DOE conducts inventory of stocks of oil firms
By Fayette C. Riñen
‘to ensure that PH has ample fuel supply amid volatile oil situation in the world market’
CEBU CITY, May 6 (PIA) --- With the volatile oil situation in the world market, the Philippine Government through the Department of Energy (DOE) is currently implementing an inventory of the oil stocks of oil companies to see to it that the country has sufficient supply of fuel.
“The DOE is now doing an inventory of fuel supply among all oil firms in the country to ensure that we have enough supply of oil in case there is a sudden disruption of fuel supply in the world market,” according to DOE-7 Regional Director Engr. Antonio Labios during a recent PIA forum.
Labios said the country sources 80 percent of its oil needs from the Middle East while the ongoing internal conflicts in the Middle East Region has drastically impacted on the soaring prices of oil in the world market.
“And as the Philippines is dependent on imported oil, the relentless oil price increases is just beyond the government’s control,” according to Labios.
Since January this year, oil firms have raised pump prices more than ten times defending their action to the high cost of oil per barrel in the world market, this is reported.
Labios said the crisis in the Middle East which started off in Egypt followed by Yemen and spread to other neighboring nations like Libya and Syria is the predominant factor behind the rising costs of fuel in the global market.
“If the crisis in the Middle East is not resolved soon, we anticipate fuel prices to climb higher,” according to Labios.
As of now, the DOE cannot forecast an end to the relentless oil price hikes as “even analysts cannot determine when this will end,” Labios bared.
The DOE-7 official said that prices of oil is largely determined by the law of supply and demandand the Philippines has a huge demand because it does not have its own local source of oil.
Another factor cited by Labios is the peso-dollar exchange rate that also affects the oil prices in the country.
Labios however, said the government continues to promote the use of indigenous sources of energy like geothermal to achieve energy security and less dependence on imported oil.
As for the use of renewable energy sources, “we hope that in three to five years time, we will achieve significant impact on its use because as of present, we are still in the development stage,” Labios said. (PIA 7-Cebu)
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LTO-7 to launch ‘Decade of Action for Road Safety 2011-2010’ in PIA Kapihan
By Fayette C. Riñen
CEBU CITY, May 6 (PIA) --- In order to guarantee passenger safety and prevent deaths due to road accidents, the ‘Decade of Action for Road Safety 2011-2020’ will be launched next Wednesday in Cebu in the weekly Kapihan sa PIA where measures that have been undertaken and to be pursued by government transport agencies will be discussed.
Land Transportation Office (LTO)-7 Regional Director Raul Aguiluz said the activity is part of heightening awareness on the importance of road safety to prevent unnecessary loss of lives.
Frequency of road accidents in the country that seem to be on the rise have always figured in news reports as measures hat should have been instituted in the first place could have prevented passenger victims from injuries or worse, untimely deaths, this is said.
Aguiluz said their office is closely working with the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB)-7 and the Cebu City Traffic Operations Management (CITOM) to ensure the objectives of the decade action plan is met.
The LTO-7 regional director said the random drug test that they initiated prior to Holy Week amongbus drivers as part of their efforts to prevent road accidents received positive feedback. Their initiative yielded two bus drivers who tested positive on the use of illegal drugs, this is reported.
“Our efforts to ensure road safety by conducting random roadside drug testing was received with favorable response so such initiative will again be part of the measures under the action plan,” Aguiluz disclosed.
Aguiluz added that they will also conduct road worthiness test among buses and public utility jeepneys to check how safe these vehicles are on the road.
To be strictly implemented under the action plan is the anti-smoke belching campaign as Aguiluz said the CITOM with the help of the police will be in the forefront in the ctackdown against smoke belching vehicles, Aguiluz declared.
In order to create and hike public awareness among all road users such as operators, drivers and pedestrians, the LTO-7 with its partner agencies plan to distribute road safety kits on the importance of road safety. (PIA 7-Cebu)
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Cebuano Muslims renew commitment to peace
By Eli C. Dalumpines
CEBU CITY, May 5 (PIA) --- Muslims who are permanently residing in Cebuassured the government that they are still committed to the peace and security of the place.
This statement was issued in the wake of the killing of international terrorist leaderOsama bin Laden whose death elicited fears among the different people worldwide that al Qaeda sympathizers might launch retaliatory attacks to countries closely identified with the United States.
Office of Muslim Affairs (OMA) -7 Director Malo B. Manonggiring, in a forum today with the different leaders of the Muslim communities in Cebu, said that while he condoled with the al Qaeda leader’s death as a Muslim brother, he strongly condemned his terroristic activities since the Koran does not support such acts.
Manonggiring said Muslim communities in Metro Cebu will soon reactivate the Community Information Center that will strictly monitor the entry of unidentified persons into their communities to ensure that no one would take advantage of the situation by disturbing the peace that people here enjoy.
The OMA-7 director admitted though that they have yet to come up with a uniform system of monitoring new entrants to their communities but vowed to improve the present system they adopted to ensure that no one would come into their neighborhood unnoticed.
Manonggiring clarified that Cebuano Muslims decided to live here in Cebu not to sow terror but to engage in trade with their Christian brothers and to live in harmony with them.
“I hope that our Christian brothers would understand that if any act committed by our Muslim brothers that would cause the disturbance of peace, it is our families who will suffer first because our livelihood will be affected,” he said.
Meanwhile, Abubakar Gunang, a leader of a Muslim community in Cebu City noted that there was no history of conflict between Christians and Muslims in Cebu and lauded OMA’s move to reactivate the Peace Advocates’ group to assist the police in securing the city.
Gunang said that even if there is no apparent threat at the moment but the possibility of a terror attack here cannot be discounted.
Along this line, Gunang urged his fellow Muslims to always be vigilant and to secure their communities well to avert such incidents. (FCR/ECD/PIA 7-Cebu)
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P-Noy pay last respects to LP-Cebu ally, the late VG Sanchez
By Fayette C. Rinen
CEBU CITY, May 5 (PIA) --- President Benigno S. Aquino III dropped by Cebu this morning for a brief private visit to personally extend his condolences to the family of the late Cebu Vice Governor Gregorio Sanchez Jr., an ally of the Liberal Party (LP).
The President whose party included former Sen. Mar Roxas, Rep. Jun Abaya, Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama and LP Cebu Chairman Hilario Davide III arrived at the Crystal Palace of the Cosmopolitan Funeral Homes about 9:45 a.m. where he was met by the family of the late vice governor.
Aquino then proceeded to pay his respect and viewed the casket of the late Sanchez before proceeding to a private room accompanied by the members of the Sanchez family.
After 15 minutes, Pres. Aquino immediately left as another engagement is scheduled at noontime back in Manila with the Employers’ Confederation of the Philippines.
The President flew to Cebu from Samar to also visit the wake of the late Calbayog City MayorReynaldo Uy who was shot dead by still unknown assailants last May 1. Uy was also a member of the LP Party.
To recall, Aquino won by over 1M votes in Cebu in the last Presidential elections as Davide, who ran against incumbent Gov. Gwen Garcia, with Sanchez as his vice governor led the local LP party in the province to ensure the President’s victory. (PIA 7-Cebu)