QUICK READ: Energy Development Corporation helped expand the COVID-19 testing laboratory of DOC-CHD Bicol.
By Connie Calipay | The Bicol Bloc Online
The Department of Health-Center for Health and Development (DOH-CHD) Bicol unveiled on March 25 the expanded COVID-19 testing laboratory and refurbished enteric bacteriology and water analysis laboratories that the Energy Development Corporation donated.
Eduardo Jimenez, EDC’s Corporate Social Responsibility Head for its Bacon-Manito (BacMan) facility, in a statement said, “…the number of COVID-19 cases increasing day by day, even reaching 8,000 plus cases on some days, it is indeed a high-time to unveil the laboratories and help the government, especially the DOH, to implement the necessary protocols to contain the spread of the virus in our region.”
Jimenez added that they are grateful to the DOH-CHD Bicol for identifying the specific needs of their office and immediately putting into reality the proceeds of the MOA signing ceremony last year.
The testing capacity of DOH-CHD’s molecular laboratory increased from 300-400 to 800-1000 tests daily because of the expansion, while the enteric bacteriology and water analysis laboratory was successfully relocated to a suitable location with refurbished facilities following the P4.2-million donation of EDC to DOH-CHD Bicol, September last year.
On the other hand, the enteric bacteriology and water analysis laboratory will benefit Bicolanos, given the facility to properly examine water-borne diseases in potable water.
“As the Department of Health, it is our primary goal to guarantee equitable, accessible, and quality health services for all,” Dr. Ernie Vera, DOH Bicol Regional Director, said.
He explains that “with COVID-19 challenging this goal and overwhelming the health care system, it is evident that the department needs to maximize and exceed its efforts to address the pandemic.”
Vera pointed out the partnership with EDC has become an advantage and hopes the partnership with CHD-DOH Bicol bears more fruitful projects.
When the pandemic was declared in March last year and community lockdowns were imposed in different municipalities and cities, including those of Albay and Sorsogon, EDC immediately extended its help by distributing fuel, medical supplies, and rice to its partner communities.
It also lent portavans for its quarantine facilities’ extension and isolation facility.
Aside from the provision of portavans to the quarantine facilities, EDC continued to provide a temporary supply of clean and uninterrupted power that kept important facilities and establishments running.
Another P2.5-million worth of in-kind donations and support to the local government units (LGUs) was also given in April last year.
EDC, with its subsidiary BGI, operates the 140-MW Bacon-Manito geothermal facility that straddles Manito, Albay, and Bacon, Sorsogon, and supplies clean and reliable power to the Luzon grid and retail electricity customers.
Its 1,179.3MW capacity from geothermal energy accounts for 61.17% of the country’s total installed geothermal capacity.
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.
