AboitizPower: Energizing People and Communities for A Better Future ~ My Opinion

Almost two years has passed since AP Renewables, Inc. (APRI), a wholly owned subsidiary of AboitizPower Corp. won the bid for the 747-megawatt (MW) Tiwi-Makban geothermal power complex. Since then, a lot of people have benefited, not only the employees themselves, but also the host communities.

The development of APRI’s Tiwi-Makban geothermal power facilities, for the most part, could be credited to its talented workforce that is behind its entire daily procedures. These passionate workers have been distributed all over the country, being a huge part of AboitizPower’s generation group. AboitizPower believes in motivating its employees, enhancing their talents and distinguishing their worth as business partners. With the company’s world-class quality training programs, which are designed to nurture excellent employees; excellent results are also being reaped.

Tiwi-Makban’s remarkable financial contribution to AboitizPower created a strong competitive advantage within the worker industry market in terms of salary and benefits. This has paved the way for engineering-related jobs to have increased average salary packages, goading favorable results for both the workers and the company itself. Since the turnover of the Tiwi and MakBan plants, AboitizPower has consistenly rewarded its employees for their hard work and excellent performance. With this notable achievement comes a great Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) program.

AboitizPower’s commitment to go above and beyond power generation and distribution is evident in the CSR activities that involve its host communities.

Christmas outreach programs were held in Tiwi and Makban areas for indigent citizens of the community that includes the children. It was a wonderful first of a kind where kids were treated for lunch, games, gifts, magic show, picture taking with Santa Claus, and a presentation number from the APRI Makban volunteers and selected APRI Scholars. This activity was also aimed to foster employee volunteerism and personal social responsibility. Because of its success, this Christmas event will be held annually. Cheers to that! It will now be an annual celebration of life and selfless love for the community.

Education

Aside from the fun and enjoyment Aboitiz Power has offered, they also donated computer equipments, library kits and school desks and chairs to educational institutions in Tiwi, Laguna and Batangas. Of which, two schools, Naga National High School and Tiwi Agro Industrial School were each provided with ten computer units and two printers. A free visual screening with free eyeglasses for the elementary pupils in both areas was done in order to help those children with visual impairment affecting their learning process. New construction, repairs and rewiring of a more than 20 classrooms in both areas, Tiwi and Makban, are underway this year.

APRI Corporate Services SVP Juan Alfonso said that, "We are making these donations to help provide these students a suitable learning environment where they could nurture their dreams." Indeed, Aboitiz Power has endowed not only spur of the moment fun and excitement but sustainable education as well.

Thirty-one Valedictorian and Salutatorian graduates from elementary schools in the two areas last year were given High School scholarships for the school year 2010 to 2011. This scholarship will continue and will be expanded to more than double from last year as we launch Aboitiz Power college and vocational/technical scholarships.

Health & Relief

Medical, Dental and Optical missions were held consistently in both areas. Relief operations which assisted more than 7,000 families in Laguna due to the flooding brought by super typhoons Ondoy and Pepeng were undertaken by Aboitiz Foundation through the employees of APRI. In Albay, Aboitiz Power was quick to assist in providing mats and rice to the evacuees of the Mayon Volcano eruption of 2010 and the flooding and landslide affected families due to non-stop rains in January of 2011.

Livelihood

The company never gets tired of exerting so much effort to help the communities develop along with them. It is their commitment to share their success not only to those who are employed to the business but most especially to those people who are in need of help.

It has been almost two years since the government turned over Tiwi-Makban Facilites to Aboitiz Power, which contributed a lot to the community. Underneath this milestone is a deep-rooted fact that both workers and communities share in their passion and undaunted commitment for sustainable development. Aboitiz Power is truly not just power generation and distribution but beyond those. It’s all about the people, the community for a better future.

AboitizPower is the holding company for the Aboitiz Group’s investments in power generation, distribution, retail and power services. It is a major producer of Cleanergy, its brand for clean and renewable energy, in the Philippines with several hydroelectric and geothermal assets in its generation portfolio and also has non-renewable power plants located across the country. The company owns distribution utilities that operate in high-growth areas in Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao. (For more details, please visit: www.abotizpower.com and www.cleanergy.com.ph.)