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THE poor power supply in Cebu today, whose immediate cause is downtime during preventive maintenance of power-generating plants, requires careful planning to ensure a stable power supply in the future.
Cebu is lucky or unlucky, depending on whether you?re an industrialist or an environmentalist, that the government is allowing the Korean Electric Company -Salcon and Cebu Energy (Global) to construct three 82-megawatt coal-fired power plants, the first of which will be commissioned on February 14. This will surely ease the power shortage in this part of the country.
I think government should be creative enough to encourage the private sector to put up power plants in Cebu, using technologies that are not disastrous to the environment. Enough of coal-fired power plants because whether we like it or not, coal burners will always be controversial because of its toxic components.
On the other hand, renewable energy may not be reliable sources. Wind turbines, for instance, require a certain velocity of wind in order to work. In Ilocos, wind power is not very reliable. At most, only 30 percent of the capacity could be tapped. Another source is solar engergy but it?s costly and needs a huge surface area to tap solar energy, especially if we are talking of about hundreds of megawatts.
In the last 888 New Forum, Dr. Ramon del Fierro, dean of arts and sciences at the University of San Carlos, proposed a serious study on the viability of tapping nuclear energy, which is considered reliable, with countless success stories to back it up in many industrialized countries in the world. Sadly, what sticks to our mind is the Chernobyl disaster.
I would like to agree with my high school classmate, Ramon, who is also a scientist. It?s about time we took a second look at nuclear energy as a source of electricity. I understand there are efforts in the House of Representatives, headed by Rep. Mark Cojuangco, to push for the rehabilitation of the Bataan Nuclear Power Plant, which, according to Kepco, needs about $1 billion.
Metro Manila, like Cebu, is experiencing rotating brownouts. I suggest that we look into nuclear energy in an unemotional manner for the sake of our country?s economy, taking into consideration the environment, the financial cost and, most importantly, the graft-free planning and implementation of the rehabilitation of the BNPP and the construction of other nuclear power plants in key parts of the country.
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The latest Pulse Asia survey that shows presidential candidates Noynoy Aquino and Manny Villar in a statistically tied is an early wakeup call for Noynoy and the Liberal Party. Luckily for Noynoy, the survey result comes before the start of the official campaign period, giving his camp enough time to adjust their campaign strategies.
Manny Villar?s strategy of flooding radio and TV air lanes with infomercials is considered a major factor in the rise of his survey ratings, considering that he has tapped practically all sectors of the community, even the children and comedian Dolphy, for his infomercials. The C5 controversy seems no match for his well-funded and well-conceptualized PR job.
I think Manny?s communication committee is smarter than Noynoy?s, being able to read the minds of the people and sending the right messages to viewers. But perhaps it also boils down to the campaign kitty. I could just imagine the enormous budget needed to bankroll an infomercial that runs during every commercial break in major TV stations. I was told 30 seconds of airtime costs P220,000 and Manny has no less than 20 infomercials a day.
On the other hand, that really bugs some viewers. Manny has spent a fortune on his presidential bid so where is he getting the money for that? If he wins the election, how will he recoup the money he spent, being the excellent businessman that he is?
The Philippine Daily Inquirer noted that Manny?s infomercials say they are ?paid for by friends of Manny Villar? but exactly who are these friends? If there are friends who can bankrolls these infomericals, what sweetheart deals do they expect from Manny if he becomes president?
Some viewers find the frequency of Manny?s ads scandalous, if one considers how the money he spent could already provide shelter, food and basic services to the poor he wants to serve. They ask: if Manny is really spending billions to get elected and wants nothing in return but the opportunity to serve poor Filipinos as president, then that?s some charity work. Tony Meloto of Gawad Kalinga has done a lot with less money and with no lust for power.
