Hedcor holds river cleaning, reforest in host communities

By Stefany Mae Tawagon

SABANGAN, Mountain Province – Hedcor recently conducted a series of river clean-up drives and reforestation initiatives in its host communities in Luzon and Mindanao including this town. 
    “Our key actions in Hedcor include transforming our portfolio for a better environmental impact in support of communities where we operate. It is our collective effort to connect with nature and gain first-hand experience for concrete and effective actions, as this is our gateway to a greater involvement in sustainable practices,” said Rolando Pacquiao, Hedcor president and COO. 
    On its waterway cleanup, a total of 1,385 kilos of waste were collected and disposed of properly this year.
    The rivers cleaned were Elew River,  Upper Chico River and Amburayan River in Luzon; and Talomo River in Mindanao. 
    Hedcor has planted over 3.15 million trees in its host communities in Luzon and Mindanao with an 89% survival rate. 

    Some 500 pine tree seedlings and 250 mahogany seedlings were planted recently in Sabangan, Mt Province and in Amilongan, Ilocos Sur respectively.
    Strengthening its reforestation efforts, Hedcor signed the forest management agreement with 32 landowners in Barangay Santiago in Manolo Fortich, Bukidnon. This is Hedcor’s revegetation project aimed to support the livelihood of the community through agroforestry and plantation products covering approximately 42 hectares of land. Some of the trees to be planted are fruit-bearing trees; narra; and red and white lawaan, a Hedcor press release said. 
    Hedcor and its community partners are also engaged in other environmental sustainability programs such as watershed management, information education campaigns, farmers’ training and biodiversity conservation.
Hedcor is a wholly-owned subsidiary of AboitizPower. It specializes in generating renewable energy from run-of-river hydropower systems.
    Hedcor now manages and operates 22 hydropower plants located in Ilocos Sur, Mt. Province, Benguet, Davao, and Bukidnon.
    These supply the country with 278 MW of clean and renewable energy.
    With over 42 years of experience, Hedcor is one of the leading run-of-river hydropower operators in the Philippines.