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Stronger intellectual property education seen

THE Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHL) expects a stronger intellectual property (IP) education in law schools across the country through its partnership with the Legal Education Board (LEB).

In a statement on Thursday, the IPOPHL said its IP Academy partnered with the LEB to promote IP via training, education, and research programs within the legal community.

The partnership was formalized with the signing of a memorandum of agreement between IPOPHL Director General Rowel S. Barba and LEB Chairperson Anna Marie Melanie B. Trinidad.

IP Academy is the IPOPHL’s unit engaged in promoting IP education, professionalization, and research.

“With the emergence of new technologies such as artificial intelligence, biotechnology and other brainchildren of innovators, IP protection has been becoming more complex. These technologies have already shown their potential to manifest change and with it, the creation of new legal issues that require expertise in IP law,” Ms. Trinidad said.

According to the IPOPHL, a technical working group will be formed consisting of IPOPHL and LEB representatives that will implement action plans to support the partners’ objectives once a roadmap has been formulated.

IP Academy Director-in-Charge Frederick P. Romero said the partnership allows the crafting of laws adopting IP policies that promote IP awareness, respect, and enforcement in institutions.

“One way to know that we have effectively maximized this partnership is when we see an increasing number of legal professionals in the Philippines specializing in IP. We will begin to see these effects once we achieve a strengthened education system that students and professionals can depend on to enhance their competence and confidence in IP,” Mr. Romero said. — Revin Mikhael D. Ochave

Stuff to Do (02/17/23)

Art Fair Philippines 2023 will once again transform The Link carpark in Makati City into a multi-level art exhibition venue

Art Fair Philippines returns to The Link

ART FAIR Philippines is back in its home venue, The Link carpark at Ayala Center, Makati, on Feb. 17 to 19. Now on its 10th year, this year’s fair will feature a “new biophilic design.” The fair will have 63 exhibitors from the Philippines and overseas. General admission tickets are P350, while students get discounted tickets at P50, and Makati students at P100. This year Art Fair Philippines introduces a new section that focuses on digital media, computer technology, animation, virtual or augmented reality, the metaverse, and Non-Fungible Tokens. Co-presented by BPI and located at The Link’s Roof Deck, artists mounting special exhibits include Faye Abantao, Kiko Escora, Mark Andy Garcia, Raymond Guevarra, Pow Martinez, Yeo Kaa, and Peter Zimmerman. Wawi Navarroza’s self-portraits feature in a survey of Southeast Asian photography. There are several more special exhibits. There will also be ArtFairPH/Talks, ArtFairPH/Workshops, which focuses this year on digital art, and ArtFairPH/Film. Also complementing the fair is the “10 Days of Art” initiative, which started Feb. 10 and will run until Feb. 19. This series of events around the Makati Central Business District — with participation by galleries, museums, bars, restaurants, and retail establishments — celebrates art beyond the venue of the fair. For more information, visit the Art Fair Philippines www.artfairphilippines.com.
   

The Japan Fiesta returns onsite

FANS interested in Japanese pop culture can check out Japan Fiesta on Feb. 18 and 19 at the  and Palm Drive Activity Center at the Ayala Center, Makati. With the goal of strengthening the friendship between Japan and the Philippines, the Japan Fiesta Council gathers major airlines and travel agencies that offer trips to Japan. Visitors can book their tickets, schedule their tours, and buy their travel essentials from the council’s partner airlines and agencies during the event.  Meanwhile, there will also be food booths that offer Japanese snacks and beverages. There will also be performances by Namahage Satokagura, the Taiko Drummers, and a guest performer from Japan. OtaCutE, on the other hand, will take Japan Fiesta visitors to the world of cosplay through various stage and booth activities. There will also be performances by the all-girl groups MNL48 and R RULES, as well as through a special appearance of half-Japanese beauty queen Yana Fuentes. To discover more about Japan Fiesta 2023 at Glorietta, visit its official website at www.japanfiesta.ph and its Facebook page at Japan Fiesta PH.    

  

Round table on Intramuros rehab    

ON FEB. 19, 2 p.m., at the Intramuros branch of Instituto Cervantes de Manila, there will be a round table discussion on the building proposals submitted by Filipino architecture students as part of contest to design a residential building for a vacant lot in Intramuros. The judges will be discussing the projects that won first, second, and third prize. The judges are architects Gerard Lico from the University of the Philippines, Rino Fernandez from the University of Santo Tomás, Michael Manalo from the National Commission for Culture and the Arts, and Rancho Arcilla, the Chairperson of the Intramuros Technical Committee on Architectural Standards. The winners came from the Technological University of the Philippines, the University of Northern Philippines, and Mapua University. Admission to the discussion is free. “Rehabilitación de Intramuros: Round table discussion on the proposals submitted by Filipino students in the framework of the EULAT program” is organized by Instituto Cervantes in collaboration with the Embassy of Spain, and AECID. For details e-mail cenmni@cervantes.es or follow the Instituto Cervantes on social media. The Instituto Cervantes’ Intramuros branch is located along Calle Real, Plaza San Luis, Intramuros, Manila.

Gigi De Lana live

SINGER Gigi De Lana and the Gigi Vibes band are headlining a concert called G Rules at The Theatre at Solaire on Feb. 18, 8 p.m. After the success of their Domination concert tour last year in Manila, the Middle East, and the US, Ms. De Lana and her bandmates — Jon Cruz (musical director, keyboard), Jake Manalo (bass), Julius Traqueña (guitar), and Romeo Marquez (drums) — will perform their original songs and song covers. Presented by ABS-CBN Events and Solaire Resort Entertainment City, ticket prices range from P1,620 to P6,480. Available on ticketworld.com.ph and the Solaire Box Office.

PETA’s Walang Aray premieres this weekend

THE PHILIPPINE Educational Theater Association (PETA) is to full live performances in the theater with a new original Filipino musical, Rody Vera’s Walang Aray. Presented by PETA with Indie.Go Media, Walang Aray is a genre-defying adaptation of the screenplay Walang Aray, based on Severino Reyes’ classic zarsuela, Walang Sugat. The musical mashes the timeless classic with contemporary language, funk and pop tunes, and tongue-in-cheek humor. This old-meets-new production is directed by Ian Segarra, with original music by Vince Lim, and caps PETA’s emerald year. Walang Aray runs at the PETA-Phinma Theater, PETA Theater Center, New Manila, Quezon City, from Feb. 17 to May 14. For partnerships and show-buying inquiries, contact Mitch Go at 0917-539-1112 or e-mail PETA at petatheater@gmail.com.

TP’s Ang Pag-uusig premieres this weekend

TANGHALANG Pilipino (TP) presents Ang Pag-uusig on Feb. 17 to March 12 at the Black Box Theater of the Cultural Center of the Philippines. Ang Pag-uusig is a Filipino translation of the Tony Award-winning play The Crucible by Arthur Miller. The show features TP’s senior actors Marco Viaña, Lhorvie Nuevo, Toni Go, and Jonathan Tadioan. The Crucible used the setting of the Salem witch trials in the 1690s to comment on the United States government’s persecution in the 1950s of people accused of being communist. Ang Pag-uusig in turn, uses The Crucible to comment on the Philippine situation. For more information, visit https://www.facebook.com/tanghalangpilipino.

Bridal fair at Newport World Resorts

NEWPORT World Resorts celebrates all kinds of love with the return of its special Valentine’s event, “Royal Weddings,” a showcase of some of the most beautiful bridal gowns, a wedding fashion show, a fair for wedding essentials, and more. From Feb. 12 to 19, the Royal Weddings Exhibit will be on view at the Newport Mall. The Haute Couture Gown Exhibit includes dresses made by Mak Tumang, Amir Sali, Val Taguba, Albert Andrada, Boy Kastner, Pat Santos, Pablo Cabahug, Yeye Pantaleon, Jazel Sy, Edwin Uy, and Leo Almodal. Emerging designers in the industry also showcase a collection of wedding gowns at The Grove 2F Newport Mall. The Royal Weddings Fair will run from Feb. 16 to 18 at The Plaza 2F Newport Mall. All wedding essentials will be found in one place, from wedding rings, giveaways, to catering, cakes, make-up, lights and sounds, and more. On offer are special wedding packages from Newport World Resorts’ international hotel brands Hilton Manila, Holiday Inn Express Manila, Manila Marriott Hotel, and Sheraton Manila Hotel, along with Winford Manila Resort and Casino and Belmont Boracay. On Feb. 18, beauty stylists Daniel Forro, Ralph Dela Cruz, Almira Presentation, Dann General-Seterra, and Pamzkie Luna demonstrate the art of bringing out the bride’s most beautiful look in the Bridal Beauty Hair and Makeup Showcase. This includes a fashion show featuring the bridal collection of premiere couture designer Pat Santos. For the finale, the Royal Wedding Fashion Show gathers local designers to present their wedding dress creations on Feb. 19. Beauty queens and fashion models will walk down the aisle wearing bridal gowns from Carl Arcusa, Ehrran Montoya, Joan Ricafuente, Sheila Marie Del Rosario, Mikee Andrei, Ulysses Caragayan, Paolo Blanco, MC Mikael Castillo, Markie Cadag, Mark Lixcel Lantican, Thian Rodriguez, Ranel Espaldon, Adam Balasa, Ryan Chris Baylen, Prisco Y Juliana, Jay Magada, Chris Egne, Edwin Uy, Jian Lasala, Mara Chua, and Nicole Santos.

PHL companies seen investing more in digital skills development

JOHN SCHNOBRICH-UNSPLASH

MORE companies in the Philippines are investing in equipping their employees with digital skills for the modern workplace, according to professional networking platform LinkedIn.

In a report on Southeast Asia, LinkedIn said companies are prioritizing learning and development to boost employee retention.

“An overwhelming majority (94%) of organizations in the region are concerned about employee retention, and 6 in 10 are providing learning opportunities to improve employee retention,” it said.

The platform said firms value soft skills and seek to help employees navigate complex work situations and boost overall productivity.

Investing in learning and development can also help develop digital literacy, entrepreneurship and innovation among firms in the Philippines, LinkedIn said.

Customer service orientation topped its list of in-demand skills in the Philippines, followed by management and communication skills.

Other sought-after skills listed include sales, critical thinking, project management, leadership, English, research and marketing.

The platform said hard skills such as research and marketing can help workers stand out and thrive in changing work environments.

LinkedIn is offering free courses on these skills on its website until March 15.

The Philippine unemployment rate eased to a three-year low of 5.4% in 2022, which is the lowest since the 5.1% posted in 2019, or before the coronavirus pandemic.

Job quality was also at a three-year low as underemployment, a measure of workers who are seeking more work, stood at 14.2%, against the 14% recorded in 2019.

“Amidst an uncertain economic climate, more companies in Southeast Asia (SEA), including in the Philippines, are investing in learning and development to stay agile and ensure their workforce is ready to optimize opportunities,” it said. — John Victor D. Ordoñez

ECB’s 50-basis-point hike in March seen to be a done deal, but May and June still undecided

LONDON — The European Central Bank (ECB) will raise its deposit rate at least twice more, taking the terminal rate to 3.25% in the second quarter, with a vast majority of economists polled by Reuters saying the greater risk is it goes even higher.

ECB President Christine Lagarde said at a news conference this month that the euro zone’s central bank would add 50 basis points (bps) to the deposit rate. Economists took her at her word, with all 57 of them polled in the Feb. 10-15 period expecting a deposit rate hike to 3% at the March 16 meeting.

The ECB will follow up on March’s move with a further 25-bp lift next quarter, medians showed, giving a terminal deposit rate of 3.25% and a refinancing rate of 3.75%. The US Federal Reserve and the Bank of England are also nearing the end of their tightening cycles.

But there was no clear consensus in the poll.

Twenty-six of 56 respondents expected a hike of 25 bps next quarter, 19 expected a 50-bp move, while nine said no move and a further two said the ECB would accelerate its pace of tightening and deliver a 75-bp increase.

In response to an additional question, an overwhelming majority — 26 of 28 — said the risk was the terminal deposit rate ends higher than they expect, rather than lower.

“Given the persistently high underlying inflation pressures, the risk for our ECB call is skewed to the upside,” analysts at DWS Group said.

As well as raising the deposit rate by 50 bps, the ECB will do the same with the refinancing rate next month, taking it from 3% to 3.5%, the poll showed.

“March is more or less basically a done deal. There will now be a lot of competing about what happens in May,” said Melanie Debono at Pantheon Macroeconomics.

Pierre Wunsch, head of the National Bank of Belgium and a member of the ECB Governing Council, said earlier this month that rate hikes could exceed market expectations. Markets are currently pricing in a terminal deposit rate of 3.50%.

Inflation in the 20 countries using the euro fell to an annual rate of 8.5% last month from 9.2% in December, official data showed. While the poll suggested it would continue to fall, it was not expected to reach the ECB’s 2% target until 2025 at least.

Given a host of positive developments in recent months, inflation could fall faster than earlier thought, ECB policy maker and Bank of Spain Governor Pablo Hernandez de Cos said on Wednesday.

Still, none of the 22 respondents to another question said the ECB would cut rates this year.

Despite soaring costs consumers have continued spending and the economy expanded 0.1% last quarter. While the poll said it would contract 0.2% this quarter, it was expected to eke out 0.1% growth in the second quarter, dodging the technical definition of recession.

The first-quarter prediction was a slight upgrade from a January poll. The third- and fourth-quarter forecasts were for 0.2% and 0.3% growth, respectively.

Gross domestic product was predicted to expand 0.4% this year before growth accelerates to 1.2% in 2024. — Reuters

Japanese firms offer emerging energy solutions

TWO Japanese companies have offered solutions to the Philippines to achieve carbon neutrality and energy efficiency through emerging technologies.

In a virtual energy conference on Thursday, Forest Energy, Inc., a developer and operator of biomass power plants in Japan, said that it aims to promote clean and reliable energy through local biomass.

Numa Shingo, chief executive officer of Forest Energy,  said that it targets to convert to further expand the presence of biomass in Southeast Asia, as it is clean and reliable energy.

Awano Toshihiko, deputy general manager of IHI Corp. said that it targets to accelerate the expansion and commercialization of fuel ammonia for power generation.

The Philippines has recently announced its plan to develop clean energy sources such as hydrogen and ammonia fuel in line with its plan for a cleaner energy future.

“We remain steadfast to our commitment towards low carbon ASEAN, to keep up with the current trend of achieving a cleaner energy transition policy, energy security, the Department of Energy has been careful to calibrate the country’s energy policy,” Energy Undersecretary Felix William B. Fuentebella said during the Cleaner Energy Future for the ASEAN forum.

Mr. Fuentebella said that under the Philippine Energy Plan, the country targets to increase the share of renewable energy in the country’s power mix to 35% by 2030 and 50% by 2040. — Ashley Erika O. Jose

What to See This Week (02/17/23)

Ant-man and the Wasp: Quantumania

ANT-MAN and the Wasp find themselves exploring the Quantum Realm, interacting with strange new creatures and embarking on an adventure that pushes them beyond the limits of what they thought was possible in this the latest installation of the Ant-Man series. Directed by Peyton Reed, it stars Paul Rudd, Evangeline Lilly, Jonathan Majors, Katheryn Newton, Bill Murray, and Michelle Pfeiffer. Collider’s Steven Weintraub wrote on Twitter, “Marvel’s Ant-Man And The Wasp: Quantumania is a strong start to Phase 5. I now understand why it’s called Quantumania. Jonathan Majors is excellent as Kang and cannot wait to see where this all goes. Two after the credits scenes and both are very good.”
MTRCB Rating: PG

Without You

DJ Axel and nurse Ria meet and fall in love. But they eventually hit a rough patch that will test their relationship. Directed by RC Delos Reyes, it stars Shaira Diaz and David Licauco.
MTRCB Rating: PG

Greece offers more aid to inflation-hit pensioners

REUTERS

ATHENS — Greece’s conservative government has announced more financial aid for pensioners, farmers and businesses hurt by inflation and costly energy bills, launching the latest measures months before a national election.

The government of Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis has spent more than €40 billion since 2020 on subsidies to support households and businesses struggling to cope with fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic and the Ukraine war.

Last month, it implemented an 8% payment rise for pensioners, the first since a 2010-2018 financial crisis which forced Greece to slash pensions in turn for about €260 billion in bailouts.

However, nearly half of the country’s pensioners did not benefit from the rise because they did not meet the original criteria. The new aid package, which will have a cost of about €800 million, includes a lump sum payment of between €200 and €300 for about one million pensioners by April, Finance Minister Christos Staikouras said in televised comments.

Mr. Staikouras added that a temporary reduction in sales tax for transport, coffee and non-alcoholic beverages would be extended for six months until the end of the year.

“The measure aims to support businesses, as those sectors, have been particularly hit by the financial impact of the pandemic and have still had increased operating costs, due to the energy crisis,” he said.

Greece’s annual EU-harmonized inflation slowed to 7.3% in January from 7.6% in December, easing to its lowest level since February last year, data showed on Wednesday.

Despite soaring energy costs since last year, Greece’s economy has fared well thanks to increased tourism revenue. This year, Greece expects economic output to rise by 1.8% and sees a small primary surplus of 0.7% of gross domestic product in 2023 for the first time since 2019.

Higher-than-expected budget revenue in 2022 and a positive economic performance means the new aid package will not jeopardize the country’s fiscal targets, Mr. Staikouras said.

Greek farmers will also get tax refunds for their transport fuel costs for 2023 and will benefit from a quicker disbursement of outstanding compensation for natural disasters. — Reuters

Manager refuses to delegate key tasks

I’m a longtime supervisor in our company’s operations department. Aside from me, there are other three junior supervisors who report directly to the operations manager, a 57-year-old pioneer in our company. My problem is the continuing “refusal” of my boss to delegate key tasks to me and other supervisors. We feel like we’re being treated like glorified clerks who are reduced to doing only routine administrative work, like monitoring the workers’ performance. The human resource (HR) manager, citing our succession plan, told me that I’m next in line to replace our department manager in case of his retirement, death or incapacity. However, it appears that he’s not interested in readying me to do his job. What can we do? — Rainbow Connection.

Oh, no! The HR manager should not be doing that. A succession plan is confidential. It’s only the HR manager, the department head and the chief executive officer (CEO) who should be privy to that information. That’s because its contents are not set in stone and could change anytime, depending on the result of one’s performance appraisal and related factors.

Even if your name continues to be on top of the list, it’s imperative for management to keep it a secret to avoid encouraging false expectations.

It’s also important to understand that it’s only your boss who can make a recommendation as to his successor. In the absence of your boss’s endorsement for some reason, a management committee composed of other department managers (including the HR manager) may do the vetting process before they look for external candidates.

However, that’s not the major issue here. With or without your name in the succession plan, your concern is how to enrich your work experience so that you’re prepared to assume the post of operations manager in your organization or elsewhere when the time comes.

INITIATIVE
How is your relationship with your boss? Is it possible that the succession plan that contains your name was prepared only to comply with certain procedures, like filling up a pro-forma template? Many organizations do that to update the succession plan in accordance with the instructions of HR. How serious is your boss in recommending you to take his post if necessary?

The answer to these questions will depend on your performance. How decent is your performance rating, at least for the past three years? I mean, you should have an “above average” and not merely “average” rating. It’s the best clue available.

I’ve worked with bosses before and I don’t remember asking them to give me important assignments. Of course, at times, they give me difficult projects. That’s all. Instead, what I did was to volunteer myself for many key tasks that were not part of my daily routine or tasks that could have been done by external consultants. Even when I was the HR department head, I volunteered to organize best-practices tours with dynamic companies, conduct focus group discussions on salary and benefits, tap volunteer resource speakers on certain leadership topics, create impactful sports and social activities for employees, research methods to raise employee engagement and retention, among other things.

My best memory of all my accomplishments was when I established a corporate-wide kaizen program that was participated by many employees that netted us millions of savings. At one time, I even volunteered myself as a conduit to a legislator from my home province to help us renew our franchise.

Initiative is key. It was all up to me to explore and discover those special projects that were not expected of me and yet I was able to deliver them all because my bosses gave me permission to do so. That’s very important. You must think of those special projects — the more difficult, the better — and secure management permission before doing anything.

He may disallow your well-thought-out ideas and drive you crazy for not allowing you to do what you want, but that’s the way it goes. That’s part of the learning process, which could be at times demoralizing. Nevertheless, it’s still the rule. You can’t bypass your bosses. Treat your bosses like effective and supportive coaches. Give them good reason to believe they were responsible for your career development.

GIVE CREDIT
Depending on your career aspirations, it’s better to show what you can do, not only to your boss but to your department and the whole organization. Be visible by doing all projects that could make top management take notice. You could run the risk of being viewed as someone who’s out to get the boss’s job.

Therefore, be careful. Disloyalty is a fast track to career failure. Be sensitive to your boss’s needs and wants. Give credit to him every step of the way.

In conclusion, don’t wait for opportunities to happen. Your name may be in the succession plan, but if you don’t have the right skill and depth of managerial experience, you’ll soon be dismissed as incompetent. This is the worst thing that could happen, even if you do get the promotion.

Learn as many things as possible about performing the job of operations manager, even without his assistance. Volunteer to do many things and make it easy for your boss to do his job.

 

Learn from Rey Elbo’s “Superior Subordinate Supervision” program to help train your line supervisors and managers. Or chat with him on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter or e-mail elbonomics@gmail.com or via https://reyelbo.com

Technology strategy

THERE is a growth in the appointment of chief digital transformation officers (CDTO) and chief digital officers (CDO) with the responsibility of charting the technology roadmap of an organization. While there are nuances in the role, these are similar to the traditional chief technology officers (CTO) that are responsible for formulating the technology strategy of an organization and implementing it.

But because of its relative novelty as an area of strategy and management, there is interestingly a dearth of material that directly describes what technology strategy is and how to formulate one. This is partly to blame for the misunderstanding of many companies, leading to missed opportunities or costly technology mistakes.

There is now a sea of supposed chief technologists who err in forecasting and estimating a technology’s potential, costing a company a fortune. For example, the CTO of a local firm invested heavily in buying the software asset of a foreign company with the aim of developing this for the company’s own use, only to discover later on that the company lacked competencies in wielding the software; hence putting the project to a full stop after several years.

So, what is technology strategy? A distillation of various descriptions available leads us to the following definition — that technology strategy is the alignment of technology vision with business strategy by integrating company processes with appropriate technologies. Technology vision should be inextricably linked to business strategy for increased efficiencies and growth opportunities.

A simple framework based on classical strategic management can help CTOs formulate technology strategy. The fundamental ideas of this framework are (1) that technology strategy is influenced by the external and internal environmental forces; (2) the business strategy influences the technology vision; (3) the technology strategy of a company emerges from its technological capabilities and competencies; and (4) the implementation of technology strategy, through the experience it generates, serves to further develop the firm’s technological capabilities and competencies.

The technology strategy is shaped by the constantly evolving business environment, both in terms of new opportunities and new threats, may it be a new manufacturing process or a new software to make operations more efficient. Business strategy is developed to take advantage of or counter changes in the business environment. The CTO then aligns technology vision with business strategy by integrating company processes with the appropriate technologies. If the CTO has a good understanding of technology and changes in the technological environment, he or she can develop a technology strategy in advance of changes in the business environment.

Taking stock of the technological capabilities and competencies of a firm are a crucial starting point for a technology strategy. An inventory of these capabilities in terms of assets, people and other resources will help the CTO baseline his or her standing. From this baseline the CTO can assess the gaps relative to the technological vision.

Implementing the technology initiatives within the organization builds learning and experience among the CTO team members and the whole organization. To maximize the learning from technological mishaps, the implementation team should be accountable yet with enough room to make mistakes. A truly effective technology strategy not only takes into account the technology initiatives but the development of organization members themselves in terms of improvements in competencies and productivity.

The opinion expressed herein does not necessarily reflect the views of these institutions and BusinessWorld.

 

Reynaldo C. Lugtu, Jr. is the founder and CEO of Hungry Workhorse, a digital and culture transformation consulting firm. He is the chairman of the IT Governance Committee of the FINEX Academy. He is a fellow at the US-based Institute for Digital Transformation. He teaches strategic management in the MBA Program of De La Salle University. The author may be e-mailed at rey.lugtu@hungryworkhorse.com

TomTom Traffic Index: Manila 9th worst traffic-congested city in 2022

The Philippine capital ranked ninth most congested city out of 389 cities in the TomTom Traffic Index 2022. On average, it took 27 minutes for Filipinos to travel 10 kilometers in Metro Manila last year. Across East and Southeast Asia, Manila was the second most traffic-congested city after Sapporo, Japan (4th overall).

TomTom Traffic Index: Manila 9<sup>th</sup> worst traffic-congested city in 2022

Napocor powers Roxas-Taytay transmission line

PHILSTAR FILE PHOTO

STATE-owned National Power Corp. (Napocor) has energized the P691-million Roxas-Taytay 69 kilovolt (kV) transmission line in Palawan.

“With this new transmission line, we’ll not only improve power dispatch and eventually decrease system loss, but we can also accommodate more power generators to cater to the growing electricity needs of Palawan,” Napocor President and Chief Executive Officer Fernando Martin Y. Roxas said in a media release.

The transmission line stretches from the municipalities of Roxas to Taytay in the province of Palawan.

Mr. Roxas said that the completion of the transmission line, which was funded by the national government’s special allotment release order, is part of Napocor’s goal to provide reliable power in provinces.

The 71.3-circuit kilometer line was bid out and awarded in two schedules, with the first half awarded to SL Development Construction Corp. and the second half awarded to and completed by DM Consunji, Inc. 

“We are happy to be part of this continuous progress of Palawan. We are sure that development doesn’t stop here as we are committed to energizing more areas, sustaining the operations of our power plants here, and optimizing the operations of our 69 kV transmission lines,” Mr. Roxas said.

Napocor’s mandate under Republic Act No. 9136 or the Electric Power Industry Reform Act of 2001 is to provide power to so-called “missionary” markets, which are off-grid, or not connected to the national transmission system.

Napocor manages the transmission systems of Palawan, Masbate, Marinduque, Catanduanes, and Oriental and Occidental Mindoro. — Ashley Erika O. Jose

Rare footage of Titanic wreckage shot in 1986 released

The sinking of the Titanic in James Cameron’s film Titanic.

RARE video footage showing the Titanic ocean liner on the floor of the Atlantic is being released on Wednesday, decades after the discovery of the wreckage and more than a century after the ship hit an iceberg and sunk.

The footage from Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) was shot about 2 miles (3 km) below the ocean’s surface, just months after explorers found the wreckage in 1985. Most of it has not been previously released to the public.

Since the discovery, several documentaries about the Titanic have showed footage of the wreckage scene. Some brief clips of the original dives have been aired, but Wednesday will see the release of a longer 80-minute video of uncut footage on YouTube.

The release of the footage “marks the first time humans set eyes on the ill-fated ship since 1912 and includes many other iconic scenes,” the WHOI said.

The Titanic, thought to be nearly impregnable when it was built, was the largest ocean liner in service at the time. It struck an iceberg on April 14, 1912, in the Atlantic as it made its maiden voyage from Southampton, England, to New York. More than 1,500 people died in the sinking, shocking the world and prompting outrage over a lack of lifeboats on board.

A team from WHOI and the French National Institute of Oceanography found the sunken ship broken in two pieces southeast of Canada’s Newfoundland on Sept. 1, 1985.

During 11 dives in July 1986, footage was shot by cameras on a human-occupied submersible and a small remotely operated vessel that maneuvered through tight spaces.

The unveiling of the footage has been timed with the re-release of director James Cameron’s 1997 film Titanic on its 25th anniversary. The movie won 11 Academy Awards, including for best picture.

“The human stories embodied in the great ship continue to resonate,” Mr. Cameron said in a statement. “By releasing this footage, WHOI is helping tell an important part of a story that spans generations and circles the globe.”— Reuters

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