MANILA, Philippines — Household consumers should expect higher electricity bills this month as energy utility provider Manila Electric Co. (Meralco) increased rates by P0.4621 per kilowatt hour, to P11.4139 per kWh from P10.9518 per kWh last month.
The increase is attributed to higher generation charge due to higher costs from the Wholesale Electricity Spot Market (WESM) and existing power supply agreements (PSAs).
Meralco vice president and head of corporate communications Joe Zaldarriaga said they had to source energy from the spot market, as the existing PSAs were not enough to address the lack of power supply.
“As you know, the supply situation in April was challenged, not only on our side but the entire grid. So, if we did not resort to the spot market, we would have had a shortage in the energy supply,” Zaldarriaga said at a press conference on Tuesday.
“It really is the demand situation and the supply capability as well,” he added.
Charges from the spot market hiked by P1.7913 per kWh follow ing tight supply in the Luzon grid, which was placed on red and yellow alert several times since April 16. Likewise, demand increased by 2,401 megawatts (MW).
At the same time, charges from PSAs went up by P0.2871 per kWh because of lower excess energy deliveries of some agreem ents, as well as charges from emergency PSAs.
Peso depreciation also took part in the increase as 14 percent of PSA costs were dollar-denominated.
“Tempering the increase in the generation charge was the P0.6942 per kWh reduction in charges from Independent Power Producers (IPPs) due to higher average IPP dispatch and lower fuel prices,” Meralco said.
WESM, PSAs and IPPs accounted for 30 percent, 36 percent and 34 percent, respectively, of Meralco’s total energy requirement.
Meanwhile, transmission charge, taxes and other charges also increased by P0.0166 per kWh.
The increase this month was forecasted earlier by Meralco, citing in creased power demand and jumped costs from the spot market.
Last month, Meralco dropped electricity rates by P0.9879 per kWh, marking the first decrease this year. This brought the overall rate for regular households to go down to P10.9518 per kWh from P11.9397 per kWh in March.
In a Tuesday advisory, the National Grid Corp. of the Philippines said the Luzon grid is on yellow alert with an available capacity of 14,963 MW amid peak de mand of 13,871 MW.
MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine Navy is deploying a ship to monitor some 100 Filipi no fishing boats and other civilian vessels en route to Panatag (Scarborough) Shoal as part of the “peace and solidarity regatta” organized by the Atin Ito Coalition.
The military did not reveal details of the deployment, like which ship is involved or where it intends to take position.
The Navy also revealed it had deployed another vessel to Escoda (Sabina) Shoal to stop possible reclamation activities by the Chinese in the area.
“We would like to commend Atin Ito organizers. This is civil society showing that they understand the issue,” Philippine Navy spokesman for West Philippine Sea Commodore Roy Vincent Trinidad told reporters yesterday.
The Panatag-bound flotilla left Masinloc, Zambales yesterday. The trip is expected to culminate on May 17.
The trip was intended as a humanitarian mission for fishermen as well as a demonstration of Filipinos’ determination to protect the country’s territorial seas.
The convoy is loaded with food and provisions for fishermen who have to stay in the area for days – often harassed by the Chinese – so they could take home sufficient catch.
“It is not only a government approach but a whole of nation approach. China should respect civil society in exercising Philippine rights,” he said.
Trinidad said the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) is also in close coordination with organizers of the trip to Panatag.
The latest Atin Ito endeavor was the second civilian-led mission to the West Philippine Sea, following the journey to Ayungin Shoal in December last year, also for humanitarian purposes.
China has reportedly increased its presence in the vicinity of Panatag Shoal, also called Bajo de Masinloc, in anticipation of the civilian convoy.
Trinidad also revealed the deployment of a naval vessel in the vicinity of Escoda Shoal where they noted “the unnatural, unusual presence of crushed corals,” possibly dumped by the Chinese to raise the elevation of the land feature and prepare it for reclamation.
“The coast guard has a regular presence there, Navy has increased its patrols in Escoda Shoal and for the past good number of days, we have had one warship stationed in the area,” he said.
“This is to ensure that whoever is doing that, we are not sure who is doing that, whoever is piling up their corals on Escoda Shoal, we will be able to expose their activities,” Trinidad said.
He explained that Escoda Shoal “is closer to mainland Palawan than Ayungin Shoal.”
“Ayungin is 20 nautical miles east of Mischief (Panganiban). Encode is around 35 nautical miles east of Ayungin,” he said.
“So it is much much closer to mainland Palawan, well within the exclusive economic zone of the Philippines. We would like to ensure that this will remain within the sovereign rights of the country, hence the PCG and the Philippine Navy are taking cognizance of that, of the unusual pile up of dead corals,” he said.
Trinidad noted that back in 2011 and 2012, China did all major reclamation work in the WPS using giant dredgers to move sand to reclaim Panganiban, Zamora (Subi) and Calderon (Cuarteron) Reef.
“They were able to build military bases there. This time around, there was no noticed presence of those dredgers but we saw the result, a lot of crushed corals so as if, that Escoda Shoal is growing. So we could say this is one particular attempt to reclaim, to build up an artificial island. But we are on top of the situation. The coast guard is there, the Navy is there, we would like to prevent a repeat of what happened in 2012, 2013,” he said.
Trinidad said stopping possible reclamation activities in Escoda Shoal would take more than military effort and one way is to show the world “that we are a responsible player following international law.”
“The approach of the government in WPS is the transparency initiative. So we would like to show the world what the other players are doing in the maritime domain and I would like to say that the other claimant countries have been subscribing to international law, except for China,” he added.
National Security Adviser Eduardo Año, for his part, said he was heartened by the overwhelming public support for peaceful but more assertive stance in the WPS problem, based on latest polls.
“Filipinos are a people of peace but at the same time, we know how to stand up for what is right, and for what is ours. Heeding our people’s call, the Marcos Jr. administration is determined to progressively build our defense capabilities to effectively deter any and every threat to our nation’s peace and security,” Año said.
“We thank the Filipino people for their support and they can be assured that, guided by the President, we will continue to assert our rights and push back against illegal, coercive, aggressive and deception tactics,” he added.
Citing results of the OCTA Research Tugon ng Masa survey for the first quarter of the year, Año said 73 percent of respondents want the government to prioritize military action as response to threats to the country’s territorial and sovereign rights.
“The Philippine government continues to push for peaceful, diplomatic means to resolve any dispute with other country. Simply put, war is not an instrument of our national policy. However, under international law, we have the inalienable right to defend our people, our territorial integrity and sovereign rights,” Año said.
Based on survey results, he said Filipinos apparently understand that “there can be no peace without security, and that there will be no security without peace.”
Año also noted the high percentage of public support for AFP modernization – at 68 percent.
He also appealed to the Senate and the House of Representatives to support all programs aimed at fast tracking AFP modernization in order to allow the institution to focus on territorial defense.
“We hope that Congress will continue to allocate the necessary funds to implement Horizon III of the Armed Forces modernization program which is critical in the implementation of the Comprehensive Archipelagic Defense Concept recently approved by the President,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Department of Justice (DOJ) said it is working with the Office of the Solicitor General (OSG) in exploring all legal options to hold the Chinese accountable before an international tribunal for the marine destruction in Escoda Shoal.
“The DOJ and OSG continue to coordinate and discuss the possible options and recommendations which will be submitted to the President as soon as it is done,” DOJ spokesman Mico Clavano said.
Solicitor General Menardo Guevarra said the OSG and other relevant agencies are “identifying and gathering competent evidence” to support a possible environmental damage case against China.
“Any legal action will have to be considered and determined by the national maritime council, who will then make the appropriate recommendation to the President,” Guevarra said in a text message.
Earlier, retired Supreme Court associate justice Antonio Carpio called for the filing of a case against China over the damage it has caused to the Philippines’ marine resources.
Carpio said an apparent reclamation work on Escoda Shoal could be a “precursor of an island building by China” and the putting up of an outpost near Recto (Reed) Bank, which is said to be rich in oil and gas deposits.
Apart from filing a case, PCG should also have a permanent presence in Escoda Shoal to prevent Beijing from building artificial islands in the area, he said.
China’s foreign ministry has dismissed the allegations as “groundless and pure rumor,” saying Manila has “deliberately smeared China and attempted to mislead the international community.”
In 2016, the Philippines won against China in an arbitral case filed before the Permanent Court of Arbitration based in The Hague. The ruling invalidated Beijing’s nine-dash line claim that covered almost the entire South China Sea. China has refused to acknowledge the ruling. — Daphne Galvez
MANILA, Philippines — Politicians are barred from participating in the actual distribution of cash aid under the Ayuda sa Kapos ang Kita Program (AKAP), the controversial assistance program of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).
Social Welfare Secretary Rex Gatchalian said this yesterday, as he announced that the implementing rules and regulations (IRR) of AKAP had already been signed and published in late April.
“They cannot do the actual distribution. That is against our protocol,” he said over radio dzRH.
Gatchalian added that DSWD disbursing officers are not allowed to hand over the assistance to any politician for distribution.
“Only our disbursing officers can hold the money because they are accountable for that,” he stressed.
Gatchalian underscored that this policy is intended to avoid giving the impression that the cash aid came from the politicians, but he conceded that local government officials, for instance, could observe the distribution from the sidelines.
Gatchalian acknowledged that the DSWD is still relying on these politicians for manpower and other logistical support when they go to the communities.
In February, Sen. Imee Marcos had accused some members of the House of Representatives of using AKAP in collecting signatures for the people’s initiative to amend the restrictive economic provisions in the Constitution.
According to Gatchalian, while the IRR, contained in Memorandum Circular 04, series of 2024, is already out, they have not started its implementation.
“I want to clarify that we have not disbursed (any assistance) as we speak. We are fine-tuning the roll out. So, the public could not yet come to the DSWD to apply,” he said.
The circular states that some P26.7 million of the DSWD’s budget for 2024 had been earmarked for AKAP, which is part of government’s efforts to “address inflation and protect the purchasing power of Filipino families.”
The DSWD is eyeing to start the implementation before the end of May.
To qualify for AKAP aid, one must belong to the low-income category, or whose income does not exceed the minimum wage.
Gatchalian added that initially, AKAP assistance will be given on a one-time basis, but they are hoping that the program will be institutionalized.
Under the circular, the amount of cash assistance ranges from P1,000 to P10,000, subject to the assessment of DSWD social workers.
Aside from cash grant, assistance covered by the program include rice subsidy, funeral and medical benefits.
MANILA, Philippines — Nearly 11 million children and young Filipinos are not attending formal school, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).
Of the 42.8 million household population aged five to 24 years old, the PSA said that 10.7 million or 25 percent are out-of-school children and youth (OSCY).
The data is based on the 2020 Census of Population and Housing.
Of the 10.7 million OSCYs, more than half or 51.3 percent are males, while 48.7 percent are females.
In terms of age, majority or 68.5 percent of OSCYs are in the 20-24-year-old age group.
The 15 to 19-year-old age group is next with 15.6 percent of OSCYs, followed by the five to nine-year-old age group with 12.3 percent.
The 10 to 14-year-old age group accounts for 3.7 percent of OSCYs.
Meanwhile, 32.07 million of the population aged five to 24 years old are attending school.
Of the firgure, 51.4 percent are males, while 48.6 percent are females.
When it comes to school attendance, the PSA said the Bicol Region has the highest percentage at 78.8 percent.
On the other hand, the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao has the lowest school attendance percentage at 64.5 percent.