Forbes Park leads power saving drive

Could they live without airconditioning this summer?

Barangay Forbes Park chairman Jose Concepcion Jr. said yesterday an effort is being initiated by Makati City villages to urge households to help reduce soaring power costs by saving on electricity, especially with the looming war in Iraq.

"Our country’s oil supply is good for only 70 days in case a war breaks out. We should save on power... we should discuss our accountability and residents should be involved," Concepcion said in a phone interview.

A meeting among subdivisions leaders and residents in Makati City was scheduled late yesterday afternoon, to be hosted by Barangay Forbes. The meeting is dubbed "General Assembly for Power."

"We’re having a general assembly to bring a level of consciousness and awareness," Concepcion said.

Concepcion said that the country consumes as much as P350 billion worth of power annually. The figure is expected to balloon to P500 billion this year, he added.

And that a substantial amount of power is consumed "due to airconditiong and refrigerators", Concepcion said. "Sometimes, our aircon (units) are not even that efficient. There is also a lot of (power) wastage."– Nikko Dizon