Tuesday, July 5, 2022
Chan: ‘Creation of a separate province is not in our utmost priority’
LAPU-LAPU CITY, Cebu—Lapu-Lapu City Mayor Junard “Ahong” Chan clarified that while he remains supportive of the dream of the late Secretary Adelino Sitoy in creating the Province of Mactan, this is not part of the mayor’s priority.
“While I remain supportive of the dream of the late Sec. Addy Sitoy in creating the Province of Mactan, l understand that the process entails a thorough study of the pros ang cons of such legislative measure,” Chan said in a statement.
“At this point in time when we are still reeling from the effects of the pandemic and Typhoon Odette, a creation of a separate province is not in our utmost priority but rather we must channel our focus to the rehabilitation of our city and the promotion of our tourism industry,” he added.
The issue was brought up after Chan mentioned that he would pursue the plan of creating the Province of Mactan during his term during a media forum on July 5, 2022.
During the said forum, Chan said he would ask his wife, Congresswoman Cindi King-Chan, to lobby for the proposed creation of a separate province in Congress.
“Yes of course. Gustoon gyud na sa Lapu-Lapu no? Sa ako nang giingon it’s advantageous on the part of the city kung mahimo siyang province because we’ll have a separate budget for the province,” Chan said.
(Yes of course. Lapu-Lapu wouldlike that. Like what I said, it’s advantageous on the part of the city if Mactan becomes a province because we’ll have a separate budget for the province.)
Chan added that the creation of a separate province will also help in the implementation of projects in the city.
He stated that although they are just small in terms of area, Chan believes that they already meet all the requirements needed to become a separate province.
“Qualified na mi to become a province. So sayang ug dili siya mamahimong probinsya. So mao na nga kung mahimo siyang probinsya, daghan tang mahimo para sa siyudad sa Lapu-Lapu and the entire island of Mactan,” he said.
(We’re qualified to become a province. So it would be a waste of we won’t become a province. If Mactan becomes a province, there are a lot of things we can do for the city of Lapu-Lapu and the entire island of Mactan.)
In his proposal, the town of Cordova will be part of the Province of Mactan. Olango Island would also become a separate town, while the mainland would be divided into two local government units (LGUs).
Converting Olango Island into a municipality would also help in the development of the island and would elevate the living condition of its constituents.
Chan said that if Mactan becomes a separate province, Lapu-Lapu can be like a little Singapore.
/bmjo
Lapu-Lapu mayor pushes for separate province for Mactan
CEBU Island may be divided into two separate provinces should Lapu-Lapu Mayor Junard "Ahong" Chan's plan to establish the Province of Mactan will push through.
Chan said during a news forum Tuesday, July 5, 2022, that this was the dream of the late Secretary Adelino “Addy” Sitoy, who also served as mayor of Cordova.
According to Chan, this move will be beneficial for the development of the two local government units.
"Dako kaayo na siya og ika tabang, nga para siguro ma picture out nako ang Lapu-Lapu, if they will become a Province of Mactan, siguro that will be the next little Singapore," said Chan.
Chan added that he will ask his wife, Lapu-Lapu City lone district representative Cindi Chan, to lobby for this measure in Congress.
The composition of the proposed province will also make Olanggo Island into a separate municipality and elevate Cordova town into a component city of the new province, he said. (IRT)
Luzon grid under yellow alert due to forced outage of power plants —NGCP
By TED CORDERO, GMA News
The National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) placed the Luzon power grid under yellow alert on Tuesday morning and afternoon after several power plants went offline.
In an advisory, the NGCP said the yellow alert is in place on the island from 10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. and from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.
A yellow alert indicates that the grid has thin power reserves, but does not necessarily lead to brownouts.
The NGCP said 1,439 megawatts (MW) were slashed from the Luzon grid due to the forced outage and derating of the following plants:
- GNPD 1 – 668MW
- GMEC 2 – 316MW
- Calaca 2 – 240MW
- SLPGC 3 & 4 – 50M
- Masinloc 1 (derated by 165MW)
The NGCP said the grid has a net operating margin of 236MW, with a supply at 11,847MW and an estimated operating requirement of 11,177MW.—AOL, GMA News
Luzon grid on another ‘yellow alert’
With no top official in charge at the Department of Energy (DOE), the Luzon grid was again subjected to a “yellow alert” or the lack of power reserves that could potentially plunge the country’s main economic center with rotational blackouts.
System operator National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) raised the “yellow alert” condition for the Luzon grid by 11:00 in the morning, and 2:00 to 4:00 in the afternoon, which are typically the peak-demand hours of power consumption in a day.
Newly installed President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has yet to name his Energy Secretary; while Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) Chairperson Agnes T. Devanadera will retire this month, hence creating a leadership vacuum in the two key agencies of the energy sector.
NGCP reported several power plants that had been on forced outages that resulted in the aggregate capacity loss of 1,274 megawatts in the country’s biggest power grid on top of the plants that were also declared on de-rated (reduced) generation.
The generating facilities on unscheduled downtimes had been the 668MW Unit 1 of GNPower Dinginin plant; 316MW unit 2 of the GNPower Mariveles plant; unit 2 of 240MW Calaca plant; and units 3 and 4 for 50MW of the Southwest Luzon Power Generation Corporation.
The system operator similarly noted that unit 1 of the Masinloc coal-fired power plant had been de-rated by 165MW; hence, the total capacity taken out from the Luzon grid hovered at 1,439MW.
As explained, a ‘yellow alert’ status of the grid entails insufficiency of power reserves or there will be no enough capacity to be called on for dispatch to cover what is lost in the system. And when the situation worsens, the outcome will be unwanted rotational brownouts.
The series of yellow alerts being experienced in the Luzon grid, according to data from the Wholesale Electricity Spot Market (WESM), had similarly triggered spikes in settlement prices that will then increase rates in the electric bills of consumers.
In fact, for the June supply month, at least 36 percent of spot market trading intervals had been affected by the secondary price cap, meaning the persistent rate spikes hit the threshold of P9.00 per kilowatt-hour (kWh) within the duration of trading intervals prescribed by the industry regulator.
According to ERC Commissioner Floresinda B. Digal said they have already issued a “notice to explain to GenCos (generation companies) that went on outages.” She qualified that “we will study first the decision and then Commission will determine an appropriate way forward.”
It is worth noting that several GenCos had been previously penalized by the ERC due to the recurrence of forced outages in their facilities that even caused distressing power interruptions in the Luzon grid in May to June last year.
Industry sources further indicated that the 1,200MW Ilijan gas-fired power plant had also been on shutdown since June 4 after its gas supply and purchase agreement (GSPA) with the Malampaya gas field expired.
Hydro plants, primarily unit 2 of the Kalayaan plant, was likewise out from the system, as well as the Casecnan hydro power facility that had been on outage since October last year.
https://mb.com.ph/2022/07/05/luzon-grid-on-another-yellow-alert/