(L-R): Theresa Mundita Lim, PAWB Director; Sec. Ramon Paje, DENR; Richard Tantoco, EDC President & COO; & Agnes de Jesus, EDC SVP for Environment and External Relations
Energy Development Corporation (EDC), the country’s leading producer of geothermal energy, has joined the “Adopt a Wildlife Species (AAWS) Program” of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR). EDC President and COO Richard Tantoco and DENR Secretary Ramon J.P. Paje signed a Memorandum of Agreement sealing the partnership for the preservation and conservation of threatened wildlife species.
Among the species EDC committed to the AAWS Program are those found and being protected by the company in its geothermal project sites such as the Philippine Eagle (Pithecophaga jeferryi) in its Mt. Apo Geothermal Project in North Cotabato; the large bat called Flying Fox (Pteropus vampyrus), and Golden Crowned Flying Fox (Acerodon jubatus) in its Bacon Manito and Negros Geothermal Projects in Albay-Sorsogon and Negros island, respectively; and the Philippine Warty Pig (Sus philippensis), Philippine Brown Deer (Rusa marianus), and Philippine Eagle Owl (Bubo philippensis philippensis) in its Bacon Manito Geothermal Project in Albay-Sorsogon.
“Wildlife conservation is an integral part of our biodiversity program in all our project sites. The status of the flag species is our indicator of the health of the forest habitat and therefore the sustenance of our water-based operation. Our aim is the harmony of our geothermal operation with the natural cycle,” Mr. Tantoco explained.
EDC’s Bacman reservation in Sorsogon is home to the world’s largest fruit bats and was declared a wildlife sanctuary in 2006. In this regard, the company initiated the bats conservation project and established a wildlife rehabilitation and refuge center in the site. Meanwhile, the company’s geothermal reservation in Mindanao, with its lush forest cover, served as the experimental release site of ‘Kabayan,’ the first eagle bred in captivity by the Philippine Eagle Foundation.
“We have extended our conservation reach with the adoption of an eagle which we aptly named “Geothermica.” As we produce clean and renewable energy, we also safeguard and nurture nature’s bounty,” Mr. Tantoco added.
Aside from the protection and conservation of the adopted wildlife species, the DENR-EDC partnership also aims to generate information through research as basis for habitat restoration/rehabilitation for Flying Foxes; conduct rescue and release operations for injured Philippine wildlife; build EDC’s technical capacity in various fields of wildlife research and monitoring; and encourage participation of the company’s host communities in the conservation of threatened wildlife species.
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.
