Power summit today

CEBU, Philippines - The Freedom from Debt Coalition (FDC) - Visayas Chapters will spearhead the Visayas Multi-Stakeholders Power Summit today at the Cebu Business Hotel in Cebu City.

Jose Aaron Pedrosa, FDC-Cebu secretary-general, said the summit aims to galvanize different Visayas-based consumer groups, non-government organizations, electric cooperatives, labor groups, people’s organizations and local government units  into action against the privatization of the independent power producer administrator of the Unified Leyte Geothermal Power Plant (ULGPP) in Tongonan, Leyte.

Pedrosa said that the ULGPP, which has a 1,958 MW-installed capacity accounting for almost 13% of the country’s energy mix, is the single biggest source of electricity that powers the Visayas grid and reportedly the second biggest source of geothermal power in the world.

 Pedrosa added that among the other issues to be tackled are the power situation in Visayas, the power privatization efforts of the government as well as alternatives to the Electric Power Industry Reform Act of 2001.

 Expected speakers include DOE Secretary Jericho Petilla,  Atty. Manuel Sano of the  Alliance of Visayas Electric Cooperatives and FDC national vice president Manjette Lopez.

Around 50 delegates from Eastern Visayas, Negros, Panay and Cebu are slated to attend. — (FREEMAN)