IlluMyFi

The president of the Indigenous Peoples Mandatory Representative (IPMR) League of the Philippines and Municipal IPMR of Malungon in Sarangani, Bong Fulong Datu Edmund Pangilan, expressed gratitude to the mining firm, Sagittarius Mines Inc. (SMI), for its continued efforts to advance the socio-economic development of the indigenous cultural communities (ICCs) within the Tampakan Copper-Gold Project area. "Tayo ay nagpapasalamat sa SMI sa kanilang patuloy na pag-suporta para matulungan ang ating pamahalaan na mai-angat ang pamumuhay nating mga tribu," Pangilan said in a message over the weekend. Datu Pangilan witnessed the company’s turnover of P500,000 seed capital to the IP officers and members of the Malabod Marketing Cooperative to foster the development of sustainable community projects within these host ICCs. He also cited SMI's humanitarian projects that directly benefitted the Blaan ICCs of Malungon, Sarangani, one of the host communities of the mining firm. Aside from the financial assistance, SMI donated a brand new vehicle to the tribal communities for emergency relief and disaster response operations. In addition to the two hosts Blaan ICCs in Malungon, Sarangani, SMI invests in the socio-economic development of nine other host Blaan communities within its project area: three ICCs in Tampakan, South Cotabato; one ICC in Columbio, Sultan Kudarat; and five ICCs in Kiblawan, Davao del Sur. SMI's community-empowerment projects are aimed to help boost the economic productivity of its host and neighboring communities. Establishing and supporting IP cooperatives is an integral part of its commitments to the Blaan ICCs under the 2019 Free and Prior Informed Consent (FPIC) memorandum of agreement. The post Tribal chieftain thanks mining firm 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.