EDC PR 2016 (CSR section)

Our Corporate Social Responsibility
prepared” when Typhoon Lawin came, which may be attributed to the DRRM trainings. “We are still a long way to
being ‘fully resilient’ but with the assistance of our partners, we believe we can reach that point sooner or later,”
he said.
For several years now, EDC has responded to the new normal of frequent intense typhoons and other natural
disasters, by instituting disaster response mechanisms wherever they are. Each business unit has in-house
Emergency Response Teams (ERTs) who, together with the DPRU, reaches out to train select members of our partner
communities on disaster preparedness. With the Barangay Emergency Response Teams (BERTs), organized by the
Community Partnerships Department of the business unit, the ERTs and DPRU help equip community leaders with
the skills to cope with a crisis situation and become the designated first responders. Such workshops, conducted
with BERTs, local government units (LGUs), media, even high school students and out-of-school youth, could spell
the difference between lives lost and saved in the event of a calamity.
For 2016, around PHP1 million was spent by EDC to build up the capacity of primary partner barangays and LGUs
to handle emergency situations and prevent loss of life and property. This entailed training 145 individuals and LGU
officials on community-based disaster risk reduction management (CBDRRM), EMR, and climate change adaptation
(CCA)-DRRM, in partnership with the Philippine Red Cross, DPRU, and the Ateneo School of Government (ASoG).
This year, we also helped 27 BERTs in three geothermal sites complete their First Responder Awareness Training,
Emergency Disaster Configuration Seminar, Introductory Training on Zero Casualty Disaster Preparedness on
High-Risk Communities, and Firefighting Training. Some of the BERTs were also given rescue equipment to enforce
their capability.
Community Partnership to
Protect Biodiversity
EDC assists Mt. Apo firefighters
Our forest patrols and community volunteers established a wider and longer fireline
to protect our 852-hectare reforestation area from the fire that broke out in Mt. Apo
Incident Command Center (ICC) in Digos City for volunteers doing ground operations.
When a fire engulfed Mt. Apo on March 26,
2016, raging for three weeks and affecting
around 400-500 hectares according to
the National Disaster Risk Reduction
Management Council, the company’s
Mt. Apo Geothermal Business Unit
(MAGBU) joined the Region XII Incident
Management Team as one of the Unified
Incident Commanders leading operations
for firefighting and containment. MAGBU
focused on the establishment of fire
lines, the mapping-out of burnt areas,
and the continuous assessment of nearby
vulnerable areas. MAGBU also provided
food, equipment, and tools such as
helmets and tents, to the Davao del Sur
Our Crisis Management Committee, Emergency Response Team, Emergency Preparedness and Disaster Response
Unit, Watershed Management Department, and medical team, worked side by side with the Department of
Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) and the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP), as well as the local government
units of Kidapawan, Makilala, and Magpet. The combined effort helped get the fire “under control” on April 15, and
finally put out on May 2.
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