GenSan News Online Mag

With the worsening power crisis in this part of Southern Mindanao, comes this peace of news….

In separate news reports today, March 09, 2010, from the online editions of the Philippine Daily Inquirer, Manila Standard and other national media outlets, it was gathered that food and beverage behemoth San Miguel Corporation is building a 150-megawatt to 300-MW power plant in General Santos City!

This came about with the acquisition of San Miguel Corporation, of Daguma Agro Minerals Inc., a coal plant based in South Cotabato, of the Guingonas, which has the rights over one of the Philippines’ richest coal deposits.  This one is located at Barangay Ned, Lake Sebu.

According to San Miguel president Ramon Ang, “a switch-on ceremony is being planned for the construction of a mine-mouth power plant”, which will cost from $150 million to $300 million, at a cost of $1 million per megawatt.

He added that initially the coal-fired power plant would generate 150 MW to 300 MW of electricity but could be increased depending on coal production.  His people are now in the process of securing the permits and other requirements needed for both the coal mine and coal plant.

If plans don’t miscarry, construction of the coal plant in General Santos City will start within the year and will be completed by 2012.

The report further revealed that “Another coal mining company, Sultan Energy Philippines Corp., has started test production of its Daguma coal field. Sultan Energy holds a separate coal operating contract in the Daguma coal field covering 7,000 hectares“.

Hydroelectric power plants provide the bulk of Mindanao’s power requirements but they have limited capabilities now due to low water inflow to reservoirs.

The Agus power plant of National Power Corp. have an available capacity of 65 MW out of the total rated output of 727 MW. The Pulangi plant, also owned by Napocor, provides 20 MW out of the total rated capacity of 255 MW.

San Miguel has been intensifying its investments in the power sector. It now owns the 620-MW Limay bunker-fired power plant and trading the 1,000-MW contract of the Sual coal-fired power plant.

San Miguel is also vying for the 246-MW Angat power plant up for bidding next month. – MANILA STANDARD TODAY

If and when San Miguel Corporation complies with all the requirements needed and goes through the necessary processes involved to secure the permits for operation, of this power plant, and armed with the assurance that the environment is protected, we are certain that the GenSan City Council will hold no objection to it this time.

So with the generals.

For the May 10, 2010 local and national election, the Office of the Election Officer in General Santos City of the Commission on Elections (COMELEC) recently released the LIST OF DESIGNATED POSTER AREAS in the city.  These places will be the official venues for supporters of the candidates to hang, display, post or set up their merchandising materials.

The local candidates of GenSan may start posting their election campaign materials on March 25, 2010 in these spots.

Here is page one of the list of COMELEC GenSan’s common poster areas signed by Atty. Jose Villanueva, the City Election Officer.

Here is the second page of the list of COMELEC GenSan’s common poster areas.

.

Now if you see election campaign materials like posters, streamers, tarpaulins, stickers in areas outside these official designated places, you have all the right to report them to the local COMELEC office by calling them at telephone #s (083) 554-1881.  Or if you can’t wait for them, why not tear down the illegally-posted campaign paraphenalia yourself?

That will make you a hero in the eyes of every law abiding citizen of GenSan!  Go for it!

Grand Slam Winner for three consecutive years at the Tuna Festival Tuna Pasiklaban Cheerdance Competition,the  Notre Dame of Dadiangas University Sarimanok PEP Squad has done it again!  Please click here for their video.

After qualifying in the Mindanao Regional Finals of the 2010 National Cheerleading Competition last year together with Xavier University – Ateneo de Cagayan and Iligan Medical Center College, it is now competing in the National Finals of the Collegiate Coed Division tomorrow, March 6, 2010, from 2pm-6pm, at the Ynares Sports Arena, Shaw Boulevard, Pasig, Metro Manila.

According to NCC’s press release:

The competition will showcase the 21 best collegiate squads from around the nation, who had qualified for the NCC Finals in regional competitions since last year. Teams to watch out for are: 2009 National Champions and NCAA Champs University of Perpetual Help Dalta System (UPHDS), 2009 1st runner up University of the Cordilleras, 2009 2nd runner up Xavier University-Ateneo De Cagayan (XU). Also expected to show strongly are 2007 and 2008 champions Central Colleges of the Philippines (CCP), SCUAA Champs Rizal Technological University (RTU), and Polytechnic University of the Philippines-Taguig (PUPT). Darkhorses include De La Salle University (DLSU) who placed 3rd in the NCR Qualifiers, Jose Rizal University (JRU) who placed 2nd in the NCAA competition, and Ateneo De Manila University (ADMU). Notable finalist also include Palawan State University (PSU), Tarlac State University (TSU), Notre Dame University (NDDU) from General Santos, and Mapua Institute of Technology (MIT).

For the more complete line-up of the competing collegiate teams, here is the poster below…

This is the first time that the NDDU Sarimanok PEP Squad will be competing on a national level, thanks to the support of President Bro. John Tan, FMS.  It would be great then if the generals could watch them during the 2010 National Cheerleading Competition Finals.

Well, Bariles has good news for everyone –   ABS-CBN’s Studio 23 will be airing the competiton LIVE TOMORROW from 2pm-6pm!!

So tell your friends, families, classmates, and all the generals you know about this momentous event and watch how they clobber competition LIVE on Studio 23!!!

Or better still, if you are in Manila or have friends there, ask them to head off to Ynares Sports Arena in Pasig and cheer for our homegrown talents while they strut their stuff and show the world what the generals are made of!

From us here at GenSan News Online Mag, GOOD LUCK to the NDDU Sarimanok PEP SQUAD!!!! Go Dameans!!! Go Maristas! Go NOTRE DAME!!!

Update:  Here are the results of the 2010 National Cheerleading Competition yesterday.

Are you sick and tired of all the unannounced power brownouts in Soccsksargen which have been happening at least four times daily, sometimes lasting for an hour or even up to 15 hours?

Have you ever wondered by SOCOTECO II has not come up with a pronouncement aside from the usual “EL NINO” excuse and a solution to all these since for sure, they saw this coming years back?

Anyway, for all that it is worth, we are publishing verbatim SOCOTECO II‘s latest Power Advisory sent out to the city’s media outlets and the City Mayor’ Office.

This notice was signed by SOCOTECO II’s Institutional Services Depatment Manager Geronimo C. Desesto.

POWER ADVISORY

EL NIÑO WORSENS POWER SITUATION IN MINDANAO, HOURS OF ROTATING BROWN-OUT INCREASE

The El Niño phenomenon worsens the already fragile power situation in Mindanao, as water level drops at faster rate than expected.

Over the week, SOCOTECOII customers experienced two to three times two-hour brown-out to meet National Grid Corporation of the Philippines’ (NGCP) load curtailment requirements. Power supply curtailment has been imposed by NGCP in Southern Mindanao since August 2009 due to power generation deficiency, ranging from 20 MW to as high as 40 MW, daily.

As per recent NGCP advice, water elevation at hydroelectric power plants reaches below critical level. Power crisis is expected to continue until rainy season arrives or until power generation deficiency is addressed.

SOCOTECOII management implores for public’s understanding since this power crisis is beyond its control and is experienced by Mindanao and the Philippines, as a whole. The management also finds difficulty in coming up with load shedding schedule due to the erratic curtailment demands required by NGCP from SOCOTECOII, which varies at hourly basis.

Energy conservation activities are requested from all electricity users, especially during 5PM to 9PM, through the following:

1. 1. No ironing of clothes on above-mentioned time;
2. 2. Limited use of air-conditioner and other electrical appliances;
3. 3. Unplugging of refrigerators/freezers from 6PM to 8PM;
4. 4. Use one television set only for the whole family;
5. 5. Sensible use of lighting facilities at home

Thank you.

# # # # #

Approved for Release:

GERONIMO C. DESESTO

Manager, Institutional Services Department

MARCH 1, 2010

ISD/MPR-Information

HOTLINE:  Telephone #s553-5848 to 50 local 133

And now for your rants and raves, complaints, whatever, you may write them down here. We’re sure SOCOTECO II will read them.

Two weeks ago, a fleet of seven orange multi-cabs can be seen plying the streets of General Santos City with eye-catching streamers hanging on their sides.  Curiouser than a cat, Bariles immediately took pictures of one with his NOKIA E63 phone cam as soon as he saw it parked at the rear car lot of Robinsons Place-GenSan.

Wow!  That was all Bariles could say after finding out that the vehicles are all commissioned by Robinsons. This particular one he saw ferries customers and shoppers to and from the mall to Susana Homes and Dona Soledad Subdivision.

Upon further investigation, Bariles also found out that other routes included in this LIBRENG SAKAY offer of Robinsons Place GenSan are Barangay Calumpang, Barangay Apopong and even as far as the municipality of Alabel in Sarangani Province!   He hopes that this won’t be just a temporary thing but will make it a regular promotion in General Santos City.

One thing for sure is that this move is very commendable on the part of the management of Robinsons and will not only increase foot traffic inside the mall from these far-flung areas of GenSan and Sarangani but will also endear them more to the hearts of the locals.

Talaga ngang MAS MAGANDA DITO!!!

A few weeks back, a Google Mapping Party (GenSan Mapping Party)  was conducted in General Santos City with the Tuna Capital’s very active bloggers in attendance for an afternoon of fun, learning and advocacy.

But first, what is a Mapping Party?

A Mapping Party is a gathering where you invite your friends who have laptops to a venue with fast internet connection, and together, with the use of Google Map Maker  and aided by an instructor, map out and name your locality’s streets, roads, highways, establishments, housing, etc.

In this case, Bariles, through his network of online journalists, the Soccsksargen Bloggers group, gathered  20 of the best ones from General Santos City at one of GenSan’s newer coffee shops, Cafe Amoree.  Lending his expertise to the exercise if GenSan Blogger and UP Diliman student, Mikko Gozalo.

The Mapping Party lived up to its slogan “Mapping GenSan for the world: Now no one gets lost in General Santos City again!” by being able to insert more than a thousand names for the the map of the Tuna Capital collectively.  It was one notable project of the Soccsksargen Bloggers and hopefully, will not be the last of its kind for their beloved locality.

Here are more photos to show for it.

"BLOGGER MIKO GOZALO EXPLAINING THE GOOGLE MAPPING PROCEDURES TO THE SOCCSKSARGEN BLOGGERS AT CAFE AMOREE'S FUNCTION ROOM"

"A CAMERAMAN OF ABS-CBN FILMS THE SOCCSKSARGEN BLOGGERS AT WORK. THIS ACTIVITY WAS FEATURED ON THE LOCAL KAPAMILYA NEWS PROGRAM."

"THE SOX BLOGGERS AT WORK DILIGENTLY ON THEIR MAPS"

"THE SOCCSKSARGEN BLOGGERS AT THE MAIN DINING AREA OF CAFE AMOREE AFTER THE GOOGLE MAPPING PARTY"

The attendees, by the way are the following bloggers:  Orman Manansala, Ariel Lalisan, Mark Aethen Agana, Gilbert Tan, Mikko Gozalo, Donna Mae Congson, Emman, Mandi Nicolas, Rain Cindy and her friend, Hannah Espinosa, Rabsky Villanueva,  Arnel and Rosilie Lim, Gay Carillo, www and her husband and yours truly, Bariles.

A million thanks goes out to the owners of Cafe Amoree, especially our good friend Ricky and his lovely wife and to Orman for facilitating their hosting of this first ever and historical GenSan Mapping Party.

Shout outs of gratitude to Ate Aileen Apolo-De Jesus for the Google shwags, to K101′s Kabayan Joe for the mousepads with wristrests and Mr. Mandi Nicolas for the Adobe Photoshop freebies.

And to the people of GenSan who are into mapping the city, and making it easier to circumnavigate, thank you for sharing our very own home with the rest of the world.

In line with its expansion, KCC Malls recently released a list of job vacancies for its biggest mall in General Santos City.  Thanks to Mr. Shui Lam for ensuring that Gensan News Online Mag be furnished with this notice.

Below is the poster for these newest job vacancies at the KCC Mall of GenSan.

For more information with regard to these GenSan jobs available for qualified applicants, please call (083) 554-5555.

From Mr. Rene “Rocky” Jordan, General Manager of Microtel Inn and Suites Davao who was in General Santos City last week for the Kalilangan Trade Fair at Robinsons Place GenSan and to pay a courtesy visit to Mayor Pedro “Jun” Acharon, came this pronouncement.

“Microtel GenSan Hotel will commence construction within the next quarter in its designated location at the old Floreindo property along the National Highway.”

This came, more than 18 months after Bariles first blogged about it in a post which elicited much excitement and delight among GenSan News Online Mag’s readers.  Read about it by clicking here.

With the promise of a new GenSan hotel finally coming into fruition, the solution to the ages-old problem of where to house delegates of conventions with more than a thousand participants will soon be a reality.

Aside from Microtel GenSan Hotel, more inns, pension houses are in the process of completion all throughout the city.  And right after the National Assembly of the Councilors League of the Philippines in General Santos last February 2010 which exposed the glaring lack of hotel rooms here, a number of businessmen have expressed interest to invest on more lodging houses.

Microtel GenSan Hotel on the other hand will be a two-storey, 70-room establishment according to Mr. Jordan, and will be bigger than their Davao branch.  It will boast of a swimming pool and facilities for large gatherings, a move of the Floreindos which will be a big help in ensuring that GenSan’s bid to be South Central Mindanao’s “CONVENTION CAPITAL” will further be strengthened.