PHILIPPINE COPPER SMELTER FACES SHIPMENT DELAYS

  Copper shipments are likely to be
  delayed because of power problems at &lt;Philippine Associated
  Smelting and Refining Corp> (PASAR), the country's only
  smelter, a company official said.
      Asked to confirm reports by New York copper trade sources
  about PASAR's shipment problems, marketing manager Deogracias
  Madrid told Reuters, "They are partly correct. There could be a
  probable delay."
      Madrid declined to give more details, or production and
  export figures, saying the information could lead to
  speculation.
      PASAR's smelter is in the central province of Leyte.
      The New York trade sources said if PASAR's shipments were
  delayed, customers might have to turn to the London Metal
  Exchange for supply.
      "We have a commitment to our customers and I would not like
  to comment on that," Madrid said.
      A spokeswoman for the Chamber of Mines said Philippine
  copper production amounted to 222,644 tonnes in 1986, down
  slightly from 226,157 tonnes in 1985. She said production in
  the first two months of 1987 totalled 34,550 tonnes, compared
  with 36,462 tonnes in the same 1986 period.
  

