EDC PR 2016 (CSR section)

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Our Corporate Social Responsibility Inclusive Learning Bigger CAREERS to power big dreams Only about 5 to 30 percent of our public high school graduates apply for college education. Most come from poor families, with parents who expect them to contribute to the household immediately after graduating, if not earlier. What gets lost, in the pursuit of a modest paycheck as a kasambahay or security guard, is the hope of a bigger, brighter future for the Filipino youth. Hoping to encourage more public HS graduates to strive for higher learning, EDC’s College Admission Review and Readiness (CAREERS) program offers college scholarships, combined with mentorship, to underprivileged but high-potential young men and women. With CAREERS support, they are able to maintain their college education while honing their leadership skills through enrichment workshops, values formation seminars, and community service. Clarence Gamez (right) just dreamt of a modest income after high school until she became a CAREERS scholar in UP Visayas. The CAREERS scholars (above) undergo numerous workshops to hone their leadership skills. Every year, the EDC corporate social responsibility (CSR) team mobilizes partner public high schools to invite top-performing candidates to sign up for the UP College Admission Test, helping them choose the best courses suited to their capabilities. Then follows three weeks of intense summer review classes conducted by teachers enlisted by EDC to help prepare the candidates for the test. Those who pass are guided through the enrollment process at different UP campuses nationwide. This involves getting them into dormitories and providing assistance for their basic needs such as stipend for food, books, and school supplies. The rest of the candidates are given the opportunity to avail of a similar package in local state universities, or are guided through their other options. CAREERS eliminates the financial burden on the family, while providing the college scholar with emotional support while away from home — ensuring that they stay in the course. EDC personnel closely monitor the scholars to check if they are coping well with their studies. The program has also initiated one-on-one mentoring sessions wherein scholars consult with EDC employee-volunteers who share their interests and career paths. Currently, EDC supports and mentors 60 students in eight UP campuses and 37 students in local colleges and universities. For 2016, the program has already produced seven UP graduates, including Monique D. Mangampo, who earned her degree in Math and Science Teaching from UP Los Baños, and Clarence Gamez, who graduated with a degree in Fisheries and Aquatic Resources from the UP Visayas. Even before graduation, the CAREERS scholars are given job placement support and career planning. Of the 11 scholars that graduated since 2015, six are already employed in private and government firms, and five graduates have ongoing job applications. Two 2016 CAREERS graduates from UP Visayas, Lara Felisa Concepcion, and Agnes Tabarcon, are also currently employed in the food industry and government, respectively. The CAREERS program levels the playing field so students from poor, rural communities are given equal chances to study in premium colleges or universities. It offers the youth hope for a brighter future and a way out of poverty. It diversifies the pool of talent, ensuring that deserving candidates are given access to the same opportunities. Both the workforce and the nation can only benefit from highly educated, skilled professionals, with a moral code, who can empathize with the marginalized. 51
Features Learning from Disaster: The School Rebuilding Project These calamity-resilient classrooms can withstand wind velocity of up to 250 km/hour One of the lessons learned after Typhoon Yolanda is that we have to build better classrooms. The School Rebuilding Project began in February 2014 after EDC volunteered to become a Development Sponsor under the Office of the Presidential Assistant for Rehabilitation and Recovery (OPARR). Since then, it has extended beyond typhoon-struck Leyte, Samar, and Iloilo, to other provinces nationwide. Initially funded by local and international donations to ABS-CBN Lingkod Kapamilya Foundation, Inc., seven Lopez companies and two external partners were inspired by the initial project, which resulted in 75 new classrooms, and joined the initiative to construct an additional 66 classrooms in Panay Island, Sorsogon and Albay in Bicol, Bohol, and Bukidnon. By end-2016, the project had turned over 151 classrooms, worth a total of PHP196 million, to the Department of Education (DepEd). More than 9,000 students will benefit from this donation annually. The calamity-resilient classrooms can withstand wind velocity of up to 250 kilometers per hour, pursuant to the standard of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), and the Minimum Performance Standards and Specification (MPSS) of the DepEd. Each classroom comes equipped with chairs and tables, chalkboards, wall-mounted fans, and LED lighting. Additional amenities are comfort rooms that are “gendered,” with person with disability (PWD) access. Building Resilient Communities EDC trains partners in disaster risk management We have in-house Emergency Response Teams in all our business units When super typhoon Lawin (international name: Haima) hit Ilocos Norte last October 2016, Disaster Risk Reduction and Management (DRRM) personnel from 21 municipalities of Ilocos Norte were in the middle of an Emergency Medical Response (EMR) Course training at the Provincial Capitol. Typhoon Karen (international name: Sarika) had just hit the country some three days earlier. The training was provided by EDC’s Disaster Preparedness and Response Unit (DPRU) upon the request of the Provincial Government of Ilocos Norte (PGIN). Needless to say, the back-to-back typhoons placed the province’s resiliency under a stress test. However, Joel Tesoro, President of Liga ng mga Barangay, noted that “the barangay officials were better 52 I Energy Development Corporation Performance Report 2016
Page 1 and 2: doing good is good business
Page 3 and 4: “Many shareholders, all they look
Page 5 and 6: company’s operations and our CSR
Page 7 and 8: EDC’s HELEn by the Numbers HEALTH
Page 9: Features Enhancing Youth Employabil
Page 13 and 14: Features EDC’s 106MW Mindanao 1 a

EDC PR 2016 (CSR section)

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