AboitizPower, DENR promote mangrove conservation in Bataan

Orani, Bataan – The AboitizPower, Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), and other stakeholders are pushing for the mangrove conservation thru the expansion of the power company’s adopted mangrove site here.

In a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) signing ceremony at the DENR Central Office in Quezon City on 7 August, the DENR, the Provincial Government of Bataan, the Local Government of Orani, AboitizPower’s GNPower Mariveles Energy Center (GMEC) and GNPower Dinginin (GNPD), and the Tubo-Tubo Fisherfolks Association are eyeing to renew and strengthen their partnership for mangrove conservation.

This new MOA aims to expand AboitizPower’s adopted site under the Tubo-Tubo Island Mangrove Conservation Project in Orani, Bataan. The project is a five-year, P14-million commitment to establish and steward 10 hectares of mangrove forest in Barangay Kabalutan, Orani, Bataan.

This initiative supports DENR Administrative Order 15-90 and aligns with the agency’s Project Transform, a science-based program to strengthen resilience against climate change. Project activities include mangrove planting, regular monitoring, protection measures, and community awareness campaigns.

Since the launch of the DENR’s Project TRANSFORM in 2023, AboitizPower has been actively supporting the rehabilitation and protection of a 10-hectare mangrove area at Sitio Pulo in Barangay Kabalutan.

The latest agreement doubles the total adopted site to 20 hectares, further strengthening efforts to restore and protect vital coastal ecosystems.

Key attendees from the DENR include Secretary Atty. Raphael P.M. Lotilla; Chief of Staff and Supervising Undersecretary for Strategic Communication Marilou Erni; Undersecretary for Policy, Planning, and International Affairs Jonas Leones; Undersecretary for Field Operations – Luzon and Visayas Juan Miguel Cuna, and DENR Region III Executive Director Eng’r. Ralph Pablo. Bataan officials in attendance were 3rd District Representative Maria Angela Garcia, Orani Mayor Antonio Arizapa, Provincial Government - Environmental and Natural Resources Office (PG-ENRO) OIC Raphael De Leon, and Orani Municipal Agriculture Office OIC Rizal Ali Tala.

AboitizPower Transition Business Group President and COO Celso Caballero III, GMEC and GNPD President and CEO Ronaldo Ramos, GMEC and GNPD VP for Corporate Services Andrea Madrid, and AboitizPower External Relations Manager Alaine Louie Gonzales represented the power company.

The Tubo-Tubo Island Mangrove Conservation Project demonstrates a collaborative model of environmental stewardship and climate action that local and national stakeholders can replicate. Through this partnership, Bataan moves forward in protecting coastal ecosystems for current and future generations.