Monday, June 14, 2021
Monday, June 7, 2021
Sunday, June 6, 2021
Konstruksiyon ng PNR Clark Phase 2 project sa Pampanga ipinasilip
Tuloy-tuloy na nga ang kontruksyon ng North-South Commuter Railway (NSCR) project o mas kilala bilang PNR Clark Phase 2 Project sa Pampanga.
Sa kasalukuyan, tinatayang 30% na ang overall progress rate nito pagkatapos makumpleto ang logging test sa bahagi ng Apalit Station at ang unang bored pile cast nito sa Sitio Sampaga sa Barangay San Vicente para masiguro ang malalim na pundasyon ng railway.
“On-going na po ang konstruksyon ng staging area ng Apalit. Tuloy-tuloy lang po ang clearing. Ang mga istayon po tuloy-tuloy lang rin po ang mga test files nila,” pahayag ni Apalit Mayor Jun Tetangco.
Saklaw ng 54-kilometer rail line ang kahabaan ng Malolos, Bulacan hanggang Clark, Pampanga.
Inaasahan na sa oras na matapos ito, ang biyahe mula Maynila papuntang Pampanga na dati ay mahigit dalawang oras ay mahahati na lang sa isang oras.
Ang naturang proyekto ay hindi lang makapagbibigay ng mabilis at maginhawang biyahe, magbibigay rin ito ng iba’t ibang job opportunities lalo na sa mga nawalan ng trabaho dahil sa pandemya.
“Sa staging area pa lang po ng Apalit, ito ay from Malolos to Minalin, mahigit 2,500 workers po ang maitutulong po natin sa Apalit, malaking bagay po iyon dahil ngayon pong pandemya marami po ang nawalan ng trabaho,” sabi ng alkalde.
Ang MCRP PNR CLARK Phase 2 ay bahagi ng Build, Build, Build program ng administrasyon ni Pangulong Rodrigo Duterte at magsisilbing pinakaunang airport express service sa bansa. - Ulat ni Gracie Rutao
Friday, June 4, 2021
Wednesday, June 2, 2021
Red, yellow alerts in Luzon lifted as power demand recedes - NGCP
The National Grid Corporation of the Philippines on Wednesday afternoon lifted the alert level warnings in parts of Luzon, citing receding demand for power.
Both the red and yellow alerts, supposed to be in place until nighttime, were lifted by 3:21 p.m. due to improving supply conditions, the NGCP said in an advisory.
"As of 3:21 p.m., red and yellow alerts have been lifted by NGCP for the Luzon grid due to receding system demand," it said.
Parts of Luzon are experiencing rains due to Tropical Storm Dante.
The power operator earlier said the high heat index contributed to the supply issue that was seen to affect the Luzon grid for the next few days.
Energy officials earlier said they would have to impose rotational power outages to balance supply.
https://news.abs-cbn.com/business/06/02/21/red-yellow-alert-lifted-luzon-ngcp
Luzon grid under red alert for 13 hours on Wednesday — NGCP
The Luzon Grid, including Metro Manila, will be under red alert for 13 hours this Wednesday, the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) said, putting the region on even more chances of having power interruption.
In an advisory, the NGCP said that the red alert was set to start at 9:00 a.m. until 5 p.m., after which it will continue at 6:00 p.m. until 10:00 p.m.
Meanwhile, a yellow alert has also been placed which started at 8:00 a.m. and lasted until 9:00 a.m. This will resume at 5:00 p.m to 6:00 p.m., and then at 11:00 p.m. to 12:00 midnight.
Being under yellow alert means that there is low electricity supply, red alert means there are zero ancillary services or insufficient power supply in the grid.
Meralco also warned the public regarding the rotational brownouts.
https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1440307/luzon-grid-under-red-alert-for-13-hours-on-wednesday-ngcp
Luzon may be on red alert until June 8
The Luzon grid is expected to experience power outages until next week after another power plant bogged down yesterday, causing rotational blackouts over prolonged hours.
The National Grid Corp. of the Philippines (NGCP) raised the red alert warning on the Luzon power grid from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. yesterday. The yellow alert notice was from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m., from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. and from 11 p.m. to midnight.
A yellow alert means there were not enough reserves to cover the largest running generating unit at the time but does not necessarily lead to power outages. A red alert means there is severe power deficiency, which could lead to rotational power interruptions.
The NGCP said available capacity was at 11,408 megawatts (MW) while peak demand was projected to reach 11,593 MW.
The Department of Energy (DOE) said another power plant, the 316-MW GMEC Coal-Fired Power Plant Unit 2, shut down yesterday due to suspected boiler tube leak, which reduced electricity supply and led to insufficient power reserves in the power grid.
This increased the unavailable capacity on the power grid to 4,064 MW from 3,771 MW on Monday.
The DOE said it convened with representatives of the NGCP and GNPower Mariveles Energy Center (GMEC) to discuss the unplanned outage of GMEC Coal-Fired Power Plant Unit 2 since it is expected to be back online by June 8.
Because of this, the red alert status may be raised on the Luzon grid until next week or until the plants on forced outage restore operations.
“We foresee grid alert status until June 7,” NGCP head of Luzon System Operations Reynaldo Abadilla said at a press briefing.
The NGCP implemented manual load dropping (MLD) or rotational blackouts in parts of Luzon to maintain the integrity of the power system.
Manila Electric Co. (Meralco) also implemented rotational power interruptions within its franchise area starting at 1:05 p.m, with outage lasting up to two hours.
For the COVID vaccination centers and storage facilities, the NGCP said it is left with the distribution utilities (DUs) to come up with contingency measures, spokesperson Cynthia Alabanza said.
Meralco said locations of vaccination sites and storage facilities are spared from rotational power outages but are encouraged to maintain generators to provide backup supply.
The DOE called on the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) to look into these power outages and exercise its regulatory functions to ensure the continuity of power services during the pandemic.
“We are monitoring the situation. We are definitely looking into these outages and will take the necessary actions in accordance with existing laws,” ERC commissioner Floresinda Digal said.
Vaccine storage
Meanwhile, the Department of Health (DOH) assured the public yesterday that preparations have been made to protect COVID-19 vaccines amid the rotational brownouts in some parts of Luzon.
The DOH said contingency measures are in place to ensure the proper storage of COVID-19 vaccines.
The National Vaccination Operations Center ordered personnel of inoculation sites to ensure that the vaccines are kept in storage facilities, the DOH said.
With the measures in place, the DOH said the vaccines would remain in good condition.
The DOH noted that simulation activities have been conducted and that a backup power system is a requirement for local governments with cold storage facilities.
The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) ordered
local government units (LGUs) to secure COVID-19 vaccines in their possession.
DILG spokesman Undersecretary Jonathan Malaya said the vaccines should be kept in cold storage facilities with uninterrupted power supply so that the jabs would not go to waste.
“At this time of pandemic, vaccines are more valuable than gold and
therefore contingency plans should be in place to mitigate the rotational power outages,” Malaya said.
He said LGUs should heed the red alert notice issued by the NGCP in parts of Luzon where blackouts will be implemented due to the increase in power demand caused by the humid weather.
Subsidized power rate
Meanwhile, Speaker Lord Allan Velasco commended President Duterte for signing into law a bill extending the “lifeline rate” or subsidized electricity rate for low-income households by 30 years.
“We thank President Duterte for ensuring that poor families will continue to enjoy the much-needed power subsidy for the next three decades,” Velasco, who previously chaired the House committee on energy, said.
The President signed Republic Act 11552 that amends the Electric Power Industry Reform Act (EPIRA) of 2011, under which the lifeline rate provision would expire on June 26.
The law extends for the second time the socialized pricing system for marginalized households under Section 73 of the original EPIRA law or RA 9136.
“This important legislation would assure Filipinos access to continuous and affordable electricity, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic where many people are struggling to make ends meet,” Velasco said.
He said around 5.5 million consumers, representing about 31 percent of the entire connections in the country, would benefit from the law. – Emmanuel Tupas, Mayen Jaymalin, Delon Porcalla, Cecille Suerte Felipe
https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2021/06/02/2102485/luzon-may-be-red-alert-until-june-8
Tuesday, June 1, 2021
How Do I Get To Know Jesus?
They came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, with a request. “Sir,” they said, “we would like to see Jesus.” John 12:21
Author Philip Yancey grew up in church. But he experienced a lot of confusion over what he learned about God and what he experienced in life. He wrote a book that shatters a lot of our cherished ideals and the images we have grown up with. He called the book, The Jesus I Never Knew.
Of his book, Yancey said, “The Jesus I got to know in writing this book is very different from the Jesus I learned about in Sunday school. In some ways, He is more comforting; in some ways, more terrifying.” Of one thing Yancey is certain. The individual who really meets Jesus Christ will never be the same.
In the event that the name Philip Yancey is new to you, let me say that reading what he writes is like a breath of fresh air which comes to you in a polluted environment. Reading Yancey is like sitting down in an overstuffed chair with a friend in front of a fireplace, and listening to someone who trusts you so much that he can be completely vulnerable with you.
Yancey doesn’t come up with pre-programmed answers or quick-fix solutions. He has an openness, a candor, and an honesty which prompts you to look within your own heart and soul. How did Yancey rediscover Jesus?
His book was a partial outgrowth of a study he did with a small group focusing on the life of Jesus Christ. The group also used video clips of almost every film on the life of Christ which has ever been produced, but the Jesus we never knew, according to Yancey, is the one which Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John wrote about, and by saturating himself in what they said, he was able to strip away the old varnish of images that many of us have grown up with.
Phil Yancey is a gifted individual who has given us something of great importance, yet the Jesus that he never knew is the same one whom believers have worshiped for centuries. I do know one thing: no matter what your relationship with Jesus Christ, or how well you know Him, after carefully reading what Yancey says, you will know Him better and love Him more dearly.
Knowing Jesus as He really is, becomes complex and difficult because of the lives we live—not just the misconceptions and the wrong images we have grown up with. We get so busy that we have little time to take the four Gospels and to digest them. We “sample” portions of Scripture, usually in short sound bites which are easy to digest and tell us what we want—that He loves us, forgives us, and helps us to succeed.
Some years ago, I discovered an old hymn by Ian MacPherson which says it so well. The words go, “If I but knew Thee as Thou art/ O Loveliness unknown/ With what desire, O Lord, my heart would claim Thee for its own.” Another stanza goes, “With faith’s warm finger, through the veil/ I seek to touch Thy hand/ I feel the imprint of the nail/ And partly understand.” Then MacPherson voices the frustration which we sometimes feel as he said, “But, ah, my lonely spirit tires/ Of knowing Thee in part / O Jesus, how my soul desires/ To see Thee as Thou art!”
Does your restless heart want to break through the spiritual gloom and the pain of living in a broken world to see Jesus as He really is? Yes, I recommend Yancey’s book. It will help you. But do what Phil Yancey has done. Saturate yourself in the Gospels. Read them in different versions. Ask the Lord to lift the blindness of prejudice and business and help you to see Him as He really is. When you meet Him, you will never be the same.
Resource reading: Matthew 8:1-16.
https://www.guidelines.org/devotional/how-do-i-get-to-know-jesus/
Rotating brownouts hit parts of Luzon as red alert extended
By Kris Crismundo
The Department of Energy (DOE) said the longer period for raising the red alert status over the Luzon grid is due to additional power plant outages.
The Luzon grid on Tuesday is under red alert from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and 6 p.m. to 10 p.m., and yellow alert status from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m., 5 p.m. to 6 p.m., and 11 p.m. to midnight, DOE said.
The agency said the 316-megawatt GMEC Coal-Fired Power Plant Unit 2 went offline at 3:56 a.m. Tuesday due to a suspected boiler tube leak.
“The plant is expected to be back online by 8 June 2021,” it said.
This is on top of the reported power plants that were on outage Monday including the GNPower Dinginin Coal-Fired Power Plant Unit 1, San Roque Hydroelectric Power Plant, and Sual Coal-Fired Power Plant Unit 2.
From 1,285 MW forced outages on Monday, this has increased to 1,579 MW Tuesday.
The available power capacity on Tuesday also declined to 11,408 MW from the previous day’s reserve of 11,729 MW, while peak demand is slightly higher from Monday’s 11,514 MW to this day’s 11,593 MW power requirement.
“In order to maintain a balanced system, NGCP (National Grid Corporation of the Philippines) may implement manual load dropping (MLD) in parts of Luzon today to maintain the integrity of the power system,” DOE added.
In a separate advisory, NGCP listed scheduled MLD or rotating brownouts in parts of Isabela, parts of Nueva Ecija, parts of Pangasinan, parts of Bataan, parts of Batangas, parts of Camarines Sur, parts of Metro Manila, and the province of Ifugao.
Red alert is raised if the power reserves breached the maintaining level of 4 percent of the peak demand, thus rotational brownouts are experienced.
The DOE earlier forecasted that the peak demand for this year would reach 11,841 MW.
On the other hand, a yellow alert is raised when there is a thinning of power reserve in the system with demand approaching critical levels. There is still sufficient supply of power and would not cause any power interruption.
Power supply for vax storage
Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Undersecretary Jonathan Malaya told reporters that the agency has reminded local government units (LGUs) to secure an uninterruptible power supply in cold storage facilities of coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) vaccines.
“At this time of pandemic, vaccines are more valuable than gold and therefore contingency plans should be implanted soonest to mitigate the rotational brownouts being implemented by the NGCP,” Malaya said. (With reports from Christopher Lloyd Caliwan)
Luzon grid on red alert starting 10 a.m. June 1 due to low power supply: NGCP
The Luzon grid is placed under red alert on Tuesday with potential power outages due to low power supply, the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines said.
The red alert status is in place from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., the NGCP said in an advisory.
The grid will remain on red alert from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. Tuesday, it added.
Yellow alert was earlier raised from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. It will also be in place from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. and 10 p.m. to 12 a.m., it said.
The available capacity on June 1 is at 11,480 MW while the peak demand could reach 11,593 MW.
Manual load dropping could be implemented to balance out supply, the NGCP said. Rotational power outages have also been implemented on Monday.
Manual load dropping may be implemented in the following areas:
10 a.m. to 11 a.m.
- BENECO (parts of Baguio City and Benguet)
- NEECO II-Area 1 (parts of Nueva Ecija)
- SAJELCO (San Jose City, Nueva Ecija)
- PAMES (Pantabangan, Nueva Ecija)
- QUEZELCO I (parts of Quezon)
- SORECO I (parts of Sorsogon)
- MERALCO (parts of Metro Manila)
"Schedule may be cancelled if system condition improves, such as if actual demand falls below projections," the NGCP said.
"NGCP encourages everyone to exercise prudence in using electricity," it added.
The high heat index, unscheduled maintenance works, and low-yield in supply were among the factors that contributed to the supply issues, the Department of Energy earlier said.
The DOE on Tuesday said "enforcement issues" on power players also contributed to the lack of power supply in Luzon.
The NGCP was unable to comply with its ancillary services, which is included in its obligations under its franchise, an Energy official said Tuesday.
Authorities have earlier warned of persistent power interruptions in the next few days due to low power supply.
https://news.abs-cbn.com/business/06/01/21/luzon-grid-red-alert-june-1