01/07/2025
Growing Awareness, Growing Forests:
EDC Leyte Celebrates Environment Month Through
Collective Action and Environmental Education
ORMOC CITY, LEYTE – First Gen-owned Energy Development Corporation’s (EDC) Leyte Geothermal Facility celebrated Environment Month this June with a series of activities focusing on forest restoration, environmental awareness, and stakeholder collaboration. This reinforces the Lopez Group’s shared commitment to environmental stewardship and climate action.
Among the featured initiatives was a tree-growing activity held on June 25 in Tongonan, Leyte, where over 70 participants from EDC and fellow Lopez Group companies First Balfour and ThermaPrime, together with Silverlink and TG Services, came together to plant 100 native seedlings, including To-og, Narra, White Lawaan, and Yakal Saplungan.
This forms part of EDC’s BINHI greening legacy program, an initiative that reflects the Lopez Group’s unified approach to regeneration through forest restoration and biodiversity conservation efforts.
EDC Leyte Environmental Protection Head Leonita Sabando opened the activity by emphasizing both the environmental and personal value of tree growing-- not just as a contribution to ecological restoration-- but as an opportunity to reconnect with colleagues and the natural world.
“Dili lang ni usa ka pagpangtanom og kahoy—usa ni ka kalihokan sa pagpatubo og kahoy. Pinaagi ani, dili lang ta makatabang sa kinaiyahan, kundi nagasuporta usab ta sa pagpahiuli sa atong watershed ug sa pagpalig-on sa atong panaghiusa,” Sabando said in the Bisaya dialect.
The activity was organized by EDC Leyte’s BINHI team and held within the grounds of the Tongonan Geothermal Power Plant, which is home to six arboreta dedicated to Philippine native tree species. These are part of the 48 arboreta established nationwide through the BINHI program in partnership with over 223 organizations, including local governments, academic institutions, and the private sector. These conservation areas serve as propagation sites for threatened native tree species, helping preserve the country’s biodiversity while supporting climate resilience in the regions where EDC operates.
The spirit of collaboration continued earlier in June, with employees and representatives from First Balfour joining EDC in an “Out in the Wild” environmental learning experience. The immersive activity brought participants to EDC’s geothermal reservation to observe its rich biodiversity and better understand the conservation efforts taking place within and around the company’s project sites.
To support long-term conservation efforts, the Leyte team likewise conducted nursery management and training sessions for their BINHI nursery personnel to enhance their technical skills in producing high-quality native tree seedlings.
EDC also engaged the youth through a Wildlife Quiz conducted in partnership with the Ormoc City LGU and the Department of Education (DepEd), which drew participation from 24 local schools. The event tested and enhanced the students’ knowledge of Philippine biodiversity, biodiversity conservation efforts, and environmental laws and regulations, while also preparing the winning teams for upcoming regional and national competitions.
To cap off the site’s Environment Month activities, EDC held a Poster Making Contest on June 30 at Pedro Bañez National High School, in collaboration with DepEd, Ormoc City LGU, and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), where they invited students to creatively express their environmental advocacies through art. This effort forms part of EDC’s broader push to engage the youth and instill environmental awareness among the next generation of climate champions.
Environment Month serves as a timely reminder of our shared responsibility to care for the planet. For EDC, it is an opportunity to renew its commitment to environmental stewardship. By championing education and collective action, EDC continues to forge collaborative pathways toward a decarbonized and regenerative future, one that can only be achieved through strong partnerships and a unified effort to protect the Earth.
Energy Development Corporation is First Gen Corporation’s 100-percent Renewable Energy (RE) subsidiary with over 1,300 megawatts total installed capacity-- accounting for nearly 17-percent of the country’s total installed RE capacity. Its 1,169.85-megawatt geothermal portfolio comprises approximately 56-percent of the country’s total installed geothermal capacity, making the Philippines the third largest geothermal producer in the world.
First Gen is the Philippines’ leading clean energy company. (PR)
IN PHOTO: Lopez Group employees from EDC, First Balfour, and ThermaPrime, together with Silverlink and TG Services, mark Environment Month by planting native tree seedlings in Tongonan, Leyte.
