anything relevant, anything useful, anything with sense, anything worth knowing, anything and everything. Took this foto of the Philippines' highest mountain -- Mt. Apo --
Saturday, February 28, 2009
President Arroyo meets displaced OFWs in Davao City
Thursday, February 26, 2009
PGMA visits Davao hydro power project; meets beneficiaries in Davao del Sur
President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo visited Barangay Sibulan Thursday morning where she was briefed on the Hedcor, Inc.'s P5.1-billion Sibulan Hydropower Project (SHP) that is expected to generate 42.5 megawatts (MW) of power.
During the visit, President Arroyo was given the briefing by Hedcor president and chief operations officer Rene Ronquillo.
Ronquillo told the President that the hydro project is expected to be finished in October 2009. With 60 percent of the works completed, they were able to employ 1,100 workers mostly coming from Barangay Sibulan and neighboring areas, he added.
The project entails the construction of two cascading run-of-river hydropower plants that will harness the Sibulan and Baroring Rivers in Sta. Cruz, Davao del Sur.
Once operational, the SHP will generate carbon neutral electricity that will reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by more that 95,000 tCO2e. It is the largest investment of the Aboitiz Power in the hydropower generation business.
Hearing this, the President took note of the efforts of the private sector like Hedcor in helping the government in its "green" programs and job generation.
She said the government's job is to make sure that it (goverment) is hospitable to investors.
She was also pleased to hear of Hedcor's other power projects already in the pipeline like the Tamugan Hydropower Project in Davao City.
The President, while at the SHP Plant B, interacted with some beneficiaries of the hydro project such as Ariel Aninipot, who told her about the development brought by the project to their community including the lighting of some areas in the barangay. He is employed as liaison officer of the project.
George Concepcion, a farmer, told the President that with Hedcor's rehabilitated road, it is easier for him to bring his produce to the market.
Rogelio Manapol, tribal leader, said their sector, the Indigenous Peoples (IPs), will now be able to enjoy their royalty share from the project. The IPs get a share of one centavo per kilowatt hour of energy produced.
After her 30-minute visit to the hydropower project site, President Arroyo proceeded to Cagayan de Oro City for the 18th Convention of the Vice Mayors League of the Philippines at Pryce Hotel and the Bridging and Skills Re-training Program at SM City Cagayan.
Meanwhile, Hedcor, Inc. chairman and chief executive officer Erramon Aboitiz said they are just awaiting the water rights they applied with the National Water Resources Board (NWRB) for their Tamugan hydro power project located in the Davao City area.
He said that they are hopeful to pursue the project this year.
The Tamugan River is the same river the Davao City Water District is developing as another source of potable water for Davao City residents. (Photos by Mae Gevera)
Monday, February 9, 2009
Mindanao posted positive growth in social security
Eco stimulus fund safe area to invest, says SSS
Thursday, February 5, 2009
To pump prime the economy, funds are ready to fund Mindanao rural infra
Director Helena B. Habulan of the Municipal Development Finance Office of the Department of Finance said there is budget and this is more than the $10 million funding under the Mindanao Rural Development Program (MRDP) for the first set of projects for implementation within the first six months this year.
"We have the budget that can cover more than the $10 million fund and there is about P1.3 billion to be spent this year in Mindanao rural projects," she said.
The Department of Agriculture (DA) as what Undersecretary Jesus Emmanuel M. Paras said the rural infrastructure is upon instruction of President Arroyo for their department to focus more on infrastructrure development in Mindanao and with the MRDP phase 2 some $10 million is programmed for implementation of infrastructure projects for the first semester this year.
The implementation will take within next two months and this would consists of farm to market roads, cold storage, post harvest facilities and rehabilitation of irrigation systems.
The rural infra project aims to generate employment especially during this time of crisis and the MRDP is a program implemented under DA geared towards alleviation of the poor communities in Mindanao and jointly funded by World Bank, DA and the local government units.
World Bank team leader Carolina F. Geron said the release of funds will given directly to the LGUs even as she said that the process went through consultation with them and the LGUs and the communities and the DA.
The projects pass through national competitive bidding and part of the agreement is to allocate 70 percent of labor to be taken from the local communities and this type of intervention will have impact at the local level.
The implementers of the program are accountable of the project the WB representative said and Geron continued that it is important to really build their capacity.
Anti-corruption measures she said are embodied in the MRDP projects and their role is to ensure that measures are implemented in all the projects.
The $10 million fund or P586 million comprises 90 percent of farm to market road, 6 percent potable water system, 2 percent for single bridges, and 2 percent on irrigiation projects. Another P200 million is for livelihood assistance and P40 million for protection and sustainable management of natural resources.
MRDP 2 covers 27 provinces in Mindanao and 225 town of the 400 municipalities of the island with 75 subprojects. The rural infa component under MRDP 1 covered only 19 municipalities with total project cost of P160.889 million for the 25 subprojects on the ground.