With the DBM’s release of P 1.62 billion charged against the Malampaya fund to the National Power Corporation aimed at preventing imminent electricity shortages in far-flung SPUG areas, NPC president Froilan Tampinco has given the go-signal for the supply of bunker fuel for Marinduque’s power barge 120. This was the result of renewed talks made by Cong. Allan Velasco with the NPC president last week. 
"NPC's target date for new bunker fuel delivery is on or before Sept. 23", Velasco said. "The NPC has likewise given the approval to extend the contract on a month-to-month basis for a 2MW genset that expired on Sept. 13."It will be recalled that Boac DPP senior engineer, Hernan Orilla earlier announced that massive brownouts in Marinduque will occur if no bunker fuel is delivered ‘prior to its run-out date on September 14’ with only Boac DPP operating on just 2MW capacity. Orilla also stated that delivery by winning bidder of bunker fuel for PB120 could, likewise, not be undertaken ‘without an approved supplemental budget from the Congress’.
DBM Secretary Florencio Abad however had said in an earlier statement pertaining to the Malamapaya fund that the annual revenue inflow in the form of proceeds from the Malampaya project is really accounted for as part of the yearly revenue program supporting the budget proposal submitted to Congress.
On the newly released budget, Tampinco said that the amount would be used by NPC for SPUG operations up to the end of the year. About P 1.3 billion would be used for the requirements of the SPUG facilities in various areas in the country, he said, and the balance would be used to purchase ‘critical spare parts and other requirements of our generation sets’.
