MORE NEWS, BENGUET

Coop sees cheaper power rates for Benguet, Baguio
LA TRINIDAD, Benguet – The comparatively cheaper power purchased by the Benguet Electric Coop. from the wholesale electricity spot market would mean lower power rates for the over 120,000 consumers who are groaning about the burden of high prices.

Gerardo P. Verzosa, Beneco general manager, bared this saying Beneco has reduced the quantity of power it is purchasing from the National Power Corp. and Team Energy, formerly Mirant, because it is now getting cheaper power from WESM.

The cooperative started purchasing power from WESM during the April 26-May 25, 2008 period. It purchased 3.242 million kilowatt hours during the one-month period. Republic Act 9136, otherwise known as the Electric Power Industry Reform Act, mandates electric cooperatives to get 10 percent of its total monthly power requirement from WESM. WESM allows electric suppliers and buyers to trade electricity as a commodity, which cannot be stored and which is impossible to trace which generator had supplied a certain buyer.

Verzosa said for the April 26-May 25 billing, Beneco purchased 14 million kilowatt hours from Napocor at R63.39 million at a generation cost of R4.5279 per kilowatt hour.

At the same time, it purchased 6.789 million kilowatt hours from Team at R30.74 million at the same generation cost. In the past, the utility cooperative purchased power from Napocor as much as 20 million kilowatt hours at a comparatively high price.

Verzosa said the electric cooperative is saving a big amount by getting its power supply from the WESM because it purchases power during off-peak periods or when electricity is sold at cheapest price.

Beneco records show that the off peak period in Baguio and Benguet is from 11 p.m. to 8 a.m. when electricity price is R1.8477 per kilowatt hour compared to R6.061 per kilowatthour during the peak period of from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. Verzosa cited another advantage of purchasing power from WSM.

Electricity suppliers would prefer to dispose of power even for free during the off-peak hours rather than shutting down the power plants. He said power consumers could also save big amount by diverting their power consumption during the off-peak period.

If local consumers are able to adjust their power needs, the Beneco official said, there would be a significant reduction in their monthly power bills because this would reflect the actual cost of power purchased from WESM.

While the cooperative has barely started purchasing power from WESM, Beneco officials assure consumers that they will benefits from cheaper rates in the coming months. -- Dexter See


2 dealers nabbed with MJ worth P375,000
CAMP DANGWA, Benguet -- Two alleged members of a local drug group in the Cordillera involved in trafficking marijuana in brick form were arrested recently when they tried to sell 15 bricks of the illegal drug to an agent of the regional Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency who acted as buyer.

Police identified the pair as Ramon Dengyas y Rosendo, 31, married, of Kapangan, Benguet and resident of Dontogan, Baguio City and Pedro Abinglas y Badki, 38, married of Tacadang, Kibungan, Benguet. Dengyas and Abinglas were reportedly nabbed with the 15,000 grams dried marijuana leaves in brick form worth P375,000 during a buy-bust operation led by Police Chief Insp. Edgar Apalla, regional PDEA officer in charge.

The buy-bust operation was done 6 p.m. on July 12 at the bus station in Gov. Pack Road, Baguio. An 1100 Nokia cellular phone was seized from the suspects. A case for illegal drugs was against the duo before the Baguio City Prosecutor’s Office.

The suspects are now detained at the Baguio City Jail; while the seized contrabands were turned over to the Regional Crime Laboratory Office for chemical analysis. The non-drug evidence used by the suspects during the transaction is now with the evidence custodian of regional PDEA.

The PDEA is now trying to obtain information or evidence such as details of property ownership, list of valuable assets, bank accounts, membership identifications, names of family members that can be vital for possible anti-money laundering investigations against Dengyas and Abinglas.


Farmers to benefit from P9-M fruit, veggie processing plant LA TRINIDAD, Benguet -- Some 200,000 small farmers in Northern Luzon stand to benefit from the opening of a P9-million modern fruit and vegetable processing facility bankrolled by the Department of Agriculture and this town’s municipal government enhancing prospects for the province to sell more of its highland crops like broccoli and celery not only in the country but in the international market.

In a report to DA Secretary Arthur Yap, Director Ricardo Cachuela of the Bureau of Post-Harvest Research and Extension said this project would help accelerate the development of Northern Luzon Agribusiness Quadrangle, one of the five super regions under President Arroyo’s economic development strategy, because Benguet is a key agricultural player in Northern Luzon with over 30,000 hectares planted to upland vegetables and fruits.

Yap, who is the “development champion” assigned by President Arroyo to oversee the NLAQ, has given top priority to the establishment of dryers and postharvest facilities and marketing assistance to producers to further raise agricultural productivity and farmers’ incomes, along with irrigation maintenance, fertilizer and seed support, credit facilitation, research and development or R&D and extension work.

The local government provided the site in the La Trinidad trading post for the establishment of the processing and packaging facility while the DA, through BPRE, provided a counterpart fund of P9 million to cover infrastructure and equipment costs.

Cachuela said the Benguet facility will run three shifts day, cleaning, packing and storing vegetables intended for institutional and high-end markets in Metro Manila as well as for Dole Philippines ’ overseas markets. Dole will operate on part time the facility under a lease agreement with the municipal government of La Trinidad, he said.

The facility, which can process at least six metric tons of vegetables a day or at least two (2) MT per shift, will spell higher incomes for farmers because the modern packing and cleaning techniques used in the plant will help reduce post harvest losses, Cachuela said.

He said two shifts of the facility’s operation will be operated exclusively for Dole’s products while the third shift will be open for local processors but under Dole’s technical supervision.

The processed highland vegetables, like broccoli and celery, will be marketed to Dole’s clients, like hotels and restaurants, including those in Japan , Taiwan , Hong Kong and Singapore .

Dole had already successfully marketed the province’s “long legs” broccoli under the name “Ashinaga broccoli,” which became a hit in Japan .

“This facility is part of the government’s commitment to build a national cold chain program to preserve the high quality of Philippine vegetables and reduce post-production losses, which could run as high as 50 percent, due to poor storage and processing practices,” Cachuela said.

The facility, he said, has opened market opportunities for the province’s vegetables, given that Dole is known for its network of international markets. Aside from the facility, he said BPRE is also set to put up other processing facilities for “lakatan,” a local banana variety, and coffee Arabica in the villages of Alno, Bineng and Puguis in La Trinidad.