Manila, Philippines — Malacañang yesterday allayed fears of power outages in Luzon despite a warning from Manila Electric Co. (Meralco) Chairman Manuel V. Pangilinan of tight and unreliable power supply that may lead to higher electricity rates.
Presidential Communications Operations Office Secretary Herminio Coloma Jr. said that Luzon as well as Visayas have enough power supply unlike Mindanao.
Pangilinan had earlier warned that the tight and unreliable power supply in Luzon may result in increased power rates.
Coloma, however, said that the Department of Energy continues to monitor the power situation nationwide “to ensure stability of supply and electric power rates, especially during the summer months.”
“Government is exerting maximum efforts to prevent power outages or brownouts,” Coloma said.
PNoy Keeps Petilla
President Benigno S. Aquino III also said he is keeping Energy Secretary Jericho Petilla in his Cabinet although some groups have blamed him for the country’s power supply problems.
The President has rejected anew calls seeking the resignation of Petilla, citing his impressive performance in swiftly restoring power in Yolanda-hit communities.
During an assembly of local government executives at the historic landmark Manila Hotel, the President praised Petilla for restoring electricity in 317 of 320 towns that lost power during the onslaught of Yolanda.
He said the power restoration in the typhoon-hit areas was estimated to take six months but the energy secretary was able to do most of the work in 40 days.
“Dito po tayo pinahanga ni Secretary Icot at ng DOE. Makalipas lang ang 40 araw, imbis na anim na buwan– at ilang oras lang po ang pagkalagpas doon sa 40 araw na iyan– naibalik na ang kuryente sa lahat po ng 320 lugar na kailangan ibalik ang kuryente [I am impressed with Secretary Icot and the DOE. Instead of six months, they were able to restore electricity in most of the 320 towns in 40 days],” the President said.
Aquino bewailed that some groups still demanded the resignation of Petilla after three of the 320 towns still had no electricity on the 40th day.
Don’t Cause Panic
Coloma, meanwhile, urged power industry players to cooperate with one another and not cause panic among the public.
Instead of creating a scenario that would only create fear, it would be better if we just focus on positive measures, he said.
There is no tightness of power supply in Luzon and Visayas as compared to Mindanao, he added.
Lower Power Rate
Meanwhile, the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) said the remaining deferred rate hike of Meralco should be cut to as low as P0.33 per kilowatt hour. This should affect Meralco’s rate hike of P4.15 per kwh in the December billing and P5.33 per kwh in the January billing.
ERC Executive Director Francis Saturnino Juan categorically disputed the reported simulations of Philippine Electricity Market Corporation (PEMC) President Melinda L. Ocampo who estimated that the remaining rate hike of Meralco at P2.43 per kwh for November; and P3.02 per kwh for December.
But in a clarificatory statement later, PEMC said that Ocampo’s computation placed the final impact of the reduced Wholessale Electricity Spot Market (WESM) prices on consumers to just P0.43 per kwh. (With a report from Myrna M. Velasco)
UP Law Graduates top bar exams
Manila, Philippines — A graduate of the University of the Philippines (UP) College of Law topped the 2013 bar examinations, besting 1,173 other successful examinees.
Supreme Court (SC) Justice Arturo D. Brion, chairman of the examinations committee, announced yesterday that only 22.18 percent of the law graduates who took the bar examinations passed the tests
UP’s Nielson G. Pangan got a rating of 85.80 percent to emerge as 2013 bar topnotcher.
Other bar examinees who made it to the top 10 are: 2. Mark Xavier D. Oyales, UP; and Dianna Louise R. Wilwayco, Ateneo de Manila University, 85.45 percent; 3. Rudy V. Ortea, University of Batangas, 84.20; 4. Eden Catherine B. Mopia, UP, 84.05; 5. Tercel Maria G. Mercado Gephart, University of San Carlos, 83.90; 6. Manuel Elijah J. Sarausad, University of Cebu, 83.80; 7. Katrine Paula V. Suyat, San Beda College in Manila, 83.75; 8. Michael T. Tiu Jr., UP, 83.70; 9. Marjorie Ivory S. Fulgueras, AdeMU, 83.65; and 10. Cyril G. Arnesto, UP, 83.60.
In a press conference, Justice Brion said the standard passing average of 75 percent had to be lowered by the SC, acting as a full court, after considering the structure of grades obtained by those who took the tests, the difficulty of the questions on multiple choice, and precedents during previous bar examinations.
Brion said most of the difficulties arose from the multiple-choice questions (MCQs) that comprised about 20 percent of the total examinations.
He explained that the MCQs consisted of two types – one on the absolute knowledge of law and the other on the absolute knowledge of law and an analysis of what the examinees know.
He said that had the passing grade not been lowered by the SC to 73 percent only 694 examinees would have passed the tests.
Thus, he recommended a re-study of the MCQs in future bar examinations “probably starting this 2014.”
Last year’s bar examination given during the four Sundays of October was the 112th tests given by the SC since 1900. It was held for the third time at the University of Santo Tomas in Manila.
The examinations dealt on eight subjects – Political Law and Public International Law, Labor and Social Legislation, Civil Law, Taxation, Mercantile Law, Criminal Law, Remedial Law, and Legal and Judicial Ethics.
The 2013 bar examiners are Atty. Ramon S. Esguerra (Political and International Law), Atty. Soledad F. Nograles (Labor and Social Legislation), Justice Japar D. Dimaampao (Civil Law), Atty. Jose Mario C. Buñag (Taxation), Atty. Ricardo B. Blancaflor (Mercantile Law), Judge Juanita T. Guerrero (Criminal Law), Justice Apolinario D. Bruselas Jr. (Remedial Law), and Justice Jose C. Reyes Jr. (Legal Ethics).
Following the release of the bar examinations result, Malacañang congratulated the passers.
Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO) Secretary Herminio Coloma Jr. said the Palace is one with the new bar passers in their success.
We congratulate them and we are one with their parents and families in celebrating their success, Coloma said. (With a report from Madel Sabater Namit)