Official Blog

GENERAL SANTOS CITY -- The South Cotabato II Electric Cooperative (SOCOTECO II) reiterates its vision toward power stability while allaying the fears of city officials and worried residents here over a “large-scale” brownout. Socoteco II management said it continues to coordinate and collaborate with the city government officials to discuss possible measure that would deter any more long power outages. This amid the National Power Corporation or NPC’s recent advisory announcing the 90 MW energy shortage in the Mindanao power grid due to ongoing preventive maintenance work on one of its coal plants.

Socoteco II general manager Rodolfo Ocat said the city government’s vision of “sustainable power supply” also epitomizes the company’s direction toward power stability for its consumers. Briefing City Mayor Ronnel Rivera of GenSan’s current power situation, Ocat assured the mayor of the possibility of no brownouts citing the cooperative’s venturing into many more projects if only to concretize the goal of “no brownouts” in line with the city government’s power sustainability program. Rivera, on this note, commended the cooperatives’ efforts to stabilize the supply of energy noting its commitment and openness to many strategies and new schemes for the welfare of its member-consumers.

To augment its energy supply, Socoteco II has recently forged a contract deal with SOEnergy International for the diesel-fired modular generator sets aside from its existing partnership pacts with Therma Marine, Incorporated and Mapalad Power Corporation. Both local energy suppliers provide 30 MW of power to Socoteco II. SOEnergy, on the other hand, is a large-scale energy solutions provider based in Miami, Florida, USA leasing for two years to Socoteco II the modular generator units.

Vickie Fernandez, Socoteco II public relations officer told PIA General Santos that the modular generator sets are now ready for use having been delivered in June this year and installed at Socoteco’s property-owned compound at New Society, Barangay Apopong here. She said Socoteco II signed the power sales agreement (PSA) with SoEnergy last May. Among the vital provisions covered in the PSA, Fernandez said include the operationalization of the modular units and the generation of 15 MW of embedded power supplies for Socoteco.

When asked of the new possible power rates as a result of PSA signing, Fernandez said its implementation has yet to begin pending approval from the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC).We are just waiting for the go signal from the commission, she added saying the ERC is thoroughly assessing, evaluating, and studying still the documents they submitted. Earlier, the cooperative said that it will look into the implementation of the so-called Interruptible Load Program (ILP) in the city tapping major industrial and huge commercial establishments enrolled in the scheme here to help generate some megawatts of power for its member-consumers.

Socoteco II believes that sharing a power load to the residents is part of the corporate social responsibility of big corporations in this area. It also urges all power consumers to implement an individual energy conservation effort at homes so they themselves can do their share in attaining the goal of no brownouts in GenSan.

Reported by Catherine T. Apelacio

KORONADAL CITY, South Cotabato -- Three farmers, a professor-scientist, and two farmer groups from Soccsksargen Region are in for the final stretch of the 2013 National Gawad Saka Search, the Department of Agriculture 12 announced today. DA 12 Regional Executive Director Amalia-Jayag Datukan said the regional office endorsed 11 nominees to the department’s annual nationwide search for individuals and institutions whose exemplary works have contributed to the country’s agricultural development. Datukan identified the farmer finalists from Region 12 as Merlito Ancheta for outstanding sugarcane farmer category, Dr. Melchor Serquiña for coconut farmer category and Leonardo Primne Jr. for fisherfolk category.

GENERAL SANTOS CITY -- More than 200 farmers from South Cotabato, Sarangani and General Santos City (SocSarGen) joined in the recent launching here of the search and award for The Outstanding Farmers (TOFARM) of the Philippines. TOFARM is an award program of the Junior Chamber International Philippines (JCIP) and the Universal Harvester, Incorporated (UHI) “in recognition of the resiliency, ingenuity, and the strength of our hard working Filipino farmers.”

KORONADAL CITY, South Cotabato -- Around 290 flood victims from two barangays of Isulan received relief food packs of noodles, rice, bottled water, canned goods and some milk from home-based non-government organization. The Rotary Club of Isulan distributed Tuesday, relief goods to affected families of the flood that left rice fields and homes underwater in the two barangays of Isulan, Sultan Kudarat on Sunday.

KORONADAL CITY, South Cotabato -- The Department of Agrarian Reform in South Cotabato has signed a memorandum of agreement with state-run Mindanao State University in General Santos City to prepare agrarian reform beneficiary organizations (ARBO) before they are granted assistance. Provincial Agrarian Reform Officer II Felix Frias said the MOA he signed with MSU-Gensan Campus Chancellor Atty. Abdulrrahman T. Canacan on July 23 would help beneficiaries in managing their enterprises.

KORONADAL CITY, South Cotabato -- Fifteen weather devices have recently been installed in different parts of Soccsksargen Region, according to the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) 12. Dr. Zenaida Hadji Raof Laidan, regional director of DOST 12, the installation of the weather tracking devices form part of the continuing nationwide effort to mitigate disasters and hazards due to typhoons and heavy rains. Laidan said, these included seven Automated Rain Gauges (ARG), four Automated Weather Stations (AWS), and four Water Level Monitoring System (WLMS).

GENERAL SANTOS CITY, (PIA) -- Newly-installed city mayor Ronnel Rivera vowed to fulfill his campaign platforms as he assured his Muslim constituents here of his support. This, he said as he attended a Muslim thanksgiving "Kanduri,' organized by residents of Purok Islam in Barangay South for the newly-installed city officials, Wednesday, July 3. The Muslim leaders urged the mayor to include the Muslim community in his development agenda and give their priority needs utmost attention.