in normal operation, according to a report by the DOE’s IATSEF.

Water elevation at Lake Lanao as of 8:00 a.m. stood at 701.210 meters above sea level, while water release is at 160 meters per second, the Task Force said.

The Marawi Lake Regulating Dam (MLRD) gates opening has been maintained at 1.60 in view of the fact that changes entail hazards from sniper fire.

Based on the current report, thr transmission system is operating under normal conditions.

Twitter, Globe, and Smart to Provide Daily Entertainment Updates to over 120 Million Mobile Phone Subscribers in PH

Wazzup Pilipinas!

It may not be the first time I've seen the two telcos (Globe and Smart) together in one project, but it is still very rare. I have to commend them for being able to have them show up for a photo ops to support this latest innovation from one of the most widely used, if not top, social media network in the country.

Twitter just launched Twitter Lite in the Philippines. This is the third country in Southeast Asia that they launched the app which is a smaller version of the well-loved Twitter. The aim here is to provide consumers access to a similar Twitter application but requiring smaller file size and faster loading times that would save us from longer data or Internet connection on our mobile phones. Globe and Smart will be providing entertainment content and updates through Twitter that could now easily be accessed by consumers..

Just recently I attended another project having the equal presence of Globe and Smart. It is the launch of the EDSA MRT Wi-Fi which allows us to access the Internet along the lengthy track of the Metro Rail Transit (MRT) along EDSA, and though it has not been fully implemented yet as of this writing, this project, along with the ongoing Juan Konek project of the government (which aims to place free Wi-Fi Internet connections on all public places all over the country), would definitely increase the usage of social media networks including Twitter.

Still, the free Internet connection is not unlimited for a long time since the two telcos are planning to have it for free only on the first 30 minutes as soon as all systems are stable and have been tested having acceptable standards. They will soon be charging rates so you would need to top up or load up.

Twitter Lite will provide faster, data-friendly, and more accessible mobile web experience for Filipinos to stay updated on what’s happening in the Philippines and around the world. Users can enable data saver mode on Twitter Lite to enjoy real-time Entertainment content in an affordable manner at any time and reduce their data usage by up to 70%. In this mode, users will see a preview of images and videos before choosing which ones to fully load.

I've had a great opportunity to video interview two executives form Twitter Southeast Asia namely Tina Pang (Head of Sales) and Dwi Adriansah (Head of Business Development). It will be uploaded soon on Wazzup Pilipinas social media networks including Twitter.