First Gen-owned geothermal power leader Energy Development Corporation (EDC) has kicked off its COVID-19 vaccination program for its strong workforce of nearly 1,500 and their dependents across the country to help keep them safe and support the government’s aim of achieving herd immunity against the virus.
“We are one with the government in its goal to protect all Filipinos against the COVID-19 virus. As part of our support to the national vaccination program, we procured vaccines for our employees and their dependents through multi-party agreements in partnership with the Philippine government. We also urged and encouraged our employees, through a series of health dialogues with our medical experts, even before the arrival of the vaccines to ease their worries and help them decide to get vaccinated,” said Atty. Allan V. Barcena, EDC Assistant Vice President and Head of Corporate Social Responsibility and Public Relations.
EDC piloted its vaccination in its Pasig City Head Office last July 24. It was soon followed by the inoculation of employees in its geothermal sites in Leyte and Negros Island. Its Bicol, Kidapawan City, and Ilocos Norte workforce will have their first dose this early August. The company expects to complete its vaccination program within the fourth quarter of this year.
EDC’s vaccination administration is being done by its partners from AC Health and Reliance United that both have the capacity and manpower to conduct the inoculation of its employees in all its sites across the country.
EDC gave its employees the opportunity to have their dependents inoculated under its vaccination program as part of its commitment to help keep their families safe. More than 3,600 dependents across all sites were listed in the program.
Beyond producing clean and renewable sources of power, EDC’s top priority is the safety of its employees. It can be recalled that to ensure the safety of its employees when the pandemic hit the country in early 2020, EDC already declared a work-from-home arrangement for all employees whose work did not require them to be physically present in its power plant facilities even before the national government declared a lockdown in the second week of March 2020.
“Safety is our culture in EDC. While we value producing that much-needed power for our country, especially during this pandemic, we always make sure that our workforce is safe. Having our employees vaccinated against COVID-19 is one step closer to our country’s way to recovery,” Barcena added.
EDC, the largest pure renewable energy company in the Philippines, operates 1,186 MW of geothermal, 150 MW of wind, 132 MW of hydroelectric power, and 12 MW of solar power plants— for a total of 1,480 MW of clean and renewable energy.
It accounts for 19% of the country’s total installed renewable energy capacity and 62% of the country’s total installed geothermal capacity as of December 2020, putting the Philippines on the map as the 3rd largest geothermal producer in the world.
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.
