QUICK READ: The Energy Development Corporation celebrates 45 years by going beyond sustainability to mitigate climate change.
By Liberato “Buddy” S. Virata
The Energy Development Corporation (EDC) is one of the top 10 renewable energy companies in the Philippines and is known for being the pioneer in geothermal energy in the country. As EDC marks its 45th anniversary, we’ve also come to realize that it is no longer enough for us to lead through sustainability if we want to mitigate the present climate situation.
Our mission is to forge collaborative pathways for a decarbonized and regenerative future, in which everyone must work together for the good of the environment and for the sake of generations that are yet to come.
Humble beginnings with EDC
I joined EDC back in 1982 and was assigned to the Bacman plant which, at the time, was still very early in its exploration stage. I was also a city boy who was used to living in Manila, and it was uncomfortable and lonely for me to be living in the mountains.
At the time, I thought… I’ll just finish my six months and then quit. But 39 years later and already past my retirement age, here I am.
You might ask why, and I’ll tell you—
First, I learned a lot in this company at the early stage of my career. Second, this company has expanded and improved a lot after it was privatized. Technical knowledge is so wide and dynamic in geothermal. Management encompasses a lot of disciplines. We have a lot of CSR programs and interactions with the community as well as big contributions to the preservation of the environment. We are helping our community and we are serving both our country and mother earth as we fight climate change by providing indigenous and renewable sources of energy.
I would say that the other things that make me stay in EDC are the following:
First, we share core values. I feel really blessed that I work with a company that shares my personal values. I love that we need not compromise our personal ideals and morals for development, success, and ambition. We are a family and we make it a point to grow together. Dito sa EDC, dama mong totoo ang salitang Kapamilya!
Buddy and his team member from Field Ops Management
Second, my colleagues then and now. I have gained friends for a lifetime in EDC, people that I know I will never find somewhere else. People I would love to meet over and over again if I have to live my life again. Aside from that, EDC loves to take care of its people—inside and outside of the organization. They know that along with its technology and steam, one of its greatest assets is its people.
Third, our purpose. I truly believe in EDC’s purpose: to build a regenerative future.
The fact that I can see how the groups in EDC move to attain this purpose lights up a fire in me. Where else can I go where I am compensated to do good, to uplift my country, and help in building a future that the coming generations will be enjoying?
Buddy and the Field Operations Management Team
Living for a decarbonized and regenerative future
To live regeneratively is similar to building a family of your own because when you become a parent, everything stops being just about you. Every action you take, every decision you make—all of that has an impact on your child, and this makes you want to be better, to make the environment better.
So you build your avenues in order for others to thrive.
At EDC, we believe that we need to work together to achieve our regenerative goals for the future. To be regenerative is to aspire to move as one and move up, to attain our behavioral, cultural, environmental, physical, and financial targets.
As EDC continues to thrive after 45 years, we should continue to contribute what we can in order to go beyond sustainability and live regeneratively for a better tomorrow and a better Philippines.
Buddy Virata is EDC’s Senior Vice President, Head – Facility Operations & Maintenance and concurrent Head – Project Management. This message was delivered during EDC’s 45th anniversary celebration on March 05, 2021.
The Energy Development Corporation (EDC) is a pioneer in generating 100% clean, renewable, and reliable power as an electricity supplier in the Philippines for over 40 years. With power plants all over Visayas and Mindanao, the company is one of the biggest producers of geothermal energy in Asia and is expanding its reach in the international market, allowing it to offer customers affordable energy rates. EDC also strives to provide the best customer service it can to all its clients by having helpful salespeople and easy to understand contracts. Because of all of this, it is poised to become the premier supplier of electricity for the Philippines’ Green Energy Option Program. EDC takes its mission as a renewable energy provider seriously and goes beyond sustainability by investing in programs that enhance the environment and empower its partner communities, thereby fostering regenerative development. The company has also been working toward being carbon-neutral by improving its energy efficiency, as well as implementing various greening projects to ensure that its mission to provide future generations with a better life remains intact.