A CONSUMERS’ group is planning a move akin to a corporate takeover of Panay Electric Co. (PECO), the sole power distributor in Iloilo City, by converting refunds to consumers into company stocks.
The group, which is still in process of being organized, toldThe Daily Guardianthat their move is in reaction to PECO’s application to renew its congressional franchise for another 25 years.
TDG learned that City Councilor R Leone Gerochi, committee on public utilities chair, is planning on Nov 14, 2017 to file a resolution which will ask his colleagues to appoint an official representative to the hearing on PECO’s franchise renewal to be conducted by the House Committee on Legislative Franchises on Nov 22.
House Bill 6023, which seeks the renewal of PECO’s franchise by another 25 years, was filed by Rep. Xavier Jesus D. Romualdo in July 2017.
Also, Gerochi will also file another resolution asking the council’s support to the move to convert PECO refunds to its 54,000 consumers into company stocks which will allow consumers to partly own the distribution utility.
The refund is mandated by the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) through an order dated June 9, 2006 and later modified by another order issued on Nov 16, 2009.
The June 2006 order directed PECO to refund consumers more or less P2.89 billion in over-recoveries or overcharges in a span of nine years, from February 1996 to July 2005.
But the refundable amount was lowered to P631 million in Nov 2009 as the original figures included fuel bills charged by PECO’s power supplier.
Part of the P631-million refund is P3.12 million for pilferage over-recovery which PECO should return to its consumers as mandated by Section 12 of Republic Act 7832 of 1994 (Anti-Pilferage Law).
In a modified order dated Nov 19, 2009 signed by ERC chairperson Zenaida G. Cruz-Ducut, the regulatory body emphasized that “the Commission maintains its position that pilferage recoveries should be deducted from the power cost of PECO and returned to consumers by reflecting the amount in its monthly bills.”
The refund is a result of the case filed by the Freedom from Debt Coalition represented by its legal counsel Romeo P. Gerochi.
The Iloilo City consumers’ group said they will also file a petition with the ERC seeking an audit of PECO’s refund and at the same time seek the conversion of the remaining amount into stock options for consumers.
A top PECO official told TDG that they will wait for the group’s move in the city council and the ERC.
The official said the refund issue has been settled by PECO with ERC and that the distribution firm has implemented the ERC order.
Aside from the consumers’ group, Iloilo City Councilor Joshua Alim has been gathering signatures from consumers in a bid to oppose the renewal of PECO’s franchise citing poor services.
Your World’s NOT Falling Apart, It’s Falling Into
Place
Posted by keith.ross
I have been on a Casting Crowns marathon lately, andI
absolutely love their new album “Thrive”, which I put
a note about in my last post as well (and will be writing at least one more
specifically about a song from their album).
The song that
has really been on my heart a lot lately is this song called“Just Be Held,” and it really has some amazing lyrics.
It talks about
being in situations where you are relied upon for strength, and you find
yourself totally helpless for not only you, but the person who is relying on
you because life’s circumstances have justblindsided you.
I don’t think I am exaggerating much at all when I saythis is how I
feel just about every day!
I write a lot about how the Lord encourages me, and how He is my voice
in the storm, throughout my posts on this site.
So I am not
going to speak to any specific situation but more of a general perspective and
understanding that I have come to in regards to this.
It is the
reason why this song spoke so truly to my heart, and what lead me to write a post about it.
I am basically going to walk you through the lyrics from this song line
by line below, and I will post my “commentary,” if you will, below it.
I will dothe actual lyrics in bold and underlined, and my notes in normal type:
Lyrics for “Just Be Held” by Casting
Crowns fromtheir
website.
Hold it all together Everybody needs you strong But life hits you out of nowhere And barely leaves you holding on
I talk to people often about this subject, and many times I too feel,
these same feelings “I wish I were stronger.”
We feel like
there are so many people relying on our strength, and we ultimately end up
trying to take the reigns of our own lives.
This is totally
backward from what the bible teaches though.
I will quote one of many times Paul speaks of this: “for when I am weak, then am I strong.”– 2 Corinthians 12:10
NASB
God, out of His lovingkindness for us, out of His Fatherly compassion
must help you take your eyes off of yourself, and redirect them to the One Who“by (in consequence of) the [action of His] power that is at work within
us, is able to [carry out His purpose and] do superabundantly, far over and
above all that we [dare] ask or think [infinitely beyond our highest prayers,
desires, thoughts, hopes, or dreams].” – Ephesians 3:20 AMP
It is in faithfulness that He has afflicted you (Psalms 119:75), this faithful affliction is the “life hitting you out of nowhere and
barely leaving you holding on.”
And when you’re tired of fighting Chained by your control Theres freedom in surrender Lay it down and let it go
The point of the storm, the point of you coming to the place of feeling
that your world is falling apart, is tobring you to the end of your self.
God will do nothing for you, nor will He deliver you, until you
completely “lay it all down and let it go.”
Do you see how they actually use the words “chained by your control?”
Have you ever
thought of your trying to take control of everything is actually a destructive
behavior that is a result of the fall inGenesis 3?
When Adam
decided to be independent by choosing his own will over God’s (Who’s entire
purpose for mankind was to be that which He expressed His life and glory
through, and that we might become His bride Whom He could have a reciprocal
loving relationship with), he chose to separate himself from being dependent on
God,which is the way to Eternal Life.
The “being chained by your control” is the fallen nature that is now in your DNA, passed down from the seed
of Adam, and it cannot be helped, healed, or recovered.
It must be crucified, that is the
only way to live, for Jesus Himself said“Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my
sake will find it.” – Matthew 10:39 ESV
So when you’re on your knees and answers seem so far away You’re not alone, stop holding on and just be
held Your world’s not falling apart, its falling into
place I’m on the throne, stop holding on and just be held Just be held, just be held
It is most inevitable, and most profitable, that we end up on our knees.
We are not
capable of surrendering to God without a complete loss of everything in which
we would put our faith in otherwise.
God must do away with all that is not of Him. He will allow things in
life to hit you out of nowhere, a storm will come, the perfect storm, and“when you’re on your knees and answers seems so far
away” that is when the Lord will remove the veil.
Once all has been moved out of the way, and you know you are in a place
that only God can save you, that is when you will hear Him whisper“My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is
made perfect in weakness.”– 2 Corinthians 12:9a ESV.
It is only in this place, when you are taking the position of winning
through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, which is on your knees: “For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ”
–
Ephesians 3:14 KJV, that you will be able to say with Paul:
“Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that
the power of Christ may rest upon me.”– 2 Corinthians 12:9b
ESV
Holy crap! Is it possible that these lyrics are true?
Have you ever looked at it as “your world’s NOT falling apart, it’s
falling into place?”
Literally, when
you feel things are at their worst that is because your world, your life, is
all actually falling into place!
In the light of
this revelation focus on the last two lines of the previous verse now:
“I’m on the throne, stop holding on
and just be held, just be held, just be held”
Do you realize your Father is the King of kings, Lord of lords, The
Alpha and The Omega, The Beginning and The End, the God of Fire, Lord of Hosts,
Creator of Universes & new men, our Resurrected Savior, The Most High,
whose dominion is without end and whose heart burns in love for His children.
Your Father, the
King, is on the throne, and He simply wants you to climb up in His lap and just be held by Him.
Are we not the most favored of all of creation?My heart sings
“Abba Father!”
Abba definition from “Exhaustive Dictionary of Bible Names”: Abba(ab’-bah) = Father (denotes childlike
intimacy and trust. A title ofgreatrespect.)
If your eyes are on the storm You’ll wonder if I love you still But if your eyes are on the cross You’ll know I always have and I always will
If all you are looking at is the storm it will utterly destroy you. You
have no power over the storm apart from Christ, but when you look to Him, and
trust Him in the midst of your trial then He will deliver you and be glorified
in doing so!
The result of
the Lord calming the sea of your soul is a perfect peacefulness and a
blessedness beyond anything words can describe.
“And He arose and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, Hush now! Be
still (muzzled)! And the wind ceased ( sank to rest as if exhausted by its
beating) and there was [immediately] a great calm ( a perfect peacefulness).”– Mark 4:39 AMP
It is our Lord who is the author and perfecter of our faith, keep your
eyes on the cross and He will make a way.
“Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the
joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set
down at the right hand of the throne of God.”– Hebrews 12:2 KJV
And not a tear is wasted In time, you’ll understand I’m painting beauty with the ashes Your life is in My hands
My mother tells me often of a dream she had in which she was crying, and
there was an angel with a bottle catching her tears.
It was as if
every one of those tears was a prayer, a sweet savor and aroma going up to our
Lord, who constantly intercedes on her behalf, on our behalf.
He is painting a picture of beauty with the remains of your life that
has been left utterly desolate by the situations that brought you to your
knees.
This picture is his “Poiema”
that I wrote about in my post “I believe the Lord sang us into existence,”
this Poiema is the painting, the song of the new life, the new creature,
the whole new creation that is in Christ Jesus.
“Therefore if any person is [ingrafted] in Christ (the Messiah) he is a
new creation (a new creature altogether); the old [previous moral and spiritual
condition] has passed away. Behold, the fresh and new has come!”– 2 Corinthians 5:17
AMP
The verse above is the verse thatsaved my lifeby the way, this is the verse that the Lord first
used to show me that I was new, and I have never been the same since. That
story is at least a whole post in itself, so keep an eye out for it :-).
Lift your hands, lift your eyes In the storm is where you’ll find Me And where you are, Ill hold your heart I’ll hold your heart Come to Me, find your rest In the arms of the God who won’t let go
Next time you are having a bad day, week, year, or heck you can’t
remember the last time you have had a good day (I’ve been there), just remember
“your world’s NOT falling apart, it’s falling into
place!”
Lift up your
hands, lift up your eyes, that is the place that you will find your Lord ready
to come to your rescue.
He will come
into every place of your life, He will hold your heart, and He will never let
you go.
“Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy- laden and overburdened,
and I will cause you to rest. [I will ease and relieve and refresh your
souls.]”– Matthew 11:28 – AMP
Amen, and be blessed as you watch the lyric video forCasting
Crown’s “Just Be Held.”
“I remember the devotion of your youth, how as
a bride you loved me and followed me through the wilderness, through a land not
sown.”(Jeremiah 2:2)
The
Hebrew for desert is מדבר.
The
Hebrew for speaking is מדבר.
Spot
the difference?
There
isn’t any when you see it written down – it’s from the same word root.
The word for desert is pronounced “midbar” and speaking is
pronounced “medaber” but perhaps it is no coincidence that the two overlap,
for God often speaks in the desert.
I loved the fact that the book of Numbers is called “In
the desert” or “B’Midbar” in the Hebrew Bible.
It
doesn’t often fill Western believers with joy to read these things in the Torah
– it can seem kinda dry, like the desert, but if we are willing to stop, to
still our souls, to wait and to listen, we can hear the beautiful voice of God
in the dryest of places.
Sometimes
our most powerful experiences and connections with God are in desert times in
our lives.
As
a pastor I knew once said that while a dessert is something we do want but
don’t need, time in the desert is something we don’t want, but do need!
God
deliberately calls us away into the desert for his purposes.
An odd honeymoon
destination
The people of Israel spent 40 years in
the desert, but it wasn’t simply because that’s what happened to be between
Egypt and Israel.
Listen
to what God says about that time in Jeremiah 2:2:
“I
remember the devotion of your youth, how as a bride you loved me and followed
me through the wilderness, through a land not sown.”
God
reflects on that time in the desert as almost like a honeymoon – they had made
a covenant and agreed to be His people, and he was leading them into their
destiny with Him.
He
talks about their time in the desert with Him as a time of intimacy.
He
appeared in a very dramatic way to them at Sinai, and gave them His Word.
Of
course, despite God’s guidance, provision and presence, it was not all smooth-sailing.
Later
on he explains His interesting choice of honeymoon destination in Deuteronomy
8:
“Remember
how the LORD your God led you all the way in the wilderness these forty years,
to humble and test you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not
you would keep his commands. He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then
feeding you with manna, which neither you nor your ancestors had known, to
teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes
from the mouth of the LORD.”
The desert
reveals the priorities of our hearts
Desert times really separate the men
from the boys.
It
can really show things as they really are … the true state of the heart is
revealed.
It
is a place of revelation, testing, refining, humbling … which can often result
in deeper intimacy with God.
There
are also a number of parallels between Israel’s 40 years in the desert and the
40 day fast and then temptation of Yeshua.
Matthew
4 tells us that
“Jesus
was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil … After
fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. The tempter came to him and
said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.”
It
is interesting to see Yeshua’s reply:
“It
is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes
from the mouth of God.”
He
was thinking about God’s desert agenda for the Israelites too, and quoted
Deuteronomy 8.
The
number 40 often signifies a time period of gestation too – 40 years, 40 days
and nights … and both these parallel desert experiences were times of
preparation and testing.
This
is not the only time that God leads people into the desert – Hosea 2, 14:15
says of Israel,
“Therefore
I am now going to allure her; I will lead her into the wilderness and
speak tenderly to her.”
He will lead her into the midbar (desert) and medaber
(speak) to her heart.
God
continues,
“There
I will give her back her vineyards, and will make the Valley of Achor a door of
hope. There she will respond as in the days of her youth as in the day she came
up out of Egypt.”
God
loves that soft, loving response of willingness, and longs to bless.
It’s
hard to imagine any parent deliberately letting their children suffer hunger or
thirst, yet this is what God deliberately did with his people.
But
there was a purpose. God tested his people then, to purify their hearts and
their response to him, and we should not be surprised when he does it to us
too.
Perhaps
you’re in a desert time of testing.
It’s
a season all believers have to go through from time to time - a time where the
true priorities of our hearts are revealed.
But
this is not a punishment, or even a mistake.
It
is not because God loves us less, or has forgotten about us, or doesn’t want to
bless us – quite the opposite.
He
delights to replenish, restore and provide – but He is looking for the loving
response of a willing heart, fully dedicated to him, and no other.
If
He led Yeshua to the desert, we can be sure He will do the same with us!
Expecting God to
speak
Would you be willing to pray for those
encountering hard, desert times to hear the voice of God speaking intimately to
them in their time of need?
The
people of Israel have been through so much – sometimes with God, sometimes
feeling abandoned by God, sometimes utterly denying His existence.
Would
you take time even now, to pray for the people of Israel to respond to God as
they did at first, with love and trust?
And
may God strengthen you too, when you encounter the desert, with anticipation
that in the desert, he will speak.
Would you want to have a deeper relationship
with God?
God has made it possible for you to know Him
and experience an amazing change in your own life by receiving His Son,
Jesus Christ, and have eternal life.
Say the following prayer:
“Father God, I confess I am a sinner and my
sins have separated me from You.
I am truly sorry. I
now want to turn away from my past sinful life and live a new life pleasing to You.I
receive Your free gift of salvation.
Please forgive me, and help me avoid sinning again.
I believe that Your Son, Jesus Christ died for my
sins, was resurrected from the dead, is alive, and hears my prayer.
I invite Jesus to become the Lord of my life, to
rule and reign in my heart from this day forward. Thank You that according to
your Word, I am now born again, has
eternal life, and I am now Your child.
Please send Your Holy Spirit to help me obey You,
and to do Your will for the rest of my life. I promise to study Your Word – the
Bible.
Please use me for Your glory.
In Jesus' Name I pray. Amen.”
If
you have just put your trust in Jesus Christ, you have been born into God’s
family.
As
a spiritual baby, you need to grow by feeding on God’s Word – the Bible(1 Peter 2:2).
You
must have a good modern translation Bible and begin prayerfully reading it.
Start in the New Testament, such as the Gospel of John or Paul’s letters to the
Ephesians.
Also,
you need to join a Christian fellowship where the Bible is taught and where God
is truly worshiped.
God
bless you as you begin your new life with Him!
