CEBU CITY, Philippines – Power distribution utility firm Visayan Electric Company (Veco) announced Friday it will officially be giving a five percent discount for senior citizens here this month for their electricity consumption.

The Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) released the implementing rules and regulations (IRR) last January 5, a Veco statement read. As required by law, 15 days after the publication of the IRR in two newspapers of general circulation, power distribution utilities like Veco can start granting the discounts.

The IRRs sets the scope and limitations of the relevant legal provisions, including qualifications of senior citizen-grantees and, thus, avoid conflict in respect of the interpretation and application of the law.

"This will be a welcome development for our Senior Citizens, although this added service is Veco's way of complying with existing laws," said Veco corporate communications head Ethel Natera, referring to Republic Act (RA) 9994 or the “Expanded Senior Citizens Act of 2010."

Under Section 4 (a) of RA 9994, it grants a five percent discount on the electricity consumption of senior citizens, and Section 5 (d) grants at least 50 percent discount to qualified senior citizens’ center and residual care/group homes. (Malou Mozo)

STABLE POWER SUPPLY EYED

ILOILO CITY, Philippines (PNA) – Western Visayas is expected to enjoy a stable power supply by end of the first quarter of this year.

Engineer Rey Maleza, supervisor of the Energy Industry Management Division of the Department of Energy-Visayas, said that the presence of three plants namely Panay Energy Development Corporation (PEDC), Salcon Power Corporation (SPC), all in Iloilo, and the National Power Corporation (Napocor), grid had contributed much for the region to the attainment of a stable power supply.

The PEDC commenced its commercial market for its 82-megawatt coal plant after December 25. SPC, on the other hand, is ready with its 70 megawatts, but so far, around 20 megawatts have been tapped.

Maleza said that they will try to work things out so that other power utilities would be able to benefit from the available power supply.

He hoped that by end of this quarter the power situation will already be stable if they can come up with agreements or arrangements between power suppliers and electric utilities.

NEGROS FARMERS UNDERGO TRAINING

NEGROS OCC., Philippines – “The concern of government on the plight of farmers is not just lip-service, it’s real,” says Nestor Servando, a farmer-leader of Barangay Oringao, Kabankalan City, Negros Occidental.

Servando was one of more than 100 graduates of the Science and Technology Training for the Development of a Sustainable Corn Industry in Negros Occidental held last month at the Negros State College of Agriculture (NSCA) in Kabankalan.

He claimed that the first-ever Negros tripartite training was an eye-opener to him and he learned a lot since the session tackled the basics of corn and the language used was simple.

“What I really like is the coming and working together of farmers, academicians, and technicians on teaching and learning corn technology.

Our instructors learned from our ideas and experiences while we learned appropriate technology and interventions from them,” said the 46-year-old farmer.

“I will use this knowledge on increasing production and income to have enough money to spend for the schooling of my seven children,” said Servando.

“I will also share this knowledge with my fellow farmers,” he added. Meanwhile, Alejandro Nalagon, a 32-year-old agriculture graduate who works as a guard at the NSCA, said the first part of the year-round training on corn was like one year of studying agriculture. (Marvyn Benaning)