EDC: We have planted more than 600,000 trees in Northern Negros
BACOLOD CITY -- Even before it has started operating in the buffer zone, the Energy Development Corporation (EDC) has already reforested 536 hectares and planted more than 600,000 trees in Northern Negros since it started operations in 1994.
"Our reforestation project is an undeniable fact. Truth be told, we have already planted a total of 6.2 million trees on 14,313 hectares in all our geothermal sites. We have not publicized it before because this is really not just for show. We have reforested and we continue to plant more trees because it is part of our commitment to preserve the ecosystem as a good corporate citizen," EDC President & CEO Paul A. Aquino said. "It is quite unfortunate, however, that some people deliberately miss out on this reality and just focus on the trees in the buffer zone to gain sympathy. They also omit the information on what they have done to reforest or stop the charcoal making in Kanlaon which we have monitored when we used to patrol the park for the province in the late 1990s."
Aquino reacted to reports that some oppositors have been conducting info drives in schools and barangays, highlighting only the number of trees that EDC will cut as part of its expansion in the MKNP buffer zone without discussing the mitigating measures that the company is undertaking also as part of its operations.
"They have mourned for the loss of the trees that we have cut. They should likewise rejoice and welcome the hundreds of thousands of trees that we have planted, which are already more than what is required of us in compliance with our MOA with the provincial government," added Aquino. "Also, please take note that we will still reforest the 400 hectares that we committed in the MOA for the next 5 years.”
On top of EDC's reforestation projects for its Northern Negros Geothermal Production Field (NNGPF), the company went to the extent of inventing a new emission diffuser worth P1.5 M to trap geothermal sprays to minimize impacts on the forest cover, even as these impacts have been shown to be temporary. This technology was created primarily for this project and will soon be patented by the company.
According to Rei Medrano, EDC's Manager for Corporate Social Responsibility, the company will not only protect but also enhance the biodiversity of MKNP. "We have established a nursery in Bago City that has 14 premium endemic species including 3.12 hectares of Almaciga, the first man-made almaciga plantation in the Philippines, and 21.35 hectares of mixed premium species. These are being produced using the mist irrigation system. Our main objective is to create mother trees that will serve as sources of seeds for natural regeneration and production of reforestation planting materials. We will replicate in Mt. Kanlaon what we did in Mt. Apo. In Mt. Apo, we afforested a grassland area of 594 hectares near the peak and after 10 years, we saw the return of wildlife in the area," Medrano said.