The damage has been done

By Alex P. Vidal

“To avoid a blackout, electricity generating companies must lower generation in line with low demand.”—Jyotiraditya Madhavrao Scindia

THE power generation restoration updated on the power blackout in Panay Island released by the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) in the social media as of two o’clock in the morning on January 3, 2024 said, “As of this advisory, only 114MW is being served by Panay power plants, augmented by 27MW from sources elsewhere in the Visayas, for a total of 141MW served loads.”

It added: “The grid needs about 218MW to stabilize and is awaiting the large plants, namely, PEDC Unit1 (83MW) and PCPC (135MW) to synchronize back to the loads to restored generation, to prevent repeated voltage failure. NGCP is ready to transmit power once it is available. PEDC Unit 2 synchronized at 11:45PM, 02 January. Updates will be released every four hours or as further details become available.”

Even if some Ilonggos with extra batteries in their gadgets were able to read the advisory, they would surely continue to be enraged and restless until the power has been fully restored.

Many of them don’t understand NGCP’s explanation in technical terms, and, even if they did, the damage has been done.

Classes have been ordered suspended, holidays had been interrupted and sabotaged, and the shocking blackout destroyed whatever excitement and joy many Ilonggo families had been enjoying before the clock hit midnight before new year 2024.

The massive power interruption, unprecedented in recent memory for its length and timing, has drawn a sharp rebuke from no less than Iloilo City Mayor Geronimo “Jerry” Trenas blasted NGCP in his social media account: “The country suffered 7-to-10-hour blackouts/brownouts during the energy crisis in the 1980’s. Now in the year 2024, Panay is suffering. I call on the ERC and the DOE to make the NGCP accountable for their incompetence.”

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SAVING OUR PLANET. Let’s litter away. Let’s keep litter, pet waste, and leaves out of street gutters and storm sewers that drain into natural water habitats. Pet wastes contain bacteria and viruses that can threaten fish, wildlife, and human health.

SAVING OUR PLANET. Let’s feed the meter. Installing a water meter in our home is a great step forward. Once we start measuring our water usage, we will become more aware of waste, and it will force us to think of ways to save water.

SAVING OUR PLANET. Let’s oil our recycling. Let’s make sure we recycle our motor oil rather than disposing of it. Oil can do serious damage to wildlife. Let’s find a local recycling program or a garage that does it in bulk.

SAVING OUR PLANET. Let’s board it up. A lot of food packaging is made of cardboard, so let’s collect it at home and visit the recycling center regularly. Wax-coated cardboard milk or juice cartons, however, may need to be discarded without regular trash. Let’s check with our local township.

DISHABILIOPHOBIA. is the fear of undressing in front of someone.

ALCOHOL CAN RAISE PANCREATIC CANCER RISK. Consuming two or more drinks of any type of alcohol daily can raise risk for this cancer by 22%, says a study by the Georgetown University. One drink is 12 ounces of beer, four ounces of 80-proof distilled liquor. SELF DEFENSE: Men should have no more than two alcoholic beverages per day…women no more than one.

HOW TO BECOME A GREEN TEA LOVER. About 50 types of Chinese or Japanese green tea can be found at specialty-food stores or online. If we don’t like the taste of green tea, let’s just add lemon and/or one teaspoon of sugar or honey–and try iced green tea.

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LARGE BREASTS. Some of the largest breasts ever recorded figure in the book “Human Oddities” by Martin Monestier. The weight of each breast of the woman he mentions in the book is 44 pounds (19.8 kg) while their circumference is 33″ (83.82 cm).

BARBECUES SHOULD BE AT LEAST FOUR FEET from vinyl siding. Heat from grilling can melt the vinyl. If the siding is fairly new, it may cost $250 to $500 to replace the damaged area. But if it is older and we can’t find replacement pieces, we may have to redo the whole side of the house at a cost of $2,500 or more, says remodeling expert Bill Keith.

BETTER BREAST CANCER SCREENING. New research: In a study of 334 women at high risk for breast cancer (due to personal history or other factors), 86 women alternated between magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) screening and mammography at six-month intervals for up to four years. Result: This method detected a total of eight cancers–all of which were identified by MRI–three were found by mammography.

Some of the richest men in Nigeria and Somalia are sea pirates while some of the wealthiest individuals in Mexico are drug lords. In the Philippines, some of the richest characters are politicians.

AGRICULTURAL ROBOTS ARE ALREADY AMONG US:  mowing grass, spraying pesticides and monitoring crops. Instead of regularly dousing an entire apple orchard with chemicals, towed sensors find diseases or parasites with infrared sensors and cameras, and spray only the affected trees.

DRUNK SEX PARTNERS. Two thirds of all people have had unprotected sex because they were drunk. (MSNBC)

LET’S BEWARE INHALING A SMALL AMOUNT OF WATER while swimming or bathing as it can sometimes lead to “dry drowning,” in which water in the lungs reduces oxygen flow to the brain, causing loss of consciousness or even death. Dry drowning can occur up to 24 hours after being in water, according to a recent study by the Mount Sinai Medical Center, New York City.

(The author, who is now based in New York City, used to be the editor of two daily newspapers in Iloilo.—Ed)