RENEWABLE ENERGY (RE) capacity in the Philippines grew 9% in 2021, roughly in line with the pace of global growth, the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) said in a report.
IRENA estimated the Philippines’ RE capacity at 7,617 megawatts (MW) in 2021, up from 6,986 MW the previous year.
Global capacity growth was 9.1% to 3,064 gigawatts (GW), with hydropower accounting for 1,230 GW. Solar and wind RE projects accounted for 88% of new generating capacity.
Some 60% of the world’s new capacity came from Asian, with China adding 121 GW.
Philippine hydropower capacity increased by 5 MW to 3,785 MW, while solar energy was 1,370 MW, rising by 312 MW, according to the report.
In terms of relative growth, Bioenergy added proportionally the most new capacity of 314 MW to 827 MW. Wind energy capacity was unchanged at 443 MW, the third year of zero growth.
IRENA Director-General Francesco La Camera said the growth of the industry comes at a time when the world is rethinking its reliance on conventional energy sources.
“Our current energy crisis… adds to the evidence that the world can no longer rely on fossil fuels to meet its energy demand. Money directed to fossil fuel power plants yields unrewarding results, both for the survival of a nation and the planet. Renewable power should become the norm across the globe,” he said.
Earlier this year, the Department of Energy issued bid invitations for 2,000 MW worth of RE capacity, with 1,400 MW to be built in Luzon, 400 MW in the Visayas, and 200 MW in Mindanao. — Ram Christian S. Agustin
THE Department of Finance (DoF) said it fielded complaints and conducted lifestyle checks against 468 members of staff over the past five and a half years.
In a statement on Tuesday, the DoF said 58 cases were filed before various quasi-judicial bodies, including the Office of the Ombudsman and the Civil Service Commission, following investigations conducted by the department’s Revenue Integrity Protection Service (RIPS) between July 2016 and December 2021.
The employees involved were from the DoF, the Bureau of Customs (BoC), Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR), Bureau of Local Government Finance (BLGF), the Bureau of the Treasury (BTr), and the Insurance Commission (IC), RIPS Executive Director Ray Gilberto J. Espinosa said in a report to Finance Secretary Carlos G. Dominguez III.
Some 55% of the employees investigated were from Customs, while 38% were from the BIR.
At the end of March 2022, the BoC issued 32 show-cause orders against members of staff, while the BoC’s Customs Intelligence and Investigation Service conducted 250 investigations. This led to the relief of 85 employees, nine transfers, two suspensions, and one reprimand.
Between July 2016 and February 2022, 16 were dismissed, 10 were convicted of criminal charges, 35 suspended, 9 reprimanded, and 7 had to pay fines, Mr. Espinosa said in his report. — Tobias Jared Tomas
THE Department of Energy’s (DoE) Energy Utilization Management Bureau (EUMB) said it extended by a month the deadline for all Designated Establishments (DEs) to submit their energy consumption reports.
In a notice issued by the EUMB, all industrial, commercial and transport establishments required to submit energy consumption reports on or before April 15 can hand them in by May 15 without penalty.
April 15 is a public holiday.
According to Memorandum Circular No. 2020-05-0001, DEs with an annual energy consumption of at least 100,000 kilowatt-hours (kWh) are required to submit an Annual Energy Efficiency and Conservation Report (AECR), and an Annual Energy Utilization Report (AEUR).
These establishments are also required to report their Energy Management Systems (EnMS) concepts and practices, and have been encouraged by the department to have their EnMS systems certified.
A DE consuming 500,000 kWh to 4 million kWh is classified as Type 1 DE and must employ an Energy Conservation Officer (ECO), while Type 2 DEs reporting annual energy consumption higher than 4 million kWh must have an Energy Manager (EM).
Registered ECOs and EMs can either be employees or third-party service providers from an Energy Service Company (ESCO).
DEs that are complying for the first time can also submit consumption data from 2016- 2020 alongside their AECR and AEUR.
Last week, the EUMB conducted a spot check of the Albay provincial government for its compliance with Energy Efficiency and Conservation (EEC) best practices.
“As the government should be in the forefront of practicing EEC, I laud the province of Albay for exhibiting excellence in the implementation of sustainable energy systems,” Energy Secretary Alfonso C. Cusi said.
The provincial government showcased solar-powered streetlights, the use of light-emitting diodes (LEDs), and scheduled fan mode for air-conditioning units during the visit.
“The DoE is actively pushing all the government instrumentalities in realizing the dream of EEC as our way of life,” Mr. Cusi said. — Ram Christian S. Agustin
Vice President Leni Robredo’s campaign rally held in Pampanga on April 9. — VP LENI ROBREDO FB PAGE
VICE-PRESIDENT Maria Leonor “Leni” G. Robredo on Tuesday got endorsed by another political group that was formed in 2021 to push the presidential bid of Manila City’s mayor.
Former Metro Manila Development Authority chief Thomas “Tim” M. Orbos told a news briefing Ikaw Muna (IM) Pilipinas had withdrawn its support for Manila Mayor Francisco “Isko” M. Domagoso, who he said does not stand a chance of winning in the May election.
Some group members said they would use their resources to boost the vice-president’s presidential bid and prevent the return to the presidential office of the family of the late dictator Ferdinand E. Marcos.
The strongman’s only son and namesake, Bongbong, is leading in most presidential opinion polls. Ms. Robredo is a distant second though her ratings have gone up.
“The Vice President has consistently been in second place in the past months and has been on a steady rise with the biggest increase as shown in the latest survey,” Mr. Orbos said. “She is now in the best position to win this for us.”
He said he did not have a grudge against Mr. Domagoso. “In a different time, in a different place, he could have been a good leader. The future is open for him.”
“Let’s give it to someone who has a chance,” said Mr. Orbos, who coordinated the volunteer movement for Mr. Domagoso’s presidential ambition.
He also asked other candidates to throw their support behind Ms. Robredo to prevent another Marcos presidency.
IM Pilipinas, which changed its name to IM Leni, had been campaigning for Mr. Domagoso, a former matinee idol whose rags to riches story has captivated some Filipinos.
“I wish them all the best,” the mayor said in a video posted on Facebook. “This separates the men from the boys.”
Before the press briefing, the group’s chapters in central and southern Philippines announced their support for Ms. Robredo.
Meanwhile, One Cebu Party, an influential political group in central Philippines, endorsed Mr. Marcos for president.
The group is led by the family of Cebu Governor Gwendolyn F. Garcia, whose brother Pablo resigned as party secretary-general to continue supporting Mr. Domagoso.
“I respect One Cebu and its decision, just as I hope that the party I helped found, and have only the deepest affection for, would respect my choice and direction,” Mr. Garcia said in a statement.
At the weekend, a key official of Aksyon Demokratiko, Mr. Domagoso’s political party, left his post to endorse Ms. Robredo for president.
Ms. Robredo’s office welcomed the endorsement of IM, saying it expects more groups to back her candidacy.
“We trust that in the remaining 27 days, even more will join the people’s campaign, united by their dreams and hopes for a better Philippines,” her spokesman Ibarra M. Gutierrez III said in a statement.
Ms. Robredo on Tuesday visited La Union province, where she lost by more than 318,000 votes to Mr. Marcos in the 2016 vice-presidential race.
La Union is considered part of the regional bloc in northern Philippines known for supporting the family of the late dictator.
On Saturday, she drew more than 200,000 supporters — the biggest crowd in her presidential campaign so far — at a rally in Pampanga province north of the Philippines.
The opposition candidate urged her supporters in the province — the bailiwick of former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, who has endorsed Marcos, Jr. — to step up their house-to-house initiatives to convince more undecided voters to vote for her.
Mr. Marcos kept his lead in Pulse Asia Research, Inc.’s presidential opinion poll last month, with 56% of Filipinos likely to vote for him. His rating fell by 4 percentage points.
Still in second place was Mr. Robredo, whose rating rose by nine points to 24%.
Pulse Asia conducted the poll on March 17-21, after the first official presidential debate that Mr. Marcos failed to join. — Kyle Aristophere T. Atienza
THE SUPREME Court (SC) on Tuesday said 8,241 students passed the 2020/2021 bar exams — the first to be held outside Manila, the capital and the first to be done digitally — for a 72.8% passing rate.
“You are an extraordinary batch of bar takers whether you made it this year,” Supreme Court Justice Marvic M.V.F. Leonen told a press briefing on Tuesday. “It was an honor for my team and me to be with you every step of the way. It was an honor to be your bar chairperson.”
Students took the exams using laptops at 29 local testing sites in 22 local government units, the tribunal said in a statement.
The bar exams were postponed in 2020 amid a coronavirus pandemic. These were rescheduled again the following year amid surging infections.
The exams were supposed to be held on Jan. 23 to 25 but had to be postponed again amid a surge in cases spurred by the Omicron variant. The two-day exams finally went ahead on Feb. 4 and 6.
Mr. Leonen said the results should not be compared with past exams because the circumstances were different. The High Court did not name the top 10 examinees.
The digital bar exams were held on two Sundays compared with four Sundays before.
The Ateneo de Manila University topped the list of law schools with more than 100 first-time examinees who passed the exams with a 99.64% passing rate.
The University of the Philippines had the most exemplary passers who scored 85-90% at 147, and the most excellent passers who scored above 90% at four.
The tribunal also disqualified several examinees for withholding information about being infected with the coronavirus, using a mobile phone inside the exam room and accessing social media during lunch break.
The bar exams covered political, labor, taxation, criminal, civil and commercial law, as well as procedural and professional ethics.
“To those who passed today, face your success with magnanimity and humility,” Mr. Leonen said. “Bar examinations only facilitate your entry to the legal profession, do not be blinded by today’s success but be awed by what lies ahead.”
Last month, Supreme Court Justice Alfredo S. Caguioa said the next bar exams would return to a four-day schedule.
Chief Justice Alexander G. Gesmundo earlier said the High Court would continue digital exams to take full advantage of new technology. — John Victor D. Ordoñez
CORONAVIRUS infections in the Philippines might have plateaued, health authorities said on Tuesday.
Signs of plateauing have been observed as the country posted 1,903 new coronavirus cases from April 5 to 11, 26% lower than a week earlier, Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario S. Vergeire told an online news briefing.
“The number of new coronavirus cases in the country is currently on a plateau,” she said. “Cases are now on a decline.”
She said the Philippines posted 366 infections on March 29 to April 4, 4% lower than a week earlier.
A major decline was also observed on March 22 to 28, as the country posted 383 cases, 22% lower than a week earlier.
The country’s infection rate has declined to 1.6% from last week’s 1.8%, Ms. Vergeire said. The country’s health system remained at low risk.
Presidential spokesman Jose Martin M. Andanar said the government had fully vaccinated 66.74 million people as of April 11, while 12.53 million people have received booster shots.
He added that 1.3 million kids aged 5 to 11 and 9.07 million children aged 12 to 17 have been fully vaccinated against the coronavirus. Almost seven million seniors have been fully vaccinated. — Kyle Aristophere T. Atienza
FILIPINOS returning to the country would no longer be required to fill out arrival cards at airports, according to the Bureau of Immigration (BI).
In a statement on Tuesday, the agency said this would lessen the requirements and processing time of arriving Filipinos.
“This move is part of BI’s efforts to ease its travel requirements for arriving Filipinos and facilitate their fast and hassle-free entry into their own country,” Immigration Port Operations Division Chief Carlos B. Capulong said in the statement.
He noted that arrival or disembarkation cards were no longer needed due to the recent decrease in coronavirus cases in the country.
Daily passenger arrivals at the airport averaged at 13,000 to 15,000 in April, up from 6,000 to 9,000 in March.
“We required the submission of these disembarkation cards by arriving Filipinos to help the government in its contact tracing efforts at the height of the pandemic,” Mr. Capulong said. “Now that coronavirus cases are on the decline, these cards can now be dispensed with.” — John Victor D. Ordoñez
EMERGENCY responders rescue a resident of a community in Baybay City, Leyte that was affected by what authorities described as a massive landslide triggered by continuous rains from tropical depression Agaton. — BUREAU OF FIRE PROTECTION-BAYBAY CITY
EMERGENCY responders rescue a resident of a community in Baybay City, Leyte that was affected by what authorities described as a massive landslide triggered by continuous rains from tropical depression Agaton. — BUREAU OF FIRE PROTECTION-BAYBAY CITY
AT LEAST 28 people were reported to have died in landslides and floods triggered by tropical depression Agaton, with international name Megi, which brought continuous rains over central Philippines since the weekend.
The police regional office in Eastern Visayas said on Monday night that it recorded 21 casualties from a massive landslide in Baybay City, Leyte and one who died from drowning in Motiong, Samar.
The national disaster management council’s Tuesday update, meanwhile, reported another three deaths each in the regions of Central Visayas and Davao, subject to final validation.
“There are still reported missing individuals and are being searched, 87 are wounded and are being treated,” the police Eastern Visayas office said in its 8 p.m. report on April 11.
More than 139,000 people have been affected across nine regions, including about 19,000 who were evacuated, according to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC).
Sea travel to and from 39 seaports were suspended, leaving over 6,000 passengers stranded, based on the Philippine Coast Guard’s monitoring report.
As of Tuesday early afternoon, moderate to heavy rainfall warnings were still up in several areas, based on regional advisories from state weather agency PAGASA.
Agaton was expected to linger over the Samar-Leyte area before moving southeast towards the Philippine Sea by Tuesday night or Wednesday morning.
PAGASA said “the remnant of Agaton will then continue tracking generally eastward over the Philippine Sea as it becomes assimilated within the circulation of” typhoon Malakas, which entered the Philippine area around 10 a.m. Tuesday at 1,435 kilometers east of southern Luzon.
Typhoon Malakas, locally named Basyang, was forecast to be out of the Philippines by Tuesday evening and would not affect the country’s weather condition.
FORECASTING The Presidential Palace on Tuesday touted that early warning systems under President Rodrigo R. Duterte’s administration have significantly improved, without giving credit to his predecessor’s government which initiated reforms to upgrade the country’s weather forecasting system.
In a news conference, Palace spokesman Jose Martin M. Andanar said more monitoring systems used for typhoons and floods have been put up since the start of Mr. Duterte’s term in 2016.
He said the Department of Science and Technology (DoST), which heads the country’s weather bureau, now has a total of 17 doppler radar stations as of June 2021.
But the DoST already had 10 doppler radar stations, which are used for tropical cyclone and rain monitoring, before Mr. Duterte assumed office in 2016.
Mr. Andanar said that from zero, the government now has 29 high-frequency doppler radars, which are used to monitor sea waves, as of June 2021.
He also said that flood forecasting and warning systems at river centers increased to 15 in 2021 from five in 2016.
It was the late President Benigno S.C. Aquino III who pushed for the modernization of the country’s weather forecasting system.
The DoST under his watch launched Project NOAH, a disaster prevention and mitigation research program that oversaw the establishment of monitoring stations in major river basins and flood-prone areas in the Philippines, which is hit by an average of 20 typhoons a year.
Project NOAH was not renewed in 2017 with the Duterte administration citing lack of funds for its continuation and implementation of other components.
Mr. Aquino said in a 2011 public address that he personally checked on the reported shortage of equipment and other financial problems besetting the country’s state weather bureau shortly after he assumed office in 2010.
In the same year, he directed the Department of Budget and Management to release P150 million for the installation of 1,000 automatic water level sensors nationwide to aid forecasters in tracking river water levels and potential floods, according to a website post of the Philippine government’s official gazette.
Scientists worldwide have warned that rising global temperatures caused by destructive human activities are making typhoons more powerful.
In 2013, the Philippines was hit by super typhoon Haiyan, known locally as Yolanda, one of the strongest tropical cyclones recorded globally that killed about 6,300 people. — Marifi S. Jara andKyle Aristophere T. Atienza
AGRICULTURAL damage and losses from the first typhoon to hit the country this year was initially estimated at P265.3 million, the Department of Agriculture reported on Tuesday.
Storm Agaton, with international name Megi, dumped rains over central parts of the country for days, causing floods and landslides.
Farm damage and losses were reported in the regions of Eastern Visayas and Caraga, affecting 2,132 farmers.
Volume of production loss was estimated at 16,532 metric tons (MT) across 3,060 hectares of agricultural areas.
Rice was the most affected crop with losses amounting to P250.1 million.
This was followed by high-value crops, such as banana, at P13.9 million and corn at P1.4 million.
The department said it will be providing assistance to affected farmers and fishers, including rice, corn and assorted vegetable seeds; and drugs and biologics for livestock and poultry.
It will also allocate available funds from the Philippine Crop Insurance Corporation to indemnify affected farmers and the Quick Response Fund for the rehabilitation of affected areas.
Meanwhile, 16 roads were still closed due to damage or obstructions while 19 others affected by flooding and landslides were partially open as of Tuesday noon, according to the Department of Public Works and Highways.
The department said response teams were already immediately deployed for clearing operations in areas that were deemed safe.
Agaton affected public structures across seven regions from the southern part of Luzon, the central Visayas islands, and northern-central areas in Mindanao. — Luisa Maria Jacinta C. Jocson
THE COMMISSION on Elections (Comelec) will investigate the reported “spoiled ballot” given to a voter in Singapore on Monday even if the Philippine Embassy there has said it was just one “isolated incident.”
“We received later in the afternoon yesterday (Monday) a confirmation from our Singaporean post saying that indeed a ballot was given to a voter but this ballot was already considered a spoiled ballot,” Election Commission George Erwin M. Garcia told CNN Philippines on Tuesday.
“We should really investigate this incident as this should not happen again and find out why this spoiled ballot was given to the voter.”
The Singapore-based Filipino voter first reported the incident of receiving a pre-shaded ballot through social media.
“This (ballot) should have been segregated and put in an envelope for spoiled ballots so we will definitely get that answer within the next few days,” he said.
In a Facebook post on Monday, the Philippine Embassy in Singapore confirmed an “isolated incident” wherein a spoiled ballot was inadvertently given to a voter.
Mr. Garcia defined a spoiled ballot as one that was returned due to physical defects such as water damage and tearing caused by the voter.
“At this point, I think we should give our electoral board members the benefit of the doubt because from what I’ve seen in the past, they can get really tired,” he said.
“We are so lucky the voter was able to complain about the isolated case,” he added.
Vice-presidential bet Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio, whose name was pre-shaded along with several senators in the incident, said reports of pre-shaded ballots are “grossly disconcerting.”
In a statement on Monday, she also urged Comelec to probe allegations of electoral irregularities in Dubai and in Singapore.
ROME Meanwhile, the embassy in Rome has opened a pick-up site within its premises for those who earlier requested to personally claim their respective ballots instead of being sent by post.
These voters may get their mailing packets between 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. from April 11 to 17 and return the accomplished ballot on the same day, the embassy said in an advisory.
There are almost 1.7 million registered overseas Filipino voters. Absentee voting, which will be mainly by post in most countries and in-person in a few areas, started on April 10 and will be open until May 9. — John Victor D. Ordoñez and Alyssa Nicole O. Tan
A LAWMAKER on Tuesday left provincial political party One Cebu after the group led by his sister, Cebu Gov. Gwendolyn F. Garcia, endorsed the presidential candidacy of the late dictator’s son and namesake Ferdinand “Bongbong” R. Marcos.
“I have been officially informed that my party, One Cebu, has endorsed a candidate for President; a choice which, unfortunately, I cannot support,” Deputy Speaker and Cebu Rep. Pablo John F. Garcia said in a statement posted on his Facebook account.
Mr. Garcia said he will keep supporting presidential aspirant Manila Mayor Francisco “Isko” M. Domagoso.
“From the start, I have been clear and consistent about my support for Mayor Isko Moreno’s candidacy for President, believing that he is, among the many choices, the most capable and best prepared to lead the country out of this many-pronged crisis that it now faces, and into the future,” the solon said.
“I respect One Cebu and its decision, just as I hope that the party I helped found, and have only the deepest affection for, would respect my choice and direction,” he added.
Mr. Garcia said he is “stepping down” from his party position as secretary general “to avoid any conflict of interest” as he continues to campaign for Mr. Domagoso.
One Cebu, which held a general assembly on Tuesday, formally announced their endorsement of Mr. Marcos.
In a statement signed by Ms. Garcia who is running for another term as governor, the party said the decision “follows weeks of extensive consultations and discussions with provincial, municipal and barangay leaders.”
Ms. Garcia said the consultations covered the 44 towns and six component cities of the province plus the independent city of Mandaue.
Cebu — excluding the independent cities of Cebu, Lapu-Lapu and Mandaue — has the biggest voting population among the Philippine’s 81 provinces.
It has more than 3.25 million registered voters for the May 9 national and local elections, based on data from the Commission on Elections. — Jaspearl Emerald G. Tan
THE LOS ANGELES (LA) Lakers fired head coach Frank Vogel on Monday after three seasons.
The move was expected since the Lakers’ bid to reach the postseason ended last week.
“I have a tremendous amount of respect for Frank both on and off the court,” Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka said in the press release. “Frank is a great coach and a good man. We will forever be grateful to him for his work in guiding us to the 2019-20 NBA championship. This is an incredibly difficult decision to make, but one we feel is necessary at this point. All of us here wish Frank and his wonderful family all the best for the future.” — Reuters
