Surprisingly curt

Mindanao businessmen are complaining that the power interruptions are costing huge losses, with sales down 50 percent. Brownouts in Mindanao will worsen this August due to repairs and maintenance work, with the Visayas region facing a critical period next year due to a supply shortfall. Government has set aside P4.5 billion for modular generators, but many are unhappy with this short-term solution that could drive up electricity costs – reviving calls for renewable energy projects to avert a looming nationwide power crisis.

Fortunately, a lot of private companies are going into “green power,” with hydro, wind and geothermal in the pipeline. The DOE recently approved several alternative energy projects including the Nabas wind power project in Aklan by Petro Green Energy Corp., a 100 percent-owned subsidiary of PetroEnergy Resources Corp. which is majority-owned by the Yuchengco Group. The 50-MW Nabas project, estimated for completion by 2014, attracted four multinational players who submitted bids to supply wind turbines for the project. These are Gamesa (Spain), Vestas (Danish), Alstom (French) and CNTIC (Chinese).

Sources said CNTIC was the only bidder that was willing to extend competitive financing, aside from the fact that the turbine price was 30 percent lower than those manufactured in the US and Europe. The Chinese bidder, however, was notified last month that another player had been selected. Aside from the curt tone of the letter, what really puzzled the Chinese company was the fact that they were not given the courtesy of knowing the identity of the winner. Neither was there any explanation why their offer was not deemed “advantageous” to the company.

Insiders say CNTIC did not make the cut due to “technical details,” but those who are used to the courtesy and professionalism of the Yuchengco family in conducting business are just wondering at the curtness and why the outcome of the big-ticket project seems to be, strangely, undisclosed so far.

Meralco’s Tesla: The wave of the future

Meralco will be presenting the luxury battery-powered vehicle Tesla Model S to Meralco chairman Manny Pangilinan tomorrow, disclosed senior vice president for Customer Retail and Corporate Marketing Communications Al Panlilio. The Tesla is actually named after Serbian-born American inventor Nikola Tesla, with Tesla Motors co-founded by South African-American businessman and inventor Elon Musk who almost went bankrupt two years ago but received a breather through a $465 million from the US government’s Advanced Technology Vehicles Manufacturing Program as well as a $50 million buy-in from German car manufacturer Daimler, which Musk says was instrumental in saving his company.

The Tesla Model S is a frontrunner in the green car industry, having been named the 2013 Car of the year by Motor Trend Magazine with the basic model costing an estimated $70,000 minimum. It’s a hyper-fast car with fantastic features that include button-free, touch screen controls displayed on a giant iPad like screen that controls everything from navigation, airconditioning, the sound system and even the door locking system. 

Al Panlilio is confident that e-cars will be the next wave of the future, with Meralco stepping up plans to manufacture electric vehicles and build power charging stations – all of which will not only help improve air quality but eventually lessen our dependence on imported fuels.

Betting on the refs

The controversial call during the recent UAAP (University Athletic Association of the Philippines) basketball game between La Salle and Adamson that resulted in the six-game suspension of the referee is feeding rumors about game fixing and point shaving – something that has been suspected and talked about for many years. Huge amounts of money are involved with bets reaching millions and students themselves allegedly acting as bookies. Betting can get even higher especially when the teams are fierce rivals like Ateneo and La Salle for instance.

Players have been suspected of involvement, with key players suddenly missing field goals and free throw shots and committing other errors. Several years ago, the UAAP was rocked by game fixing scandals to the point that even the NBI and the DOJ were called in. In fact, an ace guard was released without explanations by his team before a crucial finals game, fueling rumors that the player may have been involved in game fixing and point shaving. 

But the more crucial factor, however, are referees because they can make dubious calls to favor a certain team and manipulate the outcome of the game, with points added to a certain team just by awarding them free throw shots. UAAP commissioner Chito Loyzaga admitted to Spy Bits the game fixing speculations, which is why he suggests slow motion cameras and other sophisticated equipment strategically placed within the basketball court. This will allow UAAP officials to instantly review a game whenever questions about the officiating arise. UAAP cannot just rely on the coverage of television networks because these are for commercial purposes and could not be expected to shed light on questionable “judgment” calls, Loyzaga explained.

A basketball enthusiast is suggesting that the names of referees be raffled off an hour or even 30 minutes before a game. Referees should not also be allowed to have cellphones within the duration of the game for good measure, the aficionado added. A very good suggestion because the way things look, people might as well place their bets on the ref since he has the power to determine the winner of the game.

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