Sleepy Leyte town wakes up, thanks to newly-skilled workers

TESDA Beat

April 29, 2011, 12:35pm

MANILA, Philippines — The Kananga-EDC Institute of Technology (KEITECH) in Kananga town in Leyte has become a benchmark for alternative education and training program that has transformed unskilled youth into highly-skilled workers. It was jointly founded in June 2009 by geothermal leader Energy Development Corporation (EDC), the municipal government of Kananga, and TESDA.

Leyte, site of EDC’s largest geothermal field, is in the typhoon-belt area and thus experiences limited industrialization and economic development. Adding to this woe is the low average household income of P10,000 to P15,000 annually. Topping it all is the high unemployment rate at 15 percent in Kananga town.

As a key member of the local community, EDC decided to help uplift the economic status of its host towns through livelihood projects and a job contract for the company’s operational and maintenance requirements.

However, there are not many qualified skilled workers in these communities which are dependent on subsistence farming. Aware of their predicament, the Kananga LGU approached EDC to help develop the skills of the local manpower and address growing unemployment. KEITECH was thus born.

World-class training facility

KEITECH initially offers courses in construction, metals and engineering, and tourism/health/social services. Trainees from these three program areas go through two or more focused skills programs that will lead them to five training paths.

Students and most of the trainors are housed in the institute’s dormitories from Monday to Friday. The trainors also serve as dorm masters. About 75 percent of the trainees are residents of Kananga, while the rest are from other EDC host communities.

Curriculum was customized to include additional lessons on Mathematics, English, occupational health and safety, and hands-on exercises.

EDC also aspired to raise the level of training a notch higher by focusing not only on the acquisition of technical skills but also on discipline and values development. The company believes that the worker’s character is a big plus factor that employers look for in job applicants.

“Your diploma and technical skills will help you get a job but it is your work values and habits that will make you keep it and propel you to success in your career,” says Oscar Lopez, EDC chairman emeritus, during the second KEITECH graduation ceremony.

Trailblazing

Among KEITECH’s notable accomplishments are: gainful employment of 109 out of the 117 first batch of graduates or a 95 percent employment rate; 100 percent assessment passing rate; and the distinction of being part of the local ecotourism destination.

In the TESDA qualification assessment in December 2010, KEITECH trainees registered a 100 percent passing rate in Carpentry NC II, Shielded Metal Arc Welding (SMAW) NC II, and Food and Beverage Service NC II.

Engineer Emiliano Argoncillo, manager of EDC’s Community Partnerships Department in Leyte, and KEITECH administrator, Dr. Emiliano Saceda II, attribute the high passing rate to rigid training, values development program, and full institutional support.

Kananga Mayor Elmer Codilla acknowledged KEITECH’s important role in improving the town’s socio-economic situation by helping the unskilled learn a trade, be gainfully employed, and become productive members of the community.

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Cabiao, Candaba set to grow sweet sorghum for food, fuel

By Tonette Orejas Central Luzon Desk CANDABA, Pampanga, Philippines—Test farming of sweet sorghum in the last six years showed crop production in the Philippines to be 50 percent higher than in India, increasing the crop’s potential as a source of food, fodder and fuel in local communities, according to a top crop scientist. Dr. Belum Reddy, principal scientist of the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (Icrisat), said research done through linkages with universities and colleges in Ilocos Norte, Central Luzon and South Cotabato showed that sweet sorghum can be “planted throughout the year in major islands of the Philippines.” It can also be grown during the rainy months, he said. Icrisat, a nongovernment and nonpolitical institution based in India, promotes the cultivation of sweet sorghum for various uses. The institution is headed by Dr. William Dar, former secretary of the Department ofAgriculture. In the Philippines, Icrisat works in communities through local governments and national agencies, like the Department of Science and Technology. The DOST has helped some villages produce vinegar, sweet syrup, juice, bread and snacks from sweet sorghum. “The grain is food for people, fodder for animals, the stalks for ethanol fuel and the bagasse for biocompost,” Reddy said in a presentation made for Mayor Gloria Congco of Cabiao, Nueva Ecija, and Mayor Jerry Pelayo of Candaba, Pampanga. The towns are neighbors, both within the 32,000-hectare Candaba Swamp. “Food security is number one [priority]. Food securitymust not be sacrificed,” Reddy told the Inquirer. Congco said the Cabiao government started growing sweet sorghum last year, initially using 10 hectares. “While the yield showed to be good, we don’t have the equipment to process the crop. Also, our farmers need marketing support. That's where the partnership must focus on,” she said. Pelayo said that he wants sweet sorghum to be cultivated after rice is harvested. This means a window of three months for farmers wanting to fully utilize their lands. Growing sweet sorghum takes three months while planting and harvesting sugarcane, a major source of ethanol, lasts 10 to 11 months. Agricultural lands in Cabiao span around 7,000 hectares while Candaba has almost 18,000 hectares. Reddy said trial productions indicated that ethanol production from sweet sorghum is “cost-effective,” with a ton producing 40 liters of biofuel. He said the crop has high water use efficiency. It can be propagated through seeds and the hybrid technology for it is in place. Among the five varieties being tested locally, SPV422 showed good results, Reddy said. “[The production of sweet sorghum] ensures both food and energy security and clean environment,” Reddy said. “This is a win-win situation for farms and industry.” Candaba has set aside two rooms at the Miss Earth Park’s training center for an extension campus of the Pampanga Agricultural College, through which Icrisat will assist local farmers. Also last week, Icrisat met with officials of the First Philippines Sweet Sorghum Corp. (FPSSC), a consortium of companies Pemdas Energy, Bapamin Enterprises and Full Advantage. Pemdas Energy, chaired by Patrick Pelayo, the mayor’s son, has been growing sweet sorghum in the last three years in parts of Central Luzon. With low crop production, Pemdas churns out 700 liters of ethanol daily through a distillery. “The bottleneck is in the harvest,” the younger Pelayo said. The lack of equipment for biofuel production makes the Philippines still dependent on imported ethanol, mostly from Brazil, he said. This happened although the Philippines has enacted the Biofuels Act of 2006 (Republic Act 9367) and the government has mandated the blending of ethanol with gasoline, he said. Reddy said Icrisat is ready to work with the consortium in terms of seed production and establishment of demonstration farms. FPSSC estimates that investments may cost $1,000 (P43,250) per hectare. Source: Phlloippine Daily Inquirer

The Philippines leads in alternate energy sources

A Global View

By Dr. Beth Day Romulo

April 13, 2011, 10:02pm

MANILA, Philippines – Fortunately for the Philippines, investment in alternate sources of energy began years ago. The Mak-Ban geothermal plant, which helps supply Manila’s energy needs, was constructed in 1979. Today, the Philippines get 17% of its power from alternate sources of energy such as geothermal, which makes it the leading developer of alternate energy in Asia, second only to the United States in the world in the development of geothermal energy sites.

Basic Energy Corp. recently announced plans to develop a 20-megawatt geothermal energy project in Batangas. Feasibility studies are under way to determine the best drilling locations; 60 prospective geothermal sites have already been identified. In addition to the actual production sites, feasibility studies must also include proximity to adequate infrastructure, transmission lines, and regional power demand.

Food and beverage giant San Miguel, which has expanded into power generation, is bidding for five geothermal and hydro power plants in Leyte which are being privatized by the government.

In Mindanao, the Energy Development Corp., in partnership with the Worldwide Fund for Nature, announced three new geothermal projects.

And the Delgado Group of companies’ energy arm, Energy Logics, is looking into the feasibility of both solar and wind projects in Ilocos Norte.

Studies of the Ilocos Norte area revealed that the site selected for four projected wind farms could also support solar power facilities. The distances between the wind turbines is so great, and the sunshine in that region is so reliable that solar facilities can be constructed on the same property along with the wind farms.

Power generation is expected to come on line within two years.

Switch to alternative fuel gets boost

By ELLSON A. QUISMORIO

April 8, 2011, 5:37pm

MANILA, Philippines -- Admitting it does not see oil prices dropping soon, the Department of Energy (DoE) said it will now push for a shift to alternative fuels, particularly in converting diesel and gasoline-fuelled vehicles.

The DoE said it is finalizing its Fueling Sustainable Transport Program (FSTP), which will serve as the key component in its “Alternative Fuels Roadmap.”

Currently being drafted by the agency’s Energy Utilization Management Bureau, the roadmap will serve as the fundamental policy framework on diversifying fuels for transport use in the Philippines.

Under the FSTP, the DoE will convert private and public utility vehicles running on conventional fuel so they can switch to compressed natural gas (CNG), liquefied natural gas (LNG), liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) and even electricity.

“It is a timely opportunity for the country to shift to alternative fuels. Alternative fuels have become a cost-effective option. Since these alternative fuels are cheaper, we will be able to confront the dynamics of oil price volatility,” the DoE said in a statement.

Through the FTSP, the government hopes to reduce the carbon footprint of road transport which accounts for around half of the total air pollutants in the country.

“Furthermore, these alternative resources are cleaner than conventional diesel and gasoline and thus significantly help in reducing our carbon footprint,” the agency noted.

The raging conflicts in Northern Africa and the Middle East, China’s increasing fuel consumption, the improving US economy and uncertainties in demand for the rehabilitation efforts in tsunami-ravaged Japan were some of the factors noted by DoE in forecasting the continued surge in pump prices.

The DoE said its roadmap is funded by the Asian Development Bank (ADB). With it, the FTSP is advancing the pilot phase of the electric tricycle program, even as the department eyes the launch of pilot run of electric and LPG jeeps by the end of the year.

According to the DoE, demonstration runs of electric buses and cars will