HNU now Bohol’s first solar-powered university

Wake-uppers:

Seen:  Spotted in Bohol last Friday was Gigi Caciuleanu, world famous choreographer, professor and contemporary dance innovator on cultural management, identity and Diasporas and the transformative power of dance. He is in Bohol to share his specific technique and his original style of contemporary dance during the Bansay sa Ting-init 2016’s 2^nd Bohol International Workshop. Gardy Labad is the project director.

Danicop Ticugan Spring in Loon town.  Leo Udtohan/Chronicle

Scene: We fell head over heels for places like Loon’s Danicop Ticugan Spring, one of the least-visited springs in Bohol.  It is accessible to hikers and visitors who want to beat the heat. You can indulge in the soothing coolness of the spring. The trees growing on cliffs and mountain slopes give the place a cool ambience to beat the summer heat. And the good thing: No entrance fee.

* * *

The Holy Name University (HNU) has joined the ranks of universities in the country adopting solar power harvesting technology as a way to bring down energy costs.

School officials on Friday assembled on the rooftop of the HNU’s fifth floor at Scanlon Building to inaugurate a solar photovoltaic power plant composed of 1,100 solar thin film panels provided by OrionGroup International Inc.

Some employees and guests check the 1,100 solar thin film panels provided by OrionGroup International Inc. on the rooftop of the Holy Name University (HNU) in Tagbilaran City, Bohol province.  HNU is the first academic institution to fully integrate solar power energy system in the province and the Visayas. 

 Leo Udtohan/Chronicle

Also present were former HNU president Fr. Florante Camacho, Dr. Christopher Bernido, chairman of HNU’s board of trustees, some deans, teachers and the media- Bohol’s Queen of All Media Ardy Araneta, Dave Albarado, Rey Chiu, Liz Butron and Angeline Valencia.

The solar power plant is capable of producing 100 kilowatts of electricity, said Engr. Rynor Jamandre, president of OrionGroup International Inc.  

Jamandre said solar power is the use of the sun’s energy. He said that concerns over pollution, environmental degradation and resource depletion have led to an increasing awareness of the importance of developing solar energy.

HNU (formerly the Divine World College of Tagbilaran), founded in 1947, is the first academic institution to fully integrate solar power energy system in Bohol and Visayas.

Jamandre also said that HNU’s solar power plant is the largest thin film solar installation in the country as of today.  He said most projects are using crystalline solar panel. The power production can be remotely monitored from an Android or iphone devices.

HNU president Fr. Francisco Estepa, SVD, said it would save the school roughly 20 to 25 percent of its monthly energy cost.

“We believe there’s other energy in the environment we could tap.  The solar energy is safer and cheaper. We really contribute to the cooling of the earth,” he said.

There are many advantages of solar power, said Jamandre.

“Of course, you save your energy bill every month; the roof will always be cooler because you have a cover of solar panels. And the most important is we save carbon emission. It’s very important because global warming is a reality. We are doing our part to make it happen one project at a time,” he said.

The solar power can be used for many years, said Jamandre.

With the project, HNU joined other Manila universities in the use of solar energy, namely La Consolacion College,  Manuel L. Quezon University,  St. Scholastica’s College and Mapua Institute of Technology.

***

BBM’s whirlwind visit to Bohol

While you and I were sleeping, Vice Presidentiable Sen. Ferdinand “BongBong” Marcos Jr. had a whirlwind visit to Bohol last Thursday to meet local officials and renew social ties.

His tandem, presidential aspirant Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago was not present.

Vice Presidentiable Sen. Ferdinand “BongBong” Marcos Jr. 

meet the members of the Bohol United Opposition (BUO)

 in Tagbilaran City.  Leo Udtohan/Chronicle

Marcos was to meet some members of the Bohol United Opposition (BUO). But before the program would start, the venue had power outage. 

He blamed the administration for sitting on the power supply problem in the country.

“Ang  experience ko sa kampanya saan ako pumunta may brown-out e. Yesterday, the day before yesterday ganyan din. Pinuputulan kami ng kuryente everywhere we go. I don’t know  kung ito’y  artificial or talagang..but there is really a big demand that cannot be supplied sa power sa Visayas including Mindanao,” Marcos told Bohol reporters.

He said the administration’s lack of foresight and planning has worsened power supply in Visayas and Mindanao.

“Luzon is beginning to feel it,” he said, “The problem is wala talagang ginawang plano kasi itong gobyiernong ito para sa infrastruktura  na kailangan natin kaya nagkaganito. They have been in power for 6 years they have not able to do anything. Matagal na naming winawarningan yun tungkol sa power supply pero wala naman silang ginagawa.  That’s why this is it. Ito, dedicated sa akin itong brown-out sa akin.”

He also said the government has to examine sources of energy.

“It is very difficult to re-open the power nuclear plant. We already sold the fuel already.  There’s no fuel anymore. If we are going to rehabilitate it to standard of today, sa laki ng gagastusin natin  we might need to put up a new one. But we have to examine the potential of nuclear, we need to examine alternative energies,  we need to examine the traditional sources of energy because we have to increase our power supply and we have to lower our cost of production.”

In other developing and developed countries, they are using nuclear because it is the cheapest to produce power, he added.

Bohol has no power supply based in the island and the existing power load is dependent on the power from the geothermal plant in Leyte. In 2013, the power supply was disrupted causing blackouts and water shortage when Leyte was hit by Typhoon Haiyan (local name Yolanda).  

Marcos spoke before at least 200 members, mostly mayors and vice-mayors, of BUO, a local political party organized by Bohol 2nd district Rep. Erico Aristotle Aumentado. 

BUO is also supporting presidential aspirant Vice Pres. Jejomar Binay. 

Prominent members of BUO who met Marcos were former Carmen Mayor Che Toribio-delos Reyes who is running for Bohol’s 3rd district representative against incumbent Rep. Art Yap and Loay Mayor Rosemarie Lim-Imboy who is running for governor against incumbent Gov. Edgar Chatto.

Marcos also told reporters that he met Vice Gov. Conching Lim.

“Magkilala na kasi kami. Siya ay dating member ng Blue Ladies,” he said.

“Blue Ladies” was Imelda Marcos’ gang or sort of ladies in waiting composed of the strong, high-profile women or the wives of the country’s top businessman and the Marcos cronies. They were the center of social life in the Marcos years. They were called Blue Ladies, after the color the campaigners of the late Ferdinand Marcos wore when he ran for reelection in 1969 (Sergio Osmeña ran against Marcos). 

Marcos in his speech said that he was ready to serve the country.

He also said that it was not a problem whoever would win president since all presidentiables were his friends.

“Maraming nagtatanong eh, Mr Senator kapag ikaw nahalal  bilang Presidente, e hindi mo naging kasama o ka-partido ang Presidente mo, anong gagawin mo? Eh, ako Bakit naman? Tingnan natin ang listahan.  Si  Miriam, siya katandem ko, magkasama kami, magkasundo kami sa maraming bagay.  Si Jojo Binay, galing Norte, natural allies. Si Mayor Duterte, matagal ko nang kaibigan si Mayor Duterte, isa sa tagahanga  ng administrasyon ng aking ama, so magkasundo kami nun.  Si Mar Roxas, kaibigan ko rin. Bukod pa run, pinsan siya ng asawa ko..Araneta ang asawa ko. Madali kaming magtrabaho together.  Si Grace, kapatid ko, e walang problema," said Marcos who laughed on the last part about Poe. 

He continued, "Kaya sinasabi ko, kaya ako nalang ang best position na maging best president. Biro lang ha, kung minsan nagbibiro ng ganyan.“ 

Before he left the venue, he took a look of an old photograph showing his father, the late Pres. Ferdinand Marcos, who was with the late Gov. Erico Aumentado and former Pres. Carlos P. Garcia.

*   *   *

Thanks for your letters, all will be answered. Comments welcome at leoudtohan@yahoo.com, follow leoudtohan at Twitter /Facebook.