The Alsons Power Group, Mindanao’s first private sector power generator, is once again poised to continue its various corporate social responsibility (CSR) projects for 2020.  Ruben G. Tungpalan, the Group’s vice president for corporate affairs and community relations stated, “The core focus for all of our CSR projects has always been to preserve the environment and advance the education of the young people in all of the communities where we operate. Thus, all our flagship community projects are centered on the twin pillars of advancing education and preserving the environment.”

Alsons Power to carry on key Community Relations Programs in 2020

This year, Alsons Power plans to commemorate the completion of its centerpiece environmental preservation project – the 7,500-hectare Sarangani Energy Watershed Protection Project (WPP) located within the vicinity of the Group’s 210-megawatt (MW) Sarangani Energy Corporation (SEC) power plant in Maasim, Sarangani Province. The project which encompasses an area larger than the City of Manila and almost twice the size of Makati City, is the largest one of its kind in the country.  Alsons Power embarked on the Sarangani Energy WPP a few months before the start of the construction of the SEC power plant with the purposes of preserving the Siguil and Kamanga river watersheds, providing forest cover to the area, and providing livelihood for the Blaan and T’boli indigenous communities residing in the area. The Sarangani Energy WPP area is currently managed by the Conrado and Ladislawa Alcantara Foundation (Alcantara Foundation) – the CSR arm of the Alcantara Group.  The Group aims to mark the WPP’s completion thru an onsite ceremony with the Department of the Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) and key local government and community officials by the middle of this year.

2020 will also see Alsons Power inaugurate the second President Du30 Early Learning Center near the construction site of the 14.5 MW Siguil Hydro run of river hydroelectric power plant – the Group’s initial foray into renewable energy also located in Maasim, Sarangani. The Center which is a signature CSR program of Alsons Power and the Alcantara Group is meant to cater to early education pupils in public schools in the rural areas as well as those public schools with a considerable number of early learning pupils from indigenous communities. Each Center is fully equipped with learning tools and visual aids such as colorful learning posters, illustrated children’s books featuring traditional Blaan stories written in the mother tongue with translations in English and other dialects, and a television set. The spacious classrooms can accommodate 40 to 50 pupils. Under the concept, Alsons Power provides the infrastructure or “hardware” while the government thru the Department of Education assisted by the Local Government Unit provides the early-learning curriculum or “software.” Aside from the Du30 Early Learning Center, Alsons Power has donated and helped build 40 fully-furnished classroom and library buildings in Sarangani, General Santos City, and Zamboanga City.

Other ongoing Alsons Power signature CSR programs include the Alsons Power Hidilyn Diaz Scholarship Program in cooperation with Olympic Silver Medalist and Asian and SEA Games Gold Medalist Hidilyn Diaz. Under the program, Alsons Power provides selected potential medal-winning athletes in the Philippine weightlifting team training pool with a regular stipend covering school supplies, uniforms, and daily school expenses to ensure that these “power scholars” get to continue their education while competing for the country.   15 promising student-athletes have been included in the program since its launch in 2017. All of these “power scholars” are from Zamboanga City where Hidilyn Diaz and the Philippine Weightlifting Association have established 3 training centers and where Alsons Power

operates the 100 MW Western Mindanao Power Corporation diesel plant- the only major power facility within the City.   In addition to the Hidilyn Diaz scholarship program Alsons Power has granted scholarships to more than 4,000 individual elementary, high school, and college students from Zamboanga City, Iligan, General Santos City and Sarangani Province.

Tungpalan further stated, “As 2020 begins, we look forward to continuing to build and strengthen our partnerships with the all our stakeholders in the communities where we operate. As we began to expand our power business to other areas, we remain steadfast in our commitment to be good neighbors and to help improve the quality of life for the people living in our communities.”