Sunstar Cebu
CEBU CITY - Christmas will be bright in Cebu, said officials of the Department of Energy (DOE), who assure Cebuanos that there will be additional power supply in the Visayas for the holidays.
The public need not worry about power disruptions spoiling their Christmas, said DOE 7 Director Antonio Labios during a forum Wednesday morning.
About 60-80 megawatts will be expected from the first unit of the Korean Power Corp. (Kepco) operating in Barangay Colon, Naga, Cebu, he said.
The High Voltage Direct Current Line (HVDC) that connects Luzon and Leyte will also contribute an additional 115 mw, to help stabilize the power situation in the province.
The good news was tempered a few hours later by the vote of the union of Metro Cebu's largest power distributors in favor of a strike.
Director Edmundo Mirasol Jr. of the National Conciliation and Mediation Board (NCMB)-Central Visayas, whose office supervised the strike vote last night, said a majority of 149 in the Visayan Electric Company's (Veco) union opted to go on strike. Six voted against and one ballot was declared spoiled.
A union official, in an interview earlier Wednesday, said the strike may be held anytime after November 10.
Veco spokesperson Ethel Natera, in an interview over DyAB, said whatever the outcome of the strike vote, the company will do its best to prevent service disruptions.
Contrasts
The NCMB, before the strike vote, ordered another conciliation and mediation conference tomorrow between the management and the Veco Employees' Union-Associated Labor Unions (VECEU-ALU).
The strike threat cast some uncertainty on the distribution side of the power situation, in contrast to some good news on the generation and transmission side.
In Wednesday's forum, energy officials explained that although Kepco's power plant is still undergoing testing and commissioning before its commercial operation in February 2011, the additional power that it contributes to the Cebu-Panay-Negros grid is already alleviating a deficiency in these Visayan areas.
Contrary to the perception that power demand peaks in December, observations show it is actually during May and October when electricity consumption is highest, according to Engr. Aguinaldo Briones Sr., a science research specialist of the DOE.
There is a high demand in May due to the need for cooling during the summertime, while manufacturing registers its highest power demand in October.
Meanwhile, the NCMB will attempt to do some cooling of its own.
Strike vote
The NCMB will preside Thursday over another conciliation and mediation conference between the Veco management and the union.
Director Mirasol said the issues in this dispute are complicated by the dismissal from service of union president Casmero Mahilum.
"But we appreciate the gesture to find a solution by agreeing to continue the discussion (in the next scheduled conference)," Mirasol said.
Despite the scheduled conference, the union proceeded with its strike vote last night, witnessed by NCMB representatives.
They conducted the vote in two areas, one outside the Veco Banilad Compound along J. Panis St., Cebu City, and the other behind the Veco office on D. Jakosalem St., Cebu City.
"If majority of our members will favor a strike against the management, we will still observe the seven-day cooling off period, which will last until November 10. After that, an all-out strike will follow. But we are still open to a peaceful settlement of our dispute and my reinstatement to my job," Mahilum said in an interview before the voting proceeded.
Stay safe
In the forum, officials of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) warned the public against using cheap Christmas lights, as they are a common cause of house fires during the holiday season.
To ensure the quality and safety of the product, consumers are advised to check if the wires have an "outside diameter size" of 1.5mm; if the pin of the plug is hard and not easily bent; and if there are Product Safety (PS) and Import Commodity Clearance (ICC) marks on the product, which indicates that it has passed the standards of the DTI.
DTI enforcement teams are on the lookout for manufacturers and retailers of substandard Christmas lights, who will be fined P35,000-P300,000 upon identification.
Last year, six retailers were fined; four of them were first-time violators and the remaining two were second-time violators.
Zaide Baiton of the DTI encouraged everyone to immediately report poor-quality Christmas lights to their office for investigation. She said it is everyone's responsibility to help ensure this year's Christmas celebration is safe. (EOB of Sun.Star Cebu/Patricia Andrea Pateña, STC Mass Communication Intern)
Published in the Sun.Star Cebu newspaper on November 04, 2010.
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