Category Archives: Mindanao

Sun Cellular Reached its Ray of Signals All Over Mindanao

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Sun Cellular expanding its network coverage in the Mindanao area is a sign that the region is a significant area for development. Sun Cellular have seen the potential growth of Mindanao when it comes to business development. Mindanao is also a good place to market innovated products such as Sun Cellular’s call and text unlimited products.

People are wiser nowadays, we want or need to stay in touch with our loved ones and business partners without spending too much. Sun Cellular knows what the people want, thus making such services offered to their subscribers (P250 per month postpaid subscription). They are not just offering promos of unlimited text and calls but they are also improving their signal strength on key areas in Mindanao and also to those places where there are poor or no signal strength. This is to provide its subscribers wider network coverage and more reliable services especially in key areas in the region such as Davao, General Santos, and Cagayan de Oro.

Network subscribers in the country already knows that Sun Cellular is the best value when it comes to services, but most people opt to acquire services from other networks because their business partners, families and friends are subscribed to other networks. But, that is not a problem anymore because Sun Cellular is now a member of the PLDT Group. That means Sun Cellular is connected to other networks like Smart and Talk N’ Text and other PLDT group member networks, interconnecting charges has already been eliminated making call and text charges super affordable. This move of Sun Cellular to join other networks is a good move to invite more subscribers to their networks.

Sun Cellular Chief Operating Officer Charles Lim says they will be strengthening their network coverage in areas of Mindanao to include Lanao del Norte and Lanao del Sur, Basilan, Camiguin, Zamboanga, Tawi-Tawi, Dinagat Island, Compostela Valley, Sulu, parts of Bukidnon, Cagayan de Oro and Davao del Sur among others . “The demand for our best-value products and services in Mindanao is immense, hence we prioritized this region in the initial phase of our network enhancement program for 2012,” he explained.

Lim added, “Sun is improving its signal strength in Mindanao to provide its subscribers wider network coverage and more reliable service especially in key areas in the region such as Davao, General Santos, and Cagayan de Oro. We want those in Mindanao to optimize their experience of our unlimited call and text service, as well as the value-for money bucket load and postpaid plans that Sun has been providing its subscribers nationwide.”

Sun Cellular has been known for its best value product offering such as the Text Unlimited 150 which allows customers to text other Sun subscribers unlimited for 30 days and the Text Unlimited 200 which also includes 500 texts to other networks aside from the 30-day unlimited Sun-to-Sun texts. “Mindanao is an important market for us. Local and national officials from the region have been sending us letters on behalf of their constituents and we’d just like to say we have heeded their call ,” Lim enthused.

You may also want to read this great news for Mindanao:

Sun Cellular Launches New Postpaid Plan 250

Sun Cellular Launches New Postpaid Plan 250

Following its intensified network expansion program, Sun Cellular launched its first salvo of new and better value postpaid plans, the Postpaid Plan 250 initially available in Mindanao.

“Given the immense demand for Sun Cellular”s best-value services in Mindanao, we have specifically chosen the region as our pilot area for this subscription plan offering,” says Ricky Pena, Senior Vice President for Postpaid and New Business.

For only Php250.00 per month, subscribers to this new postpaid plan includes unlimited Sun-to-Sun texts, four hours of Sun-to-Sun calls, 500 texts to other networks plus a free Samsung E1080 phone. This plan is perfect for those who want to enjoy unlimited texting and still be able to call their friends and loved ones from time to time. Also with the generous allocation of texts to other networks, this plan will also attract those who want to stay in touch but do not want to spend too much.

Sun Cellular has been the preferred choice of over 50% of new postpaid plan subscribers for the past 5 years. Its postpaid subscriber base continues to grow steadily increasing by more than 30% year over year in January of 2012 versus the same period last year.

“This 2012, we are focusing on boosting our network signal strength by augmenting and optimizing our existing cell sites, and taking advantage of synergies with our sister companies in the PLDT Group. Our extensive network strengthening campaign will be complimented with products that best suit the needs of the locals in the areas we are expanding to,” Pena revealed.

Pena also expressed his confidence on the widened coverage in Mindanao. “As we move to further establishing a more extensive network, our subscribers in Mindanao may now enjoy our best-value postpaid plans in areas where before we were not present,” he adds. “This will also benefit customers in other areas outside Mindanao as they can now get in touch with their family and other loved ones in the new areas we are now in using their Sun Cellular lines.”

The first wave of these network enhancement efforts are now being felt in the areas of Lanao del Norte and Lanao del Sur, Basilan, Camiguin, Zamboanga, Tawi-Tawi, Dinagat Island, Compostella Valley, Sulu, Bukidnon, Cagayan de Oro, Davao del Sur, among others.

Sun Cellular is a member of the PLDT Group.

35th Milo Marathon Cagayan de Oro Leg Elimination

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35th Milo Marathon

Hurray! Eliminations of the 35th National Milo Marathon will be held on October 16, 2011 here in Cagayan de Oro City as the first stop for Mindanao Regional leg. There will be more or less 12,000 expected participants for Cagayan de Oro City leg elimination.

Milo Marathon will be held in 18 provinces for the elimination legs and the Milo Marathon National Finals in December. The 18 elimination legs has been held in Laoag, Dagupan, Olongapo City, Tarlac, Manila, Batangas, Puerto Princessa, Naga, San Pablo, Iloilo and Bacolod. The following that will be held on this month of October are in Cebu, Tagbilaran, Cagayan de Oro, Butuan, General Santos, and Davao will be in November and the Finals will be in December 11, 2011 in Manila.

Registration for Cagayan de Oro is now going on so hurry up because I heard that 10K and 21K has limited slots only. I will register on Monday.

You can register on the following venues:

  • La Cabana Spa – CM Recto Avenue CDO City Tel. No’s: 088-856-4168
  • Swift Travel and Tours – Pelaez Sports Complex

Registration Fees:

  • 3K and 5K- Php100 includes Singlet & Bib Tag
  • 10K and 21K- Php500 includes New Balance Singlet, Bib Tag and Finisher’s Medal (21K only).

Please bring your MILO packs / sachets.

Here’s the Race map for Cagayan de Oro leg.

35th Milo Marathon Cagayan de Oro leg Elimination

or click here for a bigger picture of the race map.

Here’s the complete list of race map in all race leg.

The cause:
In the Philippines, thousands of Filipino children still run barefoot. So MILO® shall continue its advocacy of providing them with 10,000 more running shoes. Check more about the cause details here.

See you on the run!

Why We Need to Install Solar Energy Power Plant for Mindanao?

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Solar Power for Mindanao

Last year we have experienced the scheduling blackouts all over Mindanao because of the effects of El Nino, that reduced the water levels in our dams and other water systems in Mindanao where hydro power plants were installed. It really gave us all such pain in the behind because the 4-5 hours daily scheduled black outs affects our jobs and daily lives. A year has passed and the people seems forgot about that time and we seems so lenient now thinking everything was just a history.

But HEY! don’t be so relax about it because we are still in the RED ALERT despite the heavy rains we are experiencing today, blackout can still happens, though maybe rarely but are we going to wait until we are in dire needs of energy for electricity? Don’t you think that our necessity for hydro electric power plant may used up and time will come that we need to seek other alternatives to compliment our hydro power plants? Continue reading →

CEPALCO’s 1MWP Photovoltaic Power Plant

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Philippines has the largest solar power plant in Southeast Asia. It generates 1.1 MWp of power and is currently the 133rd largest solar power plant in the world and put the Philippines at number 9 among the countries in the world having the largest solar power plants! It is currently located in Tibasak of Barangay Macasandig in Cagayan de Oro City.

It consists of 6,480 Sharp ND-Q7E6Z photovoltaic modules and was designed to provide up to 1,500 MWh of electricity annually. Though they said that this PV plant puts the Philippines among the top solar power producers, but this single PV plant maintained by CEPALCO is not enough to supply the whole city of Cagayan de Oro because 1.1 MWp of power can only supply to a 1 Barangay in the city. That means we still need a lot more of this Solar power plants to supply the whole city and Cepalco is going to open another PhotoVoltaic plant inside a proposed 10-hectare solar park in Villanueva, Misamis Oriental. The capacity of this proposed plant will be at least 10-megawatt power (MWp), would be constructed over a period of at least five years and would use the best available solar technology in the market. It is expected to supply at least 14 million kWh of electricity annually to its distribution network.

The currently operating photovoltaic plant was constructed through a fund from the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and facilitated by the World Bank through the International Finance Corporation according to our good friend Lloyd Castillo a supervisor of Cepalco’s Customer and Community Relations department.

Photovoltaics convert light into electric current using the photoelectric effect hence it is a renewable energy because we are getting energy from the sun for free and it doesn’t cost us fuel to run this plant, it doesn’t even need to be maintained by many employees because Photovoltaic Solar Power Plant needs less maintenance. Cepalco is promoting this kind of energy resources since it is nature friendly, clean and it could give a lot of savings. That means we will soon get a low cost electricity bills (hopefully). PV plants can reduce dependency on fossil fuels and climate-disrupting fossil fuels are being replaced by clean, climate-stabilizing, non-depletable sources of energy such as the solar energy and the wind power.

Check out this article from Cepalco about their PhotoVoltaic Power Plant:

The developing world’s first and largest (at the time of its inauguration in 2004) on-grid solar photovoltaic (PV) power plant, the 1MWp polycrystalline silicon-based PV plant and connected with the distribution network of Cagayan Electric Power & Light Co., Inc. (CEPALCO) in Cagayan de Oro City, has completed its third year of commercial operations with greater than expected annual energy production. From the start of tis commercial operations on September 26, 2004, the PV plant has exported to CEPALCO a total of 4,169,100 kWh or an average of 1,389,700 annually, which is 10% higher than the expected annual energy generation of 1,261,400 kWh. At its current generating capacity, the PV plant supplies the equivalent requirement of no less than 900 CEPALCO residential customers.

CEPALCO’s 1MWp plant, with installed costs close to 5.3 Million US Dollars, uses 6,500 solar panels on 2 hectares of land and was partially funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF) which was facilitated by the World Bank through the International Finance Corporation. The GEF fund is a loan that turns into grant after five years of successful operation of the PV plant by CEPALCO. The turnkey contract was awarded to Sumitomo Corporation of Japan. Sharp of Japan manufactured the PV modules while Sansha manufactured the inverters. The balance of system components were procured locally.

The PV plant is designed to be operated in conjunction with the 7MW run-of-the-river hydro plant owned by CEPALCO subsidiary company, Bubunawan Power Company. Being one of a kind, the PV plant has already been visited by over 10,000 students and visitors both local and as well as foreign renewable energy enthusiasts since it started operations.

Gaining from the experience, CEPALCO now plans to embark into an even larger solar park within its service territory. The envisioned solar park shall make use of a 30-hectare lot within the First Cagayan de Oro Business Park in Villanueva, Misamis Oriental, some 30 minutes east of Cagayan de Oro City.

Pre-feasibility study of the proposed PV plant indicates that it will be able to supply the CEPALCO distribution network with not less than 14,000,000 kWh of electricity annually, which is equivalent to not less than 30,000 barrels of fuel oil per year. The proposed PV plant, with a total installed capacity of at least 10-MWp, shall be constructed over a period of at least five years and shall use the best available solar technology in the market. The phased-in construction strategy will enable CEPALCO to capitalize on the increasing efficiency but decreasing costs of solar cells, which currently command not less than 50% of the PV plant’s installed costs. It will also cushion the impact of generation costs on CEPALCO’s customers.

If implemented according to plans, the first phase of the proposed 30-hectare solar park shall be commissioned by 2012 to augment the expected shortfall of firm capacity in the Mindanao Grid.

Fashionista, How Do You Look?

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Ok, I need to stop nursing myself from being seasick by the nauseous causing rides at the Carnival in Limketkai Mall yesterday because I will attend the Mindanao Fashion Summit 5th day event later. There are 2 rides I will never ever try to ride again, the Sea Dragon/Viking and that thing that will make your world go round and round forever.

Thanks Emma for the ticket invite for the Mindanao Fashion Summit, I’m gonna try to be “Himantayon” later checking what styles are in and what are not. Though I am not a fashionista but I think I know how to pick the hot style from not. I’m gonna bring a camera to document the event. I have been watching the show since the first day but from the outside just passing by and try to peek what was happening and the creations of Frederick Peralta of Manila caught my attention into amazement. He has nice creations for using good materials for his designs and the details of the styles and arts made me and the audience gave him a round of applause.

I am looking forward to see more good creations from the designers in Mindanao and other parts of the Philippines later on. That’s it for now, the “Himantayon of Cagayan” will go out and check out this event in a closer look.

Ciao!