OLONGAPO CITY — A regional trial court here dismissed a petition filed by a company inside the Subic Bay Freeport that challenged a requirement made by the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) for investors to sign an integrity pledge.

Investors at Subic Bay Freeport have one less requirement to complete with the removal of the integrity pledge. —NIÑO JESUS ORBETA

In his order issued on July 26, Judge Raymond Viray of RTC Branch 75 said the petition was rendered moot and academic after the SBMA removed the integrity pledge as a prerequisite for business registration and renewal of permit. Viray said the SBMA asked the court to dismiss the petition of Brighterday Subic Ltd. Inc., saying the agency had already removed the integrity pledge from its business requirements.

The SBMA described the integrity pledge as a commitment to ethical business practices and good corporate governance.But on May 23, the SBMA board of directors passed a resolution which removed the integrity pledge from the prerequisites in obtaining a certificate of registration and tax exemption.

Instead, the board decided to make the integrity pledge a voluntary document as a “good governance practice.” The petition was filed in December last year.

Brighterday chair, Mark Dayrit, complained to the court that free port investors were being “coerced and forced” to sign the integrity pledge for their business operations to continue.
They were previously required to submit the signed integrity pledge at least a week before the renewal or issuance of their business permits.

– Allan Macatuno

First Published: newsinfo.inquirer.net

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Art Gallery na nagtatampok sa mga obra ng Olongapo-based artist na si Farley del Rosario, dinarayo ngayon sa Libis.

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CAMP OLIVAS, Pampanga — The Olongapo City police was chosen as Best City Police Office of Central Luzon.

By Ric Sapnu

PAMPANGA. Angeles City Mayor Edgardo Pamintuan presented certificates of commendation to the Angeles City Police Office and the respective station commanders for their bravery in conducting different operations resulting to the arrest of wanted personalities in their areas of responsibilities.

The award was given during Monday’s flag raising ceremony here in connection with the month long celebration of the 22nd Police Community Relations (PCR) Month themed “ Police and Community: Sharing Responsibility, Taking Action in Unity.”

Director Rodolfo Santos, director of the National Police Commission (Napolcom) was the guest of honor and speaker during the celebration. It was highlighted by the presentation of awards and recognition to deserving PCR commissioned and non-commissioned PNP personnel and offices and units that supported and contributed to various PCR activities within Central Luzon.

Other awardees were for individual awards: Superintendent Bayani Razalan, chief of Tarlac Police Community Relations branch; Superintendent Avelina De Guzman, Olongapo Police Community Relations branch; Chief Inspector Jovy Arcea, chief of police of Bamban; Senior Police Officer 1 (SPO1) Lorilyn Cuarton, Dinalungan of Aurora police station; PO2 Carol Capinpin, Tarlac CPS, Tarlac PPO; PO1 Juan Carlos C Ventura, Olongapo CPO.

Unit awards were given to Aurora PPO headed by Senior Superintendent Randolf Balonglong, and Olongapo City Police Office headed by Senior Superintendent Melchor Cabalza. The month-long celebration includes different activities that highlighted the importance of a solid partnership between the police and the community in the effective maintenance of peace and order and community development. The month of July is declared as Police Community Relations Month with the National Police Commission as its lead agency.

First Published: sunstar.com.ph

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A solar power company located in this free port is now providing the means for power consumers to produce their own electric power supply and sell the excess power generated from their solar panels.

Bandacorp Solar Inc. (Bandasolar) officials said with the net-metering program already in effect, residents of Olongapo City would be able to install an on-site Renewable Energy (RE) facility, produce power for their own consumption, and even sell their excess electricity to distribution utilities. The firm, which provides environment-friendly solar panels and cost-efficient light-emitting diode (LED) lamps to cut down power bills by up to 50 percent, banks on the net-metering program to draw this advantage.

Bandacorp Solar Inc. (Bandasolar) officials said with the net-metering program already in effect, residents of Olongapo City would be able to install an on-site Renewable Energy (RE) facility, produce power for their own consumption, and even sell their excess electricity to distribution utilities.
The firm, which provides environment-friendly solar panels and cost-efficient light-emitting diode (LED) lamps to cut down power bills by up to 50 percent, banks on the net-metering program to draw this advantage.

Net-metering allows power users to install wind or solar power stations not exceeding 100 kilowatts (kW) in capacity for their own use. The electricity that was not consumed is automatically fed to the Olongapo Electricity Distribution Company (OEDC) system where they are paid as “generation cost.”

The OEDC computes the amount of excess power fed to system and then deducts the total from the consumer’s next electricity bill, thus lowering the cost.

Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) Administrator Wilma Eisma lauded the Subic company for its support in the government’s renewable energy program and for encouraging local households and businesses to play an active role in alternative energy production.

“This is what Subic is all about—innovation and public service,” Eisma said. “Bandasolar not only helps power consumers minimize the use of expensive conventional power energy fuels, and thus save on their power bills, it also helps protect the environment and preserve natural energy sources,” she added.

Bandasolar is accredited by the Department of Energy to design and supply equipment for solar-powered systems for commercial, government, industrial and residential customers. The firm is offering free consultation at their showroom-office along Sampson Road in the Subic Bay Freeport for those who wish to know more about solar-power generation.

Bandasolar also offers a line of energy-saving devices ranging from air-conditioning system to solar street lights, solar water heater, and even home and industrial solar-lighting solutions.

Among the companies in Subic Freeport that already use solar power or LED lamps are Ocean Adventure marine theme park; gastight plastic storage manufacturer GrainPro; packaging manufacturer PACTEC; the testing and certification firm SGS; and ink solution provider Printing Images CtC, Inc.

Bandasolar has also installed solar facilities for some residences at the Kalayaan and Binictican housing areas in the Subic Bay Freeport, and undertaken similar projects in Zambales, Pampanga, Batangas, and Ilocos Sur under the net-metering scheme.

Already implemented in some countries around the world, the net metering scheme in the Philippines is governed by Republic Act 9513, otherwise known as the Renewable Energy Act of 2008, and implemented through the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) in consultation with the National Renewable Energy Board (NREB)

First Published: subicnewslink.blogspot.com

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Is power producer AES Corp. selling its majority stakes in the 630-MW Masinloc Power Plant in Masinloc, Zambales?

By Patrick Roxas

According to a report published in the power philippines website last month, AES is thinking of giving up its 51 percent controlling interest in the Masinloc coal fired power asset.

AES acquired the majority shares of the coal-fired power plant in a $930 million bid in 2008.

Thailand’s Electricity Generating Public Co. Ltd. bought 41 percent of its stake in 2014 and the remaining 8 percent is owned by the World Bank’s International Finance Corp.

AES’ move reportedly made major local power utilities such as Manila Electric Co. (Meralco) and AboitizPower to also make plans of acquisition in the Masinloc unit.

Both have expressed strong interest and are already preparing to study their participation as soon as the sale is formally announced, the report said.

Ayala’s energy unit AC Energy Holdings Inc. was also reported to be contemplating to buy the AES asset but decided to review the controlling stake first before participating in the sale.

“The process has not started yet,” Meralco president Oscar Reyes has been quoted saying. “It’s up to them… but we have to do all the necessary due diligence.

“AES is an existing, operating generating company. In a sense, you already have something that is potentially cash and income accretive to the business.”

Meralco PowerGen (MGen), Meralco’s generator facility prior to the Retail Competition and Open Access regime, can greatly benefit in earning the Masinloc asset considering that it doesn’t have an existing power plant yet.

AboitizPower appears to be waiting as well for AES Corp. to issue a process letter as they have participated in a similar unit sale, specifically when the Masinloc plant was then operated by the national government, way back in late 2000.

The Masinloc Coal-Fired Thermal Power Plant is located at Barangay Bani in Masinloc, and takes up onshore and reclaimed areas and properties.

It utilizes refined coals from Australia, China, and Indonesia. It was previously owned by the National Power Corporation (NAPOCOR) but was privatized by an international bidding procedure under the Electric Power Industry Reform Act (EPIRA).

AES, through Masinloc Power Partners Co. Ltd., completed the $930 million purchase and transfer of assets of the 600 MW Masinloc Coal-Fired Thermal Power Plant.

The acquisition was a key component of AES’s strategy to invest in areas where there is a significant need for new capacity and offers the company an excellent entry point into the growing Philippine economy through one of the lowest cost base-load plants in the system.

The Masinloc project is a particularly attractive investment because the existing facility has the infrastructure in place to allow AES to add an additional 600 MW of generation capacity.

As it has done through similar acquisitions in other parts of the world, the company expects to improve the overall efficiency and output of the existing plant, providing more reliable energy to the Philippine market.

Originally constructed in 1998, the plant uses coal from a variety of sources in the Pacific Rim. Through this acquisition, AES now operates the Philippines’ first privatized thermal plant.

The Masinloc Power Partners Co. Ltd of AES owns the base-load pulverized coal-fired power plant. The plant consists of two 300 MW units, each with an identical drum type forced re-circulation boiler. The plant began operating in 1998.

During the 1980s and early 1990s, the Philippines’ power sector suffered major electricity supply shortages. In response to the shortages, the NAPOCOR invested substantially in costly fast-track diesel and oil-fired power plants, implemented new public sector generation projects including Masinloc, and completed 27 contracts for construction of independent power plants.

By 1994, the power supply crisis had receded. The subsequent increases in excess generation capacity rapidly undermined the finances of the power supply industry.

The government’s solution was to embark on an ambitious program of privatization and reform. The pivotal changes were initiated in 2001, when the government passed the EPIRA, which provided the basis for transforming the electricity sector from one with significant public sector ownership and operation of key components (generation and transmission) into one that is now largely privately owned and operated with significant and growing competition.

A complementary objective of the reforms was the privatization of state-owned generation assets to help establish several independent and competitive generators, and use the proceeds to reduce the Philippines’ national debt.

The 2001 act set ambitious targets for privatization of state-owned generation assets that envisioned the sale of 70% of the state’s power plants to the private sector by June 2004.

The act also provided for the creation of a competitive wholesale electricity spot market (WESM). By 2005, the program was clearly faltering, following the failure of initial attempts to sell two major power plants.

However, in 2006, the planned WESM commenced operations and in 2007, a second attempt to sell Masinloc, together with several existing power sales contracts between Masinloc and its customers, was successful.

Masinloc Power Partners Company Ltd. (MPPCL) won the tender at a price of $930 million. MPPCL’s ultimate parent was the global power company AES, based in the United States.

MPPCL subsequently gave the International Finance Corporation a mandate to raise the capital needed to finance the project. ADB agreed to help cofinance the project.

First Published: subicsun.com

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