Wednesday, March 23, 2005

Napocor to offer personnel for outsourcing contracts

State-owned National Power Corp. plans to spin off its engineering and technical units in a bid to ensure continued employment for personnel who may be displaced with the privatization of the power firm’s generation assets.

Napocor president and chief executive Rogelio Murga said the definite selling of Napocor plants compelled officials of the power firm to explore opportunities outside the corporation that can benefit its workforce.

He added the Napocor would be offering the services of its engineers and technical personnel to new power plant owners as well as power generation companies outside the Philippines.

He added the technical and engineering services are potential money-making units since these personnel could easily offer their expertise for outsourcing even if Napocor is already fully privatized.

“We have decided to package our technical services for contracting, particularly to the buyers of hydro, thermal, geothermal, coal, natgas and diesel plants. Our people are more than capable of handling these services. It would be a waste to just let them go when the Napocor is finally privatized. This way, we can provide our employees a chance to engage in a more lucrative venture,” said Murga in a statement.

The Power Engineering Services (PES) being offered by Napocor include management and technical support in various fields related to the planning, building, operating and repair/rehabilitation of energy generation resources. They can also carry out fabrication work and special projects.

At present, the PES can mobilize over 3,000 current and former Napocor employees to service contracted agreements with local and foreign energy generation companies.

It is envisioned to become an independent group that provides manpower and engineering services for power generation projects.

“This service offering is available to all energy companies anywhere in the world, since the PES is able to ramp up manpower numbers quite easily from the abundant labor supply in the Philippines, and train new workers adequately before they are deployed,” Murga said.

Pursuant to R.A. 9136 (Electric Power Industry Reform Act of 2001), the Napocor has been trimming its pool of employees in preparation for the firm’s privatization. The most recent personnel movement affected 5 percent of its current manpower.

Apart from initiating the PES, the Napocor has been conducting a number of in-house seminars on capability-building and entrepreneurship that encourage employees to explore business opportunities once they leave Napocor

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