By Administrator on March 8, 2010
The instability of the power grid in both Luzon and Mindanao continues to be a problem for the Philippines. Brownouts affect the ability to conduct business and the quality of life for urban Filipinos.
MANILA, Philippines —The country’s power supply remained unstable marked by the thin reserves of the Luzon and the Visayas grids, and huge generation deficiencies of the Mindanao grid.
According to the National Grid Corp. of the Philippines (NGCP), the Luzon grid has a gross reserve of 308 megawatts in the morning and which fell to about 100 Megawatts (MW) in the afternoon. Ideally, Luzon should have power reserves of at least 1,200 MW, to enable it to address any temporary shortages.
The Visayas grid has gross power reserves of 58 MW while the supply deficit of the Mindanao grid remained dismal at 679 MW. Read the rest of the story.
Posted in Blog Posts | Tagged energy, Filipinos, life in the Philippines
By Administrator on March 5, 2010
Davao City is the third largest metro area in the Philippines. Read about the proposed wage increase below:
Davao City (3 March) — Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP) representative Raymond Mendoza filed a petition for a P75 cross-the-board wage increase in Region XI yesterday to the Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board (RTWPB).
In a press conference, Mendoza bared that the petition is a non-negotiable matter as the TUCP already tolerated no wage increase in 2009.
The last wage hike was approved in May 2008 and TUCP did not push for a wage hike in the following year understanding the plight of employers affected by the financial crisis.
However, with the skyrocketing prices of basic goods and services and the expected increase in the charges of power and water, TUCP now pushes for an across-the-board P75 increase and the integration of the Cost of Living Allowance into the basic wage.
“Workers have not raised their living standards for decades while other sectors have accumulated more and more of the country’s incomes and wealth”, said Mendoza. Read the rest of the story…
Posted in Blog Posts | Tagged economics, government, news
By Administrator on March 4, 2010
The Business Mirror reports that brownouts continue to be a problem for Luzon, the main island of the Philippines.
The power supply in the Luzon grid is again in a precarious state, contrary to claims of the Department of Energy (DOE) that power supply is more than enough to provide electricity to households up to June. Read the whole story.
Meanwhile, the Manila Times reports on the Mindanao power crisis:
THE House Energy Committee on Monday has greenlighted the passage of a resolution calling for a special joint session that will grant President Gloria Arroyo additional powers, aiming to address the Mindanao power crisis. Read the whole story.
Posted in Blog Posts | Tagged energy, Luzon, Mindanao
By Administrator on March 3, 2010
Weslee was our very first scholar. He is currently attending the University of Assumption and doing well in his studies. Recently, I received this thank you note from him which I re-post with his permission. The thanks really goes out to our donors who made this sponsorship possible. Thank you all.
Hello Mr. Troutman. I am Weslee, I hope you can still remember me. I’m one of those people whom the Phil Aid Society, thru you, is helping. I just want to tell you personally my heartfelt gratitude with all the help that you are extending. You really are God’s gift not only to me but to my family. You don’t know how much help you are actually doing. I promise to do everything that I can do to make my studies even better.
May God always bless you and your family. Thank you very much, Sir…
Below is a picture of me, Weslee, and Fr. Aris Maniago, who serves on our Board of Trustees.
Posted in Blog Posts | Tagged education, scholarships, testimonies
By Administrator on March 2, 2010
Thank God there appears to have been no serious damage or casualties.
MANILA: An offshore earthquake measuring 6. 0 on the Richer scale struck eastern Philippines early Thursday morning, the government-run quake monitoring institute reported.
There is no immediate report of casualties or damages.
The quake, tectonic in origin, occurred at 02:49 am local time (1849 GMT Wednesday) and its center was located in the sea, about 156 km east of Virac, Cataduanes province with a depth of 31 km, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) said. Read the rest of the story…
Posted in Blog Posts | Tagged natural disaster, news
By Administrator on March 1, 2010
The European Commission has a new grant for P490 Million to help the country recover from lingering flood damage.
Victims of tropical cyclones “Ondoy” (Ketsana) and “Pepeng” (Parma) stand to benefit from a fresh grant of €7 million (about P490 million) in humanitarian assistance from the European Commission.
The National Disaster Coordinating Council said the grant, which the EC approved this week, is separate from the €2 million (P140 million) grant approved September 29 last year.
An article posted Friday evening on the NDCC website said this brings EC funding for Ondoy and Pepeng victims to €9 million (about P630 million).
“The extent of the suffering and damage caused by Ondoy and Pepeng had called for exceptional efforts and resilience by the national and local authorities, and by so many ordinary citizens who responded directly to help those affected by the floods and landslides. The European Commission, through its Humanitarian Aid Office (ECHO), has been happy to add its support to these efforts,” EC Head of Delegation in Manila Ambassador Alistair MacDonald said. Read the Rest of the Story
Posted in Blog Posts | Tagged natural disaster, news
By Administrator on February 27, 2010
Violence continues to plague the southern islands of the Philippines. Although Basilan is a relatively prosperous province, it has seen a fair share of violence from Islamic insurgents.
At least 11 people, including a one-year-old baby, were killed and several others were hurt when an armed group believed to be composed of members of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front and Abu Sayyaf bandits stormed a village in Maluso town in Basilan on Saturday morning, a police official said.
Chief Superintendent Bienvenido Latag, Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) police chief, said the attack happened at about 5:45 a.m. in Barangay (village) Tubigan, Maluso – a fourth class municipality in the southern Philippine island province. Read the rest of the story.
Posted in Blog Posts | Tagged news, violence
By Administrator on February 27, 2010
As a non-profit organization, Philippine Aid Society cannot endorse any politician or political party, nor do I know enough about the candidates to form an educated opinion, but the election of a pro-life president is important for the Philippines. The spiritual poverty caused by the ‘culture of death’ is far worse than financial poverty. I pray that whoever is elected this May will respect and value life from conception to natural death.
Breaking with the tradition of offering commentary on election-related moral issues without endorsing candidates, two Philippine bishops have endorsed the candidacy of John Carlos de los Reyes of the Ang Kapatiran political party.
“You can’t separate faith from political life,” de los Reyes said in October. “As a Catholic, my role is to assert my principle and values to the society.”
“I am against abortion in all cases and the use of birth control pills and condoms even among married couples,” he added. Instead, de los Reyes has supported the use of natural family planning. Read the whole story.
Posted in Blog Posts | Tagged government, morality, pro-life
By Administrator on February 25, 2010
Anti-government violence continues to plague the province of Mindanao and worsens the poverty in the Philippines. Four soldiers were recently killed in Agusan del Sur by communist rebels.
DAVAO CITY – (UPDATE 3) At least four soldiers, including a junior officer, were killed when communist rebels set off a landmine in Veruela, Agusan del Sur, the military said Thursday.
Major Randolph Cabangbang, spokesman of the military’s Eastern Mindanao Command based here, said three other government troopers and a 10-year old girl were wounded in the incident, which took place in Barangay (village) La Fortuna around 6 p.m., and the clash that ensued between soldiers and New People’s Army rebels… Read the whole story.
Posted in Blog Posts | Tagged Mindanao, news, violence
By Administrator on February 23, 2010
A recent survey found that a full 33 percent of Filipinos (Pinoys) expect their quality of life to improve over the next six months.
The SWS said only 12 percent “expect it to get worse,” resulting in a Net Personal Optimism – or the difference of Optimists over Pessimists – score of +21.
The Personal Optimism level compares to the +24 in September 2009, and a recovery from levels ranging from +17 to -6 in March 2008
to June 2009… Read the whole story…
Posted in Blog Posts | Tagged economics, Filipinos, life in the Philippines
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