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MERALCO
technicians work on wiring and electric meters at the
Parola area in Tondo, Manila. The Energy Regulatory
Commission is pressing the government’s agenda to have
Meralco’s books opened to the Commission on Audit (COA),
a move that Meralco is opposing, saying the
constitutional mandate of COA does not allow it to audit
private companies.
--NONIE REYES |
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TOP STORIES |
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ERC prods Meralco on audit |
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THE Energy
Regulatory Commission (ERC) is pressing the government’s bid
to have the Manila Electric Co. (Meralco) scrutinized by
state auditors, despite constitutional questions raised by
the country’s largest power distributor.
“We direct
you to open your books, records and accounts to the COA [Comission
on Audit] team,” Zenaida Ducut, ERC chairman, said in her
letter to Meralco president Jesus Francisco on Wednesday.
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Government sees better
prospects in ’09 as global woes ease |
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THE
government has better economic expectations in 2009, when it
sees the global economic environment starting to improve and
inflation to temper, according to the National Economic and
Development Authority (Neda).
Neda
documents showed the government expected agriculture,
fishery and forestry (AFF) to grow within the range of 5.1
percent to 6.2 percent next year; industry, 6.2 percent to
7.1 percent; and services, 6.5 percent to 7.4 percent. |
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Iata outlook for airlines in
2009 gloomy |
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THE global
airline industry will post losses until next year on account
of rising oil prices and weak demand, the International Air
Transport Association (Iata) said on Thursday. |
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Senators want ratification of Jpepa deferred |
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AT least
five senators are moving to defer early ratification of the
Japan-Philippines Economic Partnership Agreement (Jpepa) to
allow renegotiating to cure the lopsided accord, according
to Senate Majority Leader Francis Pangilinan. |
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‘War in Mindanao to make MDGs
even harder to attain’ |
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AS the war
in Mindanao continues to rage, and with the dissolution of
the panel negotiating for peace with the Moro Islamic
Liberation Front (MILF), the country’s chances of reducing
poverty and meeting the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)
by 2015 may be slimming. |
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BIR drops bid to get P3.6B from
BSP |
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THE Bureau
of Internal Revenue (BIR) has dropped its bid to have the
Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) pay it P3.6 billion in
supposed back taxes and declared on Thursday the contested
liability has been extinguished. |
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Petron, Shell, Chevron roll
back fuel prices |
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FOLLOWING
the price cut initiated by independent petroleum players on
Wednesday morning, major oil companies Petron Corp., Chevron
and Pilipinas Shell Petroleum Corp. announced on Thursday
that they would roll back the price of their gasoline and
diesel products by P1 per liter effective Saturday morning.
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Cease-fire still in place
despite panel junking |
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SENATORS
crossed party lines on Thursday to express bipartisan
backing for Malacaņang’s move to dissolve the Palace panel
that bungled a peace deal with the Moro Islamic Liberation
Front (MILF), but asserted the need to hold liable officials
for the bungling, noting that this was costly in terms of
lives lost in the hostilities that erupted. |
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ERC wants Calaca plant turned
over |
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THE next
step to make the power industry more competitive is open
access, but before the full step, there is interim open
access that the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) wants in
place soonest. It has asked the Power Sector Assets and
Liabilities Management Corp. (PSALM) to turn over as soon as
possible the 600-megawatt Calaca coal-fired power plant to
its buyer, Suez Energy. |
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Asean envoys to tackle HR with NGOs |
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KEY
diplomats of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean)
will hold consultations with leaders of civil-society groups
in Manila for the drafting of the terms of reference for the
human-rights body of the Asean Charter that seeks to address
cases of rights atrocities in the region. Of particular
focus to them is Burma/Myanmar, ruled for four decades by a
military junta. |
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Mall No.
31, Retail
giant SM opened its Marikina supermall on Thursday,
cementing its role as industry leader. The newest mall
is located on Marcos Highway. At left, cutting the
ribbon to open the mall are (from left) MMDA Chairman
Bayani Fernando, SM’s Hans Sy, Bishop Gabriel Reyes,
Felicidad Sy, the wife of retail magnate Henry Sy Sr.,
and Marikina Mayor Maria Lourdes Fernando.
--ROMY FLORANTE |
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