Let’s junk the ‘energy saver’

By Herbert Vego

IN January, I warned our readers against online advertisements selling a mouse-like, plug-in “energy saver” that would reduce electricity bills by half. Speaking from experience, I presented myself as a victim of deceit, having bought the device at five hundred (P500) pesos.

Sad to say, these testimonial ads still persist. No doubt, the manufacturers of this fake product are still raking in a fortune from gullible buyers.  Since the ads are still running on Facebook, I feel duty-bound to debunk their claim here.

“There’s no harm in trying,” a popular saying goes. But we often learn too late, when we have already been harmed where it hurts – our wallets.

Another says, “If it’s too good to be true, it probably isn’t.”

So, let’s turn to another popular quotation, “To be forewarned is to be forearmed,” by talking to true authorities like electrical engineer Bailey del Castillo, who is the vice president for network development and operations of MORE Electric and Power Corporation.

Del Castillo told me that he and other electrical engineers had done a “dissection” of the “energy saver” and found nothing in it but capacitors that don’t work.

If it works, then no less than MORE Power President Roel Castro would have recommended it, since he has always been an advocate of cut-pricing, especially now that the said distribution utility directly competes with the Iloilo Electric Cooperative (ILECO) in Passi City and 15 towns of Iloilo province.

The spliced TV interviews have misled homeowners into buying the device on the notion that even prominent TV personalities and Department of Energy (DOE) officials endorse it.

In one of the many TV newscasts aired a year ago, ABS-CBN’s Alvin Elchico sought the comment of a DOT official on whether the device was effective.

“Hindi epektibo,” the DOT employee quipped.

In the replays that are still being aired as an ad on Facebook, among other channels, the word “hindi” is missing to make it sound “epektibo.”

That single word must have resulted in a million Filipinos ordering the device online.

If I may suggest to the exploited TV personality (Alvin, an Ilonggo), why not run a continuing disclaimer on ABS-CBN – in collaboration with the DOE — as a public service to debunk the false claim?

-oOo-

CONGRATS, CEBU PACIFIC

WE learned from our friend Charles Lim, head of the Selrahco Management and Consultancy Services, that Cebu Pacific (CEB) has acquired three Airbus aircraft in the previous month of October, consisting of two A321 NEOs and one A320 CEO. These three units raise the total number of aircraft delivered to CEB this year to 15. If this is not an indication of our country’s growing demand for air travel to domestic and foreign destinations, then I don’t know what is.

The new Airbus NEOs burn 15 percent less jet fuel per flight and produce less noise compared to the previous generation. The reduction in fuel consumption leads to a corresponding reduction in aircraft carbon emissions.

CEB operates one of the youngest fleets in the world, with its diversified commercial fleet mix of nine Airbus 330s, 40 Airbus 320s, 24 Airbus 321s, and 15 ATR turboprop aircraft enabling the widest network coverage in the Philippines.

As far as Iloilo-based passengers are concerned, they get the CEB advantage of direct flights to three foreign countries, namely Hongkong, Singapore and South Korea.

Dahil nakalipad na ako sa Hongkong and Singapore, South Korea naman ang gusto kong puntahan ngayon.

Minsan na akong nanalo ng CEB raffle ticket to Singapore, sa totoo lang.

-oOo-

ANOTHER PRIDE OF ILOILO

HERE now for a two-week vacation is Neri Torrato Camiña Jr. , the only son of his namesake/dad and the former Merle Torrato of Tigbauan, Iloilo.

By the way, his dad Neri Sr. and his sister Nermie are my co-hosts in the program Tribuna sang Banwa, aired on Aksyon Radyo and shown live on Facebook every Sunday, 12:15-1:15 p.m.

Junjun brings home the bacon for having qualified as the only Filipino listed in the London Book of World Records, having won 155 health-care certificates from various health-care organizations worldwide. He personally received his Book of World Records diploma and trophy at the British Parliament in London, UK on July 18, 2024.

A BS-Biology graduate of the Western Visayas State University (WVSU) in Iloilo, he works as a practical nurse in Montreal, Canada, where he recently earned his BS-Nursing degree.

He is scheduled to transfer to a public hospital in Orlando, Florida, USA in January 2025.

His guiding light for success is this Bible verse from Isaiah 60:22: “When the time is right, I, the Lord, will make it happen.”