The Chief Executive will be met at the Kalibo airport by Aklan Governor Carlito Marquez, lone district Representative Joben Miraflores, Kalibo Mayor Reymar Rebaldo and Presidential Assistant for Visayas Paul Banas. From the airport the president will motor to Banga where she will be received by Banga Acting Mayor Melanio Rempillo, Asea One Power Corp. president Paul Rodriguez, and Energy Undersecretary on Renewable Energy Mario Marasigan.

The presidential convoy will then motor to New Washington where she will inaugurate the Super Shuttle Roro II, a new nautical route direct to Batangas that will further reduce the cost of transporting goods, people and services from this province to southern Luzon.

A project of the Asea One Power Corporation, the $30-million (P1.44-billion) biomass plant produce clean energy from indigenous agricultural and forest residues as primary feedstock such as rice straw, rice and coconut husks and woodchips. The power plant will be on a distributed and embedded system to prevent total blackout and reduce the cost of power generation. It will be equipped with highly- efficient boiler, turbine and generator set and electrostatic precipitator (ESP) to control ash emission.

The first commercial biomass producer, although biomass boilers have been existing and used in the Philippines for quite some time as co-generation facilities for private use, this will be connected to the grid.

It is also the first commercial scale project that will be ground break since the signing into law of the Renewable Energy Act of 2008 and its Implementing Rules and Regulations. It will have immense socio-economic benefits in support of the government’s Comprehensive Livelihood and Emergency Employment Program (CLEEP).

The host communities, barangays Agbanawan and Venturanza, Municipality of Banga, will be entitled to a cash benefit of P810,000 annually based on total kilowatt hour sold for the next 25 years which can be utilized for socio –civic – educational – health projects.

The 70,000 jobs to be generated from this green- collar lay-off proof employment will come from the ranks of farm and mill workers. The power plant will also be the principal market for agricultural and forest wastes by buying P100 million annually from feedstock suppliers who will be beneficiaries of a profit sharing program. Farmers will also be given bottom ash as soil conditioners for free that will reduce their cost of farm inputs considering the high cost of fertilizers.

The project envisages the eradication of poverty by generating jobs, increasing income and equity in gender employment.

And since it utilizes farm and forest wastes, this will reduce the need to burn or abandon these residues in the process producing methane gas that add to environmental pollution. Thus, the plant will lead to an effective enforcement of the Clean Air Act, the Ecological Solid Waste Disposal Act and the Climate Change Act.

The plant also addresses the vulnerability of Aklan to Climate Change/Global Warming by reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emission during the 25 years cooperation period with the Aklan Electric Cooperative.

Asea One Power Corporation commits to fasttrack the completion of four biomass power plants by January 1, 2011 in the Panay- Guimaras Region with a total installed capacity of 30 MW; comprising of 12 MW for the Aklan Electric Cooperative; 6 MW for the Antique Electric Cooperative and Ileco I Electric Cooperative; 6 MW for the Iloilo II and III Electric Cooperatives and 6MW for the Guimaras Electric Cooperative.

In New Washington, the president—who will be received at Port Dumaguit, here by New Washington Mayor Edgar Peralta, Super Shuttle II Pau will inaugurate the new route of roro (for the super nautical highways project of the Arroyo administration) from Dumaguit, Aklan via Odiongan (Romblon) all the way to Batangas port to be serviced every noon of Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday and vice versa. The inaugural sail will be on Tuesday, right after the cocktail launch by President Arroyo.

Super Shuttle Roro II, a newly-refurbished vessel imported from Japan and which was delivered in Cebu recently, has a registered capacity of 1,737 GRT or equivalent to 400 passengers, 20 units of 10-wheelers, 10 units of 6-wheelers and 10 units of 4-wheelers that will be charged P10,000 for the 6-wheelers and P7,500 for the 4-wheelers.

The route will have further linkage to the entire Negros and Western Mindanao Passenger fares range from P600 for the economy class and P800 for the tourist class and discounts range from percent for children ages 3 to 11; 20 percent for senior citizens and 15 percent for students with valid IDs, said Lowell Elim, commercial operations officer of Super Shuttle Roro II owned by a company also owned by Paul Rodriguez. (PIA- Pagadian City)

Last update: 08-12-2009 01:32