With or without the support of Catanduanes Congressman-elect Eulogio Rodriguez, the National Grid Corp. of the Philippines (NGCP) is intent on developing the P9.5-billion Camarines Sur-Catanduanes interconnection project (CCIP), the Bilyonaryo Facebook page said last Sunday.
Controlled by tycoons Henry Sy Jr. and Robert Coyiuto, Jr., NGCP has sought approval from the Energy Regulatory Commission for interconnection to support the load growth and demand of the Catanduanes Island.
Under the proposed project, NGCP will lay down submarine cables and install overhead transmission lines including the 230 kv Naga-Presentacion kV transmission line, four 69 kV transmission lines and six 69 kV substations.
According to NGCP, peak demand in Catanduanes has grown to 15 megawatts in 2020 as against supply of only 10.18 MW.
“The implementation of a long-term solution for a reliable and competitive power supply must commence as early as possible. Considering that NGCP needs 48 months to fully complete the CCIP, the implementation must commence immediately. Thus, the prayer for the issuance of provisional authority,” the company said.
“NGCP’s mandate is to ensure that all capacities are capable of being delivered to load centers across the Philippines. It is important that we remain ahead of the curve by ensuring that lines are more than capable of delivering incoming power. NGCP is dedicated to doing its part in ensuring energy stability and resiliency, by making sure the power highways are always ready,” the country’s grid operator said in its filing, as quoted by Bilyonaryo.
Soon after his victory in the May 9, 2022 victory, Rodriguez was quoted as saying that it was not yet the right time to pursue the grid interconnection project, the correct term for the submarine power cable project pushed by Cong. Hector Sanchez.
Naughty observers in the power industry had speculated that the former Bato mayor must have had a very big reason for not supporting the NGCP project.
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Last week, the Tribune requested the Provincial Nutrition Office for information on the eOPT Plus 2022 report on the nutritional status of children in Catanduanes.
The request was prompted by the fact that the same office rendered the same report during the June 14, 2022 meeting of the Catanduanes Development Council chaired by Gov. Joseph Cua.
We simply wanted the nutrition office, or whoever had the data, to supplement the statistics with the interventions or programs that the agency and its partners are implementing to address the long-standing issue of malnutrition among young Catandunganons.
Thus, this writer was surprised and taken aback to learn that the nutrition office is requiring the Tribune to submit a letter addressed to the governor, attention to Ms. Marites M. Curativo, Provincial Nutrition Action Officer, Nutrition Officer IV, specifying the type of data needed.
Has the provincial government classified nutrition data as “top secret” that the local media needs to secure the approval of the chief executive?
Why is the nutrition office so protective of its data and activities when it should be doing the opposite – enlightening the public, through the media, on what the Cua administration is doing on malnutrition that remains prevalent despite the efforts of the nutrition office over the past decades?
This attitude and aloof relationship with the media is so unlike that of the other capitol offices, including the PSWDO which has not held back on information it needs to share with the public.
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UNLIMITED LIQUOR. It was only discovered after takeoff, when the flight attendants started going through their preparations for the meals, that the plane was carrying only 200 dinners for its 400 passengers.
The airline had bungled, and the crew was in a fix. However, one smart flight attendant had an idea.
A couple of hours into the flight, she nervously announced, “Ladies and gentlemen; we don’t know how this happened, but we have over 400 people on board, but only 200 dinners. Anyone who is kind enough to give up their meal to someone else, will receive unlimited free liquor for the duration of the flight!”
Her next announcement came six hours later.
“Ladies and gentlemen, if anyone wants to change their mind, we still have 180 dinners available.”
At the trial, the engineer insisted that he had given the driver ample warning by waving his lantern back and forth for nearly a minute. He even stood and convincingly demonstrated how he’d done it. The court believed his story, and the suit was dismissed.
“Congratulations,” the lawyer said to the engineer when it was over. “You did superbly under cross-examination.”
“Thanks,” he said, “but the plaintiff’s lawyer sure had me worried.”
“How’s that?” the lawyer asked.
“I was afraid he was going to ask if the lantern was lit!”
To help someone before they commit a crime means you are their accomplice.
To help someone after they commit a crime means you are their attorney.
lossing Over a Criminal in the Family Tree
The Taylors were proud of their family tradition. Their ancestors had traveled to America as pilgrims on the Mayflower. They had included congressmen, successful entrepreneurs, famous sports figures and television stars. They decided to research and write a family history, something for their children and grandchildren. They found a genealogist and writer to help them. Only one problem arose: how to handle great uncle Jefferson Taylor who was executed in the electric chair. The writer said she could handle the story tactfully. When the book appeared the section about Jefferson read: Great uncle Jefferson Taylor occupied a chair of applied electronics at an important government institution. He was attached to his position by the strongest of ties, and his death came as a great shock.