PH Turns ASEAN Knowledge Hub for Energy

ONE ASEAN IN MANILA: Senior Officials on Energy of the ASEAN discussed today (25 September) the progress of implementing the Work Programmes under the ASEAN Plan of Action for Energy Cooperation (APAEC) ‎2016-2025 during the Senior Officials Meeting on Energy Preparatory Meeting signaling the kick-off of the 35th ASEAN Ministers on Energy Meeting (AMEM35). Standing together for the solidarity pose are the ASEAN Senior Officials and ASEAN sub-network group representatives: (L-R) Permanent Secretary Dr. Daovong Phonekeo (Lao PDR); Deputy Secretary General Malek, Badriyah, Ab (Malaysia); Managing Director Oo, Myo, Myint (Myanmar); DOE Director Patrick T. Aquino (Philippines); Deputy Permanent Secretary of Energy Srichuai, Thammayot (Thailand); Deputy Director Nguyen Phuong Mai (Viet Nam); DOE Undersecretary Jesus Cristino Posadas (Chair); Director Goh, Jonathan, Kok Chye (Singapore/Vice-Chair); Special Duties Officer Abdul Hakeem Haji Basir (Brunei Darussalam); Director General Victor Jona (Cambodia); Director Alihuddin Sitompul (Indonesia); Megasari Widyaty (ASEAN Secretariat); Executive Director Sanjayan Velautham (ACE); Secretary-in-Charge Ibrahim, Syaiful, Bakhri (HAPUA); and Chuchinda, Nopporn (ASCOPE).

The Philippines turns into the ASEAN knowledge hub for energy this week as the Department of Energy (DOE) plays host to several energy meetings and an exhibition on power and electricity.

The 35th ASEAN Ministers of Energy Meeting (AMEM35) & Associated Meetings will be held at the Conrad Hotel Manila from Sept. 25 to 29 under the theme, “One ASEAN Community Through Resilient and Sustainable Energy”. The event is in line with ASEAN's goal of boosting the region’s gross domestic product from an average of 4 percent to more than 6 percent.

AMEM35 consists of three meetings, namely the ASEAN Ministers of Energy Meetings, the Senior Officials Meeting on Energy, and the ASEAN Center for Energy for technical support consultations and dialogue. The topics of the meetings are the ASEAN Power Grid, Trans ASEAN Gas Pipeline, Coal and Clean Coal Technology, Energy Efficiency and Conservation, Renewable Energy, Regional Energy and Planning, and Civilian Nuclear Energy.

Coinciding with the AMEM35 meetings are the ASEAN Energy Business Forum (AEBF) and the Powertrends International Exhibition on Sept. 27-29 at the SMX Convention Center in Manila.

The AEBF, which is co-organized by the ASEAN Centre for Energy and Leverage International (Consultants) Inc., is a government-private sector forum for gathering inputs that are useful for policy-making.

Day 1 of the AEBF will focus on Global Developments that impact on Energy and Electricity; Regional Connectivity; and Renewable Energy: Technological Advances, Sharing of Experiences and Initiatives for RE Advancement.

For Day 2, the forum will be on Coal’s Contribution to Regional Security, Civilian Nuclear Energy in ASEAN, Energy Resiliency in the Era of Digital Technology, and NatGas/LNG.

Day 3 will be on business opportunities in ASEAN.

Meanwhile, the 12th Powertrends International Exhibition incorporates Energy Expo 2017 and Electech/Lightech 2017. The exhibition covers the whole range of products for energy, power and electricity.

Free technical sessions for trade visitors are scheduled every 30 minutes during the three-day exhibition. These will include Economics on Water Pumping Application, SUVPR Hybrid Solar Power System by BIT Computer (Brunei Darussalam), Drones for Energy by AERO 360, Mobil Lubrication Solutions for Energy Sector by MOBIL, Opportunities and Challenges in ASEAN Energy by S&P Global Platts, d.light PAYGO: An Innovative Solution to Rural Power Access by Power 4 All, New Energy Storage by Lim Solar, Solevolt: Viable Alternative to Conventional Generator Sets by Power 4 All, and New Hydrogen Generation by Lim Solar.

The Netherlands booth will feature renewable energy technologies. A Bavarian pavilion will feature solar and other clean energy solutions. Other exhibitors will come from Europe, United States, China and the Philippines.

DOE Secretary Alfonso Cusi will preside over the official joint opening of the AMEM35, the AEBF and the Powertrends Exhibition. The conference proper will be opened by Dr. Sanjayan Velautham, Executive Director of the ASEAN Centre for Energy.

Unwritten Contract to Hate and Destroy

When I started out as a blogger, a PR agency for one of the top telcos recruited me to write and share news and info about them. But they also encouraged me to write the negative stuff about the telcos biggest competitor. In exchange, they gave me perks like new smartphones or loads.

Though they just wanted me to share what I already have in mind... meaning my real experience, still the thought of getting hired because they wanted me to be vocal about my hate towards the other telco, kinda irked me to believe that many other brands have the same budget to do the same towards their competitors.

Instead of just promoting their edge and offering promos, some brands allocate resources to discredit their competitors. Regardless if what they expose is true or not, these brands are not really admirable. I don't need to explain why.

My unwritten contract with the brand ended when I got involved in an issue raised by erring bloggers whose greed tried to consume decency. This PR agency did not want their client's reputation to be tainted, so they stopped working with me without giving any notice. Needless to say, they just wanted me during my best times.

With the proliferation of news sites aimed to specifically campaign for certain individuals or groups, we could no longer distinguish if the news shared on our social media timeline is still true. When even journalists make mistakes, we start to doubt our capacity to discern a fake from the real credible ones. When even the supposedly credible ones are being accused of spreading fake news, we again could not help but feel frustrated of what is happening to our country.

But many would argue that they simply made the bitter coffee sweeter by adding milk, cream or sugar. But in reality, they opened up a coffee shop where they could add in all kinds of stuff in our coffee.

The real essence of coffee disappears when a big percentage goes to the other stuff.

Kahit gaano karaming good deeds tayong nagawa, haters would always point out what they perceive as our shortcomings. Gagawa pa sila ng thread exclusive for us. Then magtatawag ng kakampi, and kapag wala ng maibato dahil na-prove natin na mali accusations nila against us, hahalungkatin nila even our past issues. Ganyan sila ka-desperate to bring us down.

We are ready to face anybody who would dare talk dirty about us. We are not afraid to expose the many deplorable activities we've personally witnessed within the blogging community.

We have nothing to fear when we are on the side of truth. We are at peace with ourselves because we do not hide behind a masquerade of falsehood. Mas ginaganahan kaming magsulat whenever we are challenged.

Please Define "Top" Without Blinking

The number of views do not define a great blog. Most of the time, those figures came from click-bait and refurbished viral or trending content.

There's a site using ASEAN as part of its domain name (but is it any way involved with the association?) and is sharing news about "top" blog sites but are only basing the recognition based on the views or site traffic.

Mocha gets a lot of views on her page but it doesn't mean she is among the "top" bloggers.

Duterte had 16 million votes, but he is definitely not a "top" personality.

Miriam Defensor-Santiago was "tough" but she was totally not among the "top" senators on my list because of her intermittent behavior.

Satire and fake news sites get more views, comments, shares and likes compared to the more credible sites. The trolls gobble up everything and spreads them like an infectious disease.

Go figure why!

If we wanted to get more views, we could have exerted effort to do the same strategies. But why follow the mob, when we are already doing well just with our little numbers alone.

There are smarter people out there who do their homework and has a better definition of "top"

There are just so many who follow the same old formula just to get the much sought after views even if it means dumbing the masses with their junk content.

I'm not saying all of the blogs on the list are not worthy, but there are better blogs that deserve a higher ranking (including those already on the said list) not because of their views but because of their content.

I used to write for an online publication, and all their concern is to increase their numbers however and whatever strategies to employ just to get them.

Ang akala ko noon everyone is just busy promoting themselves, but when I got into media, that includes blogging, I found out that many are also busy destroying others, especially their competitors. Nakakahiya na yun pang top at senior ang pasimuno sa siraan. They will do everything to maintain their standing even if it means fabricating or exaggerating issues against others.

Dirty deeds never go unpunished. Karma is real!

We also know that the more significant stuff are boring compared to the showbiz or controversial issues. Still, we believe our readers deserve better content than just the hyped "entertainment" that's too crappy to be included among the top blogs in the country.