Currently, Cagayan De Oro city is experiencing power supply problem which is the reason why Cagayan Electric and Light Co. (Cepalco) yesterday made a request for the Aquino administration to improve the government’s solar-capacity target to fix the problem of the power supply.

Cepalco vice president and customer services department head said that “sometimes we forget that we have a problem”.

Last year Mindanao was experiencing series of power crisis but according to cepalco last year is far from over. Mindanao hasn’t reservation of power supply in the future, said by Cecilio Sumaoy, Cepalco senior manager for system operations.

He also adds that “we have no contingency reserve. It’s like driving a car and going long distance without a spare tire”. The only time Mindanao has standby power is during weekends when some people are taking a break from work, he added.

Last Aug 1, he said, Cepalco was advised of a power curtailment because of a “red alert”. This alert meant that the overall resources of power reserves in Mindanao were already increasing.

Once a statement from cepalco that “the demand for power in Mindanao is constantly increasing (but) no additional power-generating capacities are expected within the next two or three years”.

Statement of cepalco stated that “the power reserves are insufficient that even during the rainy month of July; the National Grid Corp. of the Philippines had to resort to a power load curtailment after one power-generating facility conked out.

Additional statement from cepalco said the solar photovoltaic technology is the fastest to deploy. It cited the case of a 70-mw photovoltaic power plant in Italy which was commissioned in only seven months.

Paper released by cepalco said, “Since at least 50 percent of Solar Energy Mindanao needs are currently supplied by hydro power plants, solar will immediately address the current capacity shortage and effectively complement the hydro plants especially during the season”.

One problem occurs according to sumaoy, the energy department has certified only 50mw of solar capacity for the entire country.

For the Mindanao area, not less than 150mw of solar projects are said to be awaiting the go-ahead of the Department of Energy.

The cepalco officials said to President Aquino and Energy Jose Rene Almendras should consider increasing the government’s solar photovoltaic-capacity target.

Other part of the statement said that “the Mindanao capacity shortage problem must be addressed now… Mindanao demands concrete plans and directions to address the capacity shortage problem… Mindanao cannot afford to bleed economically for the next two to or three years”.

Cepalco spokeperson, Marilyn Chavez, gave short statement that the city council has passed a resolution to officially support the campaign for solar power. She also added, academics and institutions like Xavier University are also behind Cepalco’s advocacy. Herbie Gomez

The 11th National Health and Emergency Management in Asia and the Pacific (PHEMAP) last week was joined together supported by the Department of Health Central Office and the University of the Philippines particularly College of Public Health together with Provincial and City Health Officers which are merged in Manila.

It was said that the learning and training purposes is to earn knowledge about technical assistance to LGU managers in order to improve the skills in terms of dealing both natural and man made disasters present to each particular place of responsibility. After they thought of everything they needed to find out, they will then always ready to bring them into the Health Emergency Management System in the Provincial and City Local Government Units.

The agenda was consisted by different Provincial and City Health Officers all around the country. Bundles of lessons and seminars were shared by them to be able to improve and increase the skills of each participant.

After the successful trainings, they are given time to show their plans and actions to their respective province assigned. They are nine presenters but there is only one who got the best chosen which is from Provincial Health Officer of Davao del Sur. He is Dr. Azucena Milana-Dayanghirang he is the one chosen of the Health Emergency Management System (HEMS) because of his perfect strategies with some behavior of presentation while doing the actions.

Dayanghirang was interviewed from Charm Radio in Digos City and on air his plan in which he will finalize all what he made for signature of Governor Douglas Cagas that will be soon send to the Department of Health Central Health Emergency Management System for proper financial support for educating, radio communication system and Television Monitors.

DOH Central HEMS Director Carmencita Banatin was eager to help and provide Davao del Sur when needed. She also more willing to help the place when she knew that the place already built office for this kind of purpose. The office was one of the three constructed buildings and formally announced last June 29, 2011 by Congressman Marc Cagas and Nilda S. Aniñon/Pro II/ Pio.