First Gen-owned geothermal leader Energy Development Corporation’s (EDC) Keitech education program in Leyte was recognized as the Best Corporate Social Responsibility Project for Education this year at the League of Corporate Foundations’ CSR Guild Awards on Thursday, July 0,6 at the Makati Diamond Residences.

Keitech is a technical-vocational school established in 2009 by EDC in partnership with the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA).

Keitech President Allan Barcena expressed his gratitude for the recognition in his appreciation message during the awarding. “We are honored and humbled to share with the Board that our Keitech won the Outstanding CSR Project in Education at the League of Corporate Foundations CSR Guild Awards,” Barcena said.

“This recognition will inspire us to continue transforming the lives of our out-of-school-youth in Leyte through our values-based technical-vocational education program,” he added.

To date, Keitech has already produced over 1,200 graduates and has held the record for having a consistent 100% national certification passing rate among its trainees. More than 90% of Keitech graduates are now gainfully employed. Keitech estimates a multiplier effect of more than 6,000 lives that have been touched, changed and uplifted, across more than 100 communities in EDC’s areas of operation—a truly impactful initiatives that shows the possibilities of nurturing self-reliant communities in line with the company’s mission of forging collaborative pathways for a decarbonized and regenerative future.

EDC’s Plushies Project, in collaboration with the ABS-CBN Foundation, was also recognized as one of the the most outstanding CSR projects under the Collaboration category of the CSR Guild Awards. The project, entitled The Birth of Diwa and Kali: Integrating Social Enterprise Development in Wildlife Conservation”, was made possible with its partners Sorsogon communities and Karaw Craftventures in the Bicol region.

EDC is First Gen Corporation’s 100 percent renewable energy subsidiary with over 1,480MW total installed capacity that accounts for 20 percent of the country’s total installed renewable energy capacity. Its almost 1,200MW geothermal portfolio comprises 62 percent of the country’s total installed geothermal capacity and has put the Philippines on the map as the 3rd largest geothermal producer in the world.
(PR/ROBERT DEJON)

TACLOBAN CITY – The city government of Borongan distributed cash assistance to government scholars under its ‘Direkta Ayuda program.’

Each of the 5, 593 senior high school and college student beneficiaries of the program received P1,500 cash allowance from the city government on Friday(July 7).

Students who received the allowance were students of Lalawigan National High School, Our Lady of Mercy College, San Jose National High School, Calingatngan National High School, MSH Sisters Academy, Seminario de Jesus Nazareno, Benowangan National High School, Saint Mary’s College of Borongan, Eastern Samar National Comprehensive High School, and Eastern Samar State University.

The city allowance is also available for college students from the city who are studying elsewhere.

Mayor Jose Ivan Dayan Agda, during the pay-out, reminded the students to focus and prioritize their studies and be responsible residents of their city.

Direkta Ayuda is a program providing cash allowance to eligible senior high school and college students by virtue of City Ordinance No. 241.
(ROEL T. AMAZONA)

TACLOBAN CITY – Tanauan Mayor Gina Merilo is thankful to businessmen operating in her municipality for their contributions to the local economy which provides jobs to residents and income to the local government.

Mayor Merilo said that their town is recovering from the negative impacts of the pandemic caused by the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) saying they are seeing an increase in their local revenue.

Merilo said that from the P25.28 million local income covering July 2021 to June 2022, it increased to P32.77 million from July 2022 to June 2023, or an increase of 30 percent.
“I would like to express my profound gratitude to our taxpayers who diligently pay and I would like to encourage others to pay their taxes on time so as to make us continue to deliver the required municipal services,” the town mayor said.

To ease the process of business permit application and in paying of taxes, the local government is implementing the digitalization of business permit and licensing system which is now at 70 percent.

The town recently received three computer units from the Department of Information and Communication Technology for the purpose of digitalization of its transactions.

“With digitalization, application for a business permit can be done even at home and payment of fees may be done online thru GCash and Palawanpay,” Merilo said.

The town mayor added that at least 350 small and big businesses started operating in the municipality during her first year of office, helping the LGU to generate more income and provide job opportunities not only to Tanauan residents but even to jobseekers from other towns.

Tanauan Public Employment Information System Office Manager Michael Muzones confirms this saying that they are encouraging investors who are opening their businesses in the municipality to prioritize the locals when hiring employees.

Muzones said that his office has coordinated with the management of big businesses that opens a branch in Tanauan to hire local workers.

Last year, about 300 town residents were hired by the investors.
(ROEL T. AMAZONA)