IlluMyFi

The Philippine government is in talks with several employers in New Zealand who are willing to absorb the overseas Filipino workers who lost their jobs following the declaration of bankruptcy by the ELE Group of Companies, the Department of Migrant Workers said Saturday. In a news forum in Quezon City, DMW Undersecretary Patricia Yvonne Caunan said they are in close coordination with the Department of Foreign Affairs to make sure those Filipino workers affected by the sudden closure of the New Zealand firm, ELE group of companies will get assistance from the Philippine government. “Iyong financial na assistance is just one thing. Ang importante po sa mga kababayan natin iyong magkaroon pa rin sila ng trabaho diyan sa New Zealand (The financial assistance is just one thing, it is important that our fellow Filipinos find jobs there),” she noted. Caunan said the DMW is also coordinating with different employers in New Zealand to see if they would be willing to employ OFWs laid off due to the closure of ELE Holdings Ltd., ELE Management Ltd., ELE Ltd., and Tranzport Solutions Ltd. The DMW, she added, would give about 1,050 New Zealand dollars (at least P36,800) to the affected Filipinos. It has so far wired the cash aid to about 107 eligible recipients and still processing the financial assistance for 345 others. The Philippine Embassy in Wellington has been made aware of the situation of Filipino workers affected by the closure of the ELE Holdings company which took effect just before the Christmas holidays. More than 500 Filipino workers who were holders of both work visas and resident visas have been affected by the company shutdown. Philippine Ambassador to New Zealand Kira Christianne Azucena also met with some of the laid-off OFWs and conveyed that the financial assistance was an “expression of the Philippine Government’s steadfast commitment to the welfare of Filipinos overseas, especially those in distress.” The post Phl in talks with NZ firms to absorb Filipino workers from ELE group appeared first on Daily Tribune.

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17.01.24 01:49

by tribune.net.ph

Power hike for January in Metro Cebu

After several reductions in power rates in Metro Cebu, Visayan Electric announced that residential consumers will experience an increase of 19 centavos per kilowatt hour for the January-February billing. The hike was due to the increase in generation rates at the Wholesale Electricity Spot Market (WESM) and the transmission charges of the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines ( NGCP). Visayan Electric in a statement said that the increase brings the average residential electricity rate from P11.43/kWh last December 2023 to P11.62/kWh. Engr. Raul Lucero, the president and COO of Visayan Electric, said that historically, energy consumption tends to spike when the weather is hot due to increased reliance on cooling appliances. He also underscores the importance of energy-conscious choices and recommends exploring natural means of cooling homes, emphasizing the significance of proper ventilation. "Natural ventilation is key to making your homes feel airy and cool, especially during the night," he said. He suggested a simple yet impactful change as swapping incandescent light bulbs for energy-efficient LEDs. Beyond the energy savings, Lucero further said, this switch helps mitigate the heat generated by incandescent bulbs, contributing to a more cost-efficient and comfortable living environment. Consequently, households consuming a minimum of 200kWh per month can anticipate an additional charge of P38.00 for the January-February billing cycle. WESM is the venue for trading electricity as a commodity in the Philippines. It was created under Section 30 of Republic Act No. 9136, otherwise known as the Electric Power Industry Reform Act (EPIRA) of 2001. Its objective is to establish a competitive, efficient, transparent, and reliable market for electricity. While NGCP is a Filipino-led privately owned company in charge of operating, maintaining, and developing the country's electricity transmission grid. The post Power hike for January in Metro Cebu appeared first on Daily Tribune.