BAGUIO CITY, Philippines — The Benguet Electric Cooperative (BENECO) is setting its sights on the full-scale implementation of its automated metering infrastructure (AMI) in the next five years to achieve its mission of making its power distribution system safe, resilient, and efficient, and elevate to Level IV category its current status under the global Smart Distribution Utility Network. BENECO General Manager Engr. Melchor S. Licoben said that the AMI will pave the way for the electric cooperative to read the power consumption of the consumers in the headquarters through an established state of the rt system with the aid of technology, which is part of its ongoing innovations to further improve its efficiency in providing cheap and quality power. Initially, he stated that there is an ongoing pilot testing of the AMI in Barangay Pinget, where some 300 meters have been installed in some households whose power consumption is being read through the said system. The BENECO official announced that the AMI will be implemented full scale within its franchise area in Baguio and Benguet starting next year, which is part of the electric cooperative’s long-term plan of making its power distribution system resilient, reliable, and efficient to conform with global standards in the highly competitive global power industry. He admitted that the full implementation of the AMI is the only aspect of innovation that BENECO has not yet implemented to improve its current Level III status to Level IV under the Smart Distribution Utility Network and become one of the first electric cooperatives to achieve such a coveted status in the future. According to him, there are already some 600 meters that have been put in place within BENECO’s franchise area that are being billed through the AMI, where the power bills of the consumers are being sent through the internet to their registered email addresses. He explained that the billing, disconnection, and reconnection processes, once the AMI is fully implemented, will be more efficient because of the reliability of the established system that will pave the way for fewer inconveniences among the consumers when transacting with the electric cooperative relative to the said matters.          

BAGUIO CITY, Philippines — The local government recently outlined the tasks of the various offices in the upcoming conduct of the 2026 Montañosa Film Festival that will run through the whole month of March. Under Executive Order No. 169, series of 2025, signed by Mayor Benjamin B. Magalong, the City Administrator’s Office-Tourism, Culture and Arts Division shall provide administrative support, subject to applicable laws, rules, and regulations. The City Environment and Parks Management Office (CEPMO) was also tasked to reserve and allow the organizers to use the parks as venues for the festival activities as provided under the said order such as, but not limited to, the Diplomat Hotel for the horror film screening and the Luna Drive or the Melvin Jones grandstand for the cinecircle youth fest and Sinemurian and Folk Music Festival that would require implementation of food expo. Likewise, the CEPMO shall extend all support, specifically, but not limited to, the use of its venue and resources in landscaping and beautification of the venues and waiving of all fees appurtenant to the use of the said city facilities. The Baguio City Police Office (BCPO) shall formulate and implement a festival operation plan for the safe and orderly conduct of activities, particularly in crowd management and ensuring orderly vehicular movement at various festival venues and to exclude all official vehicles submitted by the MFF team in the number coding scheme and parking regulations so as not to hamper the overall implementation of the festival while the Baguio fire department shall maintain a standby fire truck and personnel at event venues. The City Buildings and Architecture Office (CBAO) shall allow the organizers to post, free of charge, advertising materials in the main thoroughfares of the city and surrounding the Baguio Convention Center, Session Road, and the Burnham Lake, while CBAO and the City Engineering Office (CEO) shall extend their resources in physical arrangement and other works during activities requiring such support. The CEO-Traffic and Transportation Management Division shall waive parking fees in public parking spaces for identified MFF vehicles, and assist them in terms of parking to facilitate smooth implementation of the festival, while the City Health Services Office (CHSO) shall monitor compliance with standards and reasonable health conditions during the conduct of the activities. The Sangguniang Kabataan Federation (SKF) shall assist in terms of volunteers and human resources, and participate in the planning and implementation of the film festival as part of its commitment to promoting youth participation and empowerment, while the City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office, the BFP, and the CHSO-Emergency Medical Services Office shall provide standby medical and rescue services. The Public Information Office shall cause the widest dissemination of the MFF Activities through social media postings, press releases, and live streaming of all relevant events of the festival, among others. (Baguio PIO)