Aboitiz Group links with CCC to build climate-resilient communities in Toledo, Cebu

STRONG PARTNERSHIP. WORKSHOP PARTICIPANTS HUDDLE AROUND REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ABOITIZ GROUP AND ITS PARTNER ORGANIZATIONS DURING THE LOCAL CLIMATE CHANGE ACTION PLAN WORKSHOP HELD IN TOLEDO CITY, CEBU, SPEARHEADED BY (SEATED, FROM LEFT) ABOITIZ FOUNDATION ENVIRONMENT AND DISASTER RESILIENCE MANAGER WELFREDO DALUMPINES, ABOITIZ EQUITY VENTURES ASSISTANT VICE PRESIDENT FOR SUSTAINABILITY MIRABEL PEREZ, ABOITIZ EQUITY VENTURES ASSISTANT VICE PRESIDENT FOR CORPORATE EXTERNAL RELATIONS MIRCHELLE PINPIN-DE GUZMAN, CLIMATE CHANGE COMMISSION DEPUTY EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR ROMELL ANTONIO CUENCA, TOLEDO CDRRMO HEAD ENGINEER ALEXANDER DENNIS ABELLA, AND ABOITIZPOWER THERMAL BUSINESS GROUP REPUTATION & STAKEHOLDER MANAGEMENT OPERATIONS SUPERVISOR JK HUYATID.

Aboitiz Equity Ventures (AEV), Aboitiz Power Corp. (AboitizPower) subsidiary Therma Visayas, Inc. (TVI), AEV Sustainability Team, and Aboitiz Foundation have joined forces with the Climate Change Commission, the Toledo City, Cebu local government, Department of Science and Technology (DOST)-PAGASA, and the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD), with the vision to help create resilient, disaster-ready, and climate-smart communities.

A five-day training workshop to craft an enhanced and science-based Local Climate Change Action Plan (LCCAP) was recently held in Brgy. Bato, Toledo City, Cebu, the host community of AboitizPower-TVI. Toledo City Mayor Marjorie “Joie” Perales expressed her gratitude for making the event possible.

“Salamat kaayo, thank you very much to the Aboitiz Group and the Climate Change Commission for conducting this LCCAP training workshop in Toledo City,” Perales said. “This will upgrade the skills of our local responders and improve our readiness for disasters. I know that our people will truly benefit from this.”

Members of the Toledo City Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office (CDRRMO), City Environment and Natural Resources (CENRO), City Planning and Development Office (CPDO), City Engineering Office, City Agriculture Office, and barangays Bato, Cabitoonan and Awihao, actively participated in the planning sessions and learned how to develop their capabilities in climate change resilience.

The participants were equipped with knowledge based on methods and strategies to produce targeted and responsive climate action plans. They were also upskilled in developing risk-mitigating LCCAPs anchored on science and evidence-based analysis, which includes biodiversity and ecosystem-based adaptation interventions.

“We recognize that our communities and local governments are at the forefront of the climate crisis,” said Climate Change Commission Deputy Executive Director Romell Antonio Cuenca.

“It is imperative for local government units to be prepared for the challenges of the changing climate. LGUs should invest more in crafting and planning appropriate measures to adapt to climate impacts. That is why CCC and Aboitiz came all the way here to Toledo to increase the technical capacity of our LGUs, so that they can develop their local climate change action plans, which will serve as their pathway to resiliency,” he added.

AboitizPower Thermal Group (VisMin) President & COO Ronaldo Ramos believes this could spark that transformation in Toledo City, and that the project can be replicated in all the other communities where AboitizPower thermal assets operate.

“We believe that by bolstering Toledo City’s climate resilience and adaptation, we can ensure the continuity of our mission to energize Cebu and the Visayas, and, more importantly, secure a sustainable future for Toledo. We’re optimistic about the completion of their LCCAP this year,” Ramos said.

At a national level, the LCCAP training workshop is in line with some tenets of the Philippine Development Plan on establishing livable communities (chapter 2.3), strengthening social protection (chapter 3.2), and accelerating climate action and strengthening disaster resilience (chapter 15).

Through this project, Aboitiz also supports the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) on reducing inequalities (SDG 10), Sustainable Cities and Communities (SDG 11), and Climate Action (SDG 13), at a global level.

“Our partnership serves as a catalyst for the ongoing development and seamless integration of our communities’ Local Climate Change Action Plans into their local government practices. This remarkable initiative not only propels the Aboitiz Group’s ESG goals forward but also resonates with our core purpose of Advancing Business and Communities,” said Aboitiz Equity Ventures First Vice President and Chief Sustainability & Reputation Officer Ginggay Hontiveros-Malvar.

“This strong public-private partnership between Aboitiz and the Climate Change Commission (CCC) is a culmination of over four years of collaboration. We wanted a program that was sustainable for all partners, and where the value of a science-based LCCAP benefitted our stakeholder communities beyond this year,” said Aboitiz Equity Ventures Assistant Vice President for Corporate External Relations and Climate Smart Program Lead Mirchelle Pinpin-de Guzman.

“As for CCC, the program enables them to expand their Information Education Campaign reach through our business units’ operations in Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao,” de Guzman added.

As the Aboitiz Group undergoes its Great Transformation to become the Philippines’ first Techglomerate, it is taking on challenges with a renewed entrepreneurial mindset, gaining recognition as a partner of choice for innovation and future-ready solutions.