Representatives of the big corporations in Cebu are given the Kasangga Awards for their cooperation in the Visayan Electric Company’s Interruptible Load Program. (CDN PHOTO/TONEE DESPOJO)
Big businesses were recognized yesterday for their cooperation in ensuring that the province have a sufficient supply of electricity by using their own generating units during the 2009 power crisis.
Visayan Electric Co. (Veco) initiated the Interruptible Load Program or ILP which involves big businesses to use their own generating units.
“We ask those companies with generating units to run their generator sets during peak times, when demand for power is really very high. The power that would have gone to them will be distributed to people who do not have generating capacity.” said Ma. Theresa Sederiosa, Veco’s corporate communications manager.
Sederiosa said that during the aftermath of Yolanda, these companies helped by minimizing the rotational brownouts to one to two hours.
Had it not been for them, she said, the province would have experienced two to three hours of rotational brownouts every day.
Aside from the ILP, Veco is also implementing the Cebu Unplugged program, which is an information campaign about conserving energy in the household and targeting children.
“Parents listen to the voice of the kids. We’re starting with the kids, we’re educating them. We’re going from school to school to introduce Cebu Unplugged campaign, and to teach kids the ways that they can save energy,” Sederiosa said.
She added that they came up with the energy saving program because of what happened after Typhoon Yolanda.
“One-third of our supply, coming from Leyte, could not give us any electricity and that is why last year we had one to two hours of rotational brownouts.”
The power industry is concerned with two factors – the supply and demand of power. If the demand is too high and the supply is not enough, Veco will be forced to compromise with rotational brownouts.
“We are happy that Veco took this initiative. We hope that the other local government units will also support this program because it will go a long way in really saving energy and also in securing supply of power,” said Cebu Gov. Hilario Davide III.
The awardees include AD Gothong Manufacturing Company, Aboitiz Equity Ventures, Cemento Mexico (Cemex), Cebu Holdings Inc Ayala Center Cebu, Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, Emall, IPI, J. King and Sons Co., Lucky Group Management and Development Corp., Oakridge Realty, Parkmall, Robinsons Land Corp., SM City Cebu, Lucky Tableware Factory Inc., Vicsal Dev’t Corp., Unifeeds, and San Miguel Corp./UP INTERNS Gerriane Rizon and Angeli Sarmiento