PEF supports relief efforts in weather-stricken communities

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According to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council Report, the habagat (southwest monsoon), intensified by Typhoon Carina, has affected approximately 1.4 million households in 65 provinces across the country.1 Extensive flooding submerged large areas, with Metro Manila and surrounding provinces experiencing the most severe overflow since Typhoon Ondoy in 2009. 

The extreme weather has also hit the agriculture sector. Over 34,900 hectares of land have been damaged and multiple oil spills have occurred, affecting 38,000 farmers and fisherfolk.

In response to this crisis, the Peace and Equity Foundation (PEF) has allocated Php 3 million to support relief efforts of different institutions nationwide. Relief packs containing food and hygiene kits have been distributed to nearly 4,000 households in Metro Manila and in Rizal, Bulacan, and Maguindanao provinces. 

In Caloocan, Malabon, and Navotas, PEF supported the relief efforts of Caritas Kalookan in providing food packs to flood-stricken communities. Meanwhile, the Kabuhayan sa Ganap na Kasarinlan Credit and Savings Cooperative gave essential supplies, including rice, noodles, and canned goods, to 715 affected households in Montalban and Rodriguez, Rizal. 

The Philippine Disaster Resilience Foundation, another PEF partner, distributed 275 hygiene kits in Rodriguez, Rizal to maintain health and sanitation amid the calamity. 

Alalay sa Kaunlaran, Inc. also delivered food packs and hygiene kits to 500 client households in Paombong, Malolos, and San Miguel in Bulacan. 

In Maguindanao del Sur, the Maguindanao Development Foundation has extended relief assistance to 900 households affected by the flooding. 

The collective efforts of these organizations demonstrate a robust and compassionate response to the severe weather’s impact on affected communities.

Alsons Power and Holcim Philippines Seal Retail Electricity Partnership

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The Alsons Power Group, the power business unit of the Alcantara Group, has signed its first retail electricity supply (RES) agreement with Holcim Philippines, Inc., a leader in innovative and sustainable building materials in the country.

Under the terms of this partnership, Alsons Power will supply 80% of the energy requirements of Holcim Philippines' facilities in Davao and Lugait, Misamis Oriental. Holcim Philippines is optimistic that its RES deal will yield substantial savings on electricity costs, given Alsons Power's track record of being one of the most dependable and cost-effective suppliers in the market.

“We are confident that our partnership with Alsons Power will help us achieve our business goals and sustainability aspirations. Partnering with Alsons Power is the right choice given its strong and trusted reputation for providing reliable and affordable electricity in its three decades in the energy industry,” said Holcim Philippines Senior Vice President and Head of Supply Chain Edwin Villas.

Alsons Power, through its subsidiary Alsons Power Supply Corporation, has officially entered the Retail Competition and Open Access (RCOA) market following the program's launch in Mindanao earlier this year.

With a diversified power portfolio, Alsons Power assures its RES partners of consistent and dependable electricity. The Alcantara-led power business unit offers affordable power supply options tailored to the specific needs of its customers and designed to reduce costs. Additionally, RES customers will have access to a wide range of value-added services, including energy management, energy audits, and other supportive measures to help enhance efficiency and performance.

“We are delighted to announce Holcim Philippines as our inaugural partner for our retail electricity supply service. Leveraging our extensive expertise and robust power portfolio, we are fully committed to powering Holcim Philippines as they continue to advance the country’s progress through their world-class construction and building solutions,” said Alsons Power Chief Executive Officer Antonio Miguel B. Alcantara. “This partnership with Holcim marks a great start for our RES business. We are eager to provide a reliable and affordable power supply to other industries and businesses as we continue to grow our RES portfolio.”

The Alcantara Group has maintained a long-standing relationship with Holcim since 1968, beginning with a partnership in the cement industry. In 1998, Alsons Power entered into a power supply arrangement with Holcim’s cement plant in Vietnam. Further strengthening their relationship, Holcim Philippines tapped Alsons Power in 2013 to provide emergency power supply to their Lugait and Davao plants.

With its successful RES deal with Holcim Philippines, Alsons Power looks forward to collaborating with other industry players, particularly in the Visayas region, where power supply is forecasted to be in short supply next year.

Alsons Power operates four power facilities with a combined capacity of 468 megawatts, serving over eight million people in the Southern Philippines. The Group is actively expanding its renewable energy portfolio, with several solar and hydropower projects at various stages of development. Currently, Alsons Power is gearing up for the commercial launch of its first foray into the renewable energy landscape—the 14.5-megawatt Siguil Hydro Power Plant in Maasim, Sarangani.

Over 2,000 Batanes LGU workers are now SSS members under the KaSSSangga Collect Program

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The Social Security System (SSS) said that over 2,000 job order (JO) workers of the Provincial Local Government (PLGU) of Batanes will now have social security protection under the KaSSSangga Collect Program (KCP) after Batanes becomes the newest implementer of the program.

SSS President and Chief Executive Officer Rolando Ledesma Macasaet and Batanes Governor Marilou H. Cayco inked a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) that allows the provincial government’s JO workers to get social security coverage from SSS under the KCP.


“This only shows SSS is committed to its mandate of expanding social security protection and services to all working Filipinos up to the last mile provinces in the Philippines like Batanes,” Macasaet said.


Macasaet explained that under the KCP, PLGU’s JO workers will be registered as SSS self-employed members. At the same time, PLGU Batanes will serve as the SSS collecting partner, who shall collect the contributions of the JO workers through a salary deduction scheme and remit them to the SSS.


“The timely remittance of monthly premiums will ensure that JO workers are qualified to avail of SSS benefits and loan privileges in times of emergencies,” Macasaet said.


He explained that JO workers, as self-employed members, could avail of SSS benefits like sickness, maternity, disability, retirement, death, and funeral. “They can also avail of loan privileges such as salary and calamity loans.”


In addition to SSS benefits, he added that they are entitled to receive Employees’ Compensation (EC) benefits in case of work-connected sickness, injury, or death.