Resiliency of energy sector to be shared during APEC

CEBU, Philippines - The resiliency of the energy sector in Cebu will be one of the things the Department of Energy will share with participants of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) meetings here.

“It’s an opportune time to showcase the growth nation despite calamities like Yolanda and other typhoons. We show we recovered (from) these calamities,” said Acting Energy Secretary Zenaida Monsada during yesterday’s “Kapistorya sa Kapitolyo.”

She said the Philippine representatives will share how the country, Cebu particularly, recovered from the calamities.

The 12th Energy Ministerial Meeting, also part of the continuing APEC conference, will be held in Shangri-la MactanIsland Resort from October 12 to 14. The last time the country hosted such meeting was in 1996.

Monsada said the country also hopes to learn how it can “lessen” the importation of fuel.

Undersecretary Loreta Ayson said energy is an “important driver” of economic growth.

Meanwhile, Ayson said that in the recent seminar on energy investment, businessmen were encouraged to invest in power plants to augment the energy supply in the country. She said for a nation to sustain its economic growth, it should meet the energy requirement to keep industries running.

“We need more power so we can meet the growing need for energy,” she said, adding, a power crisis will be inevitable if this is not addressed soon.

Safety

With three more weeks before the meetings, regional police director, Chief Supt. Prudencio Tom Bañas, said vehicle traffic, especially during heavy rain, is one of the challenges organizers see.

“One of the challenges is that ‘yong traffic. Iyan talaga yung isang challenge na nakikitang mga organizers especially na daghan ang atong mga roads nga under construction,” he said.

“Magdasal nalang tayo nahindi umulan. Pero mayroon namang measures ang DPWH sa address the problem of flood,” he said.

As far as the police are concerned, Bañas said it is their objective that no delegate will figure in any incident, no matter how small.

“We have to make sure that the delegates will not be involved even in minor incidents or crime like laglag-barya (modus operandi) or pick pocketing,”Bañas said.

Local police are now on high alert with 9,000 policemen to be deployed for the whole duration of the event. — (FREEMAN)