Thumbs up! The Lopez Group of Companies through the Energy Development Corporation (EDC) and the local government of Iloilo City officially inked the deal for the P5.5M-worth of medical equipment donation to the city’s Uswag Molecular Laboratory in Molo District. The photo shows First Philippine Holdings Chairman and CEO Federico R. Lopez, Iloilo City Mayor Jerry Trenas, Uswag Molecular Laboratory Manager Annabelle Blancaflor, and EDC President and CEO Richard B. Tantoco during the signing ceremony held via Zoom.
QUICK READ: The donation is part of EDC’s commitment to building a regenerative future through collaborative pathways.
The City of Iloilo has finally received the state-of-the-art Reverse Transcriptase-Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) machine, RNA extractor, and test kits that the Lopez Group of Companies has committed to provide through the Energy Development Corporation (EDC) to help them in their fight against the coronavirus disease (COVID-19).
Federico “Piki” R. Lopez, Chairman and CEO of First Philippine Holdings Corporation (FPH), said providing the necessary support to Iloilo City’s Uswag Molecular Laboratory and its people is part of the new mission of the Lopez Group of building a regenerative future through collaborative pathways.
“Being regenerative is all about elevating everything we touch—from our employees, our customers, suppliers, and contractors, our environment, our communities, as well as our shareholders. This is why we’ve committed to provide our country with only clean sources of energy such geothermal, wind, solar, hydro, and natural gas. But our mission goes beyond energy and anticipates in dealing with the many adaptive challenges needed to redesign how we live, work, and do business in a changed world,” Lopez said.
Lopez, whose roots can be traced to Iloilo, added that it exemplifies a city and a province that are taking concrete steps to develop not just sustainability but also being regenerative, thus progress and prosperity that benefits the people and planet can be achieved in collaboration between like-minded individuals and institutions.
To recall, in November last year, the Lopez family together with its Group of Companies, spearheaded by Lopez himself, sent a letter to Iloilo City Mayor Geronimo “Jerry” Treñas signifying their intent to help the city in its fight against COVID-19 through a donation of a RT-PCR machine and other laboratory equipment to deliver timely and accurate testing services to fellow Ilonggos.
The letter, signed by Lopez, First Gen President and COO Francis Giles B. Puno, and EDC President and COO Richard B. Tantoco, laid out the proposed donation of the conglomerate which will cover the cost of the equipment, test kits, and consumables worth over P5.5 million.
“As part of our continuous support to the city, the Lopez Family and its Group of Companies would like to signify our desire and commitment to be part of your foregoing initiative… We believe this will augment your capacity to deliver timely and accurate testing services to our fellow Ilonggos,” the letter read.
Treñas, for his part, thanked the Lopezes, its family and companies, for its unwavering support to the city especially in these extremely challenging times caused by the COVID-19 pandemic since the first quarter of 2020. “This day is a recognition of a selfless contribution, philanthropy, and social responsibility. This is also a celebration of successful collaboration and partnership with the private sector. On behalf of the city government of Iloilo and my fellow Ilonggos, we humbly recognize that we cannot gain leverage and perform effectively without the assistance and support and essential contributions coming from the private sector like EDC,” said Treñas in his acceptance speech at the Deed of Donation signing held via Zoom yesterday. He likewise, showcased the RT-PCR machine and RNA extractor that was delivered straight to his office in Iloilo City in time for the signing ceremony.
Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases against COVID-19 Deputy Chief Implementer and Bases and Conversion and Development Authority President and CEO Vince Dizon graced the event and expressed his appreciation for the Lopez group’s continuous efforts and collaboration with Iloilo City and various local government units to help them combat COVID-19 and become resilient amid the pandemic.
“You know, since last year the tremendous assistance of the Energy Development Corporation has been a major factor in our battle against COVID-19. From the beginning when our president called for everyone all throughout the country to help in this once-in-a-generation challenge that we all face, EDC was one of the private sector companies that responded to this call of the president in his whole nation approach. We want to thank Chairman Piki again for this partnership with the national government that has not wavered since the very beginning,” said Dizon.
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.
