Photo Credit: City Government of Ormoc Facebook Page
The city government of Ormoc in Leyte has entered into a memorandum of agreement with Lopez geothermal energy leader Energy Development Corporation (EDC) and non-stock, non- profit OSPA Farmers Medical Center (FMC) for the creation of a molecular diagnostic center that will enable more timely reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) testing of COVID-19 swab samples from residents not only in the city but from nearby provinces.
The landmark agreement was signed by Ormoc City Mayor Richard I. Gomez and Vice Mayor Leo Carmelo Locsin Jr., OSPA–FMC vice president Atty. Roy Bernard Fiel, and EDC management led by president and chief operating officer Richard B. Tantoco, and was witnessed by Deputy Chief Implementer of the Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases against COVID-19, Secretary Vivencio B. Dizon.
EDC donated the RT-PCR equipment worth about P25 million to Ormoc’s first COVID-19 testing facility that will be operated and maintained by OSPA–FMC, the most modern tertiary hospital on this side of Leyte. According to Gomez, the laboratory will greatly expedite the processing of COVID-19 swab samples, which previously required up to ten days.
“We can get our results in less than a day,” he said. “This project will bring very good news to the beautiful people of Ormoc City. This is something we really need in this time of crisis.”
For its part, EDC reiterated its commitment to improve the lives of Ormocanons. “We are very privileged to have an opportunity to address a clear gap for Ormoc City, the western part of Leyte, the province of Biliran, and Southern Leyte, that of having an RT-PCR testing center,” said Tantoco.
“While Ormoc City leadership does its job, we too strive to do ours, which is to provide around 40% of the electricity of the entire Visayas that is so necessary now, particularly with remote work and the increased demands on our healthcare system,” he added.
In total, EDC generates over 40% of the Philippines’ renewable energy output and serves about 10% of the country’s overall electricity demand with its installed capacity of 1,473.3MW. Its 1,179MW geothermal portfolio accounts for 61% of the country’s total installed geothermal capacity, putting the Philippines on the map as the world’s third largest geothermal power producer.
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.
