A training center jointly established by Aboitiz Power Corporation and JERA Co., Inc. has graduated its first batch of Filipino and Japanese engineers and technical professionals, marking a milestone in the two firms’ partnership to strengthen technical expertise in power generation.

The Global Technical Center of Excellence (GTCOE), located at the LIMA Commercial Center in LIMA Estate, Batangas, produced 37 graduates from its inaugural training programs, following its launch in September 2025.

Of the total, 18 trainees—12 Filipinos and six Japanese—completed the three-month Operations and Maintenance (O&M) Basic Training Program. The curriculum covered safety training, power fundamentals, plant systems, and maintenance disciplines, as well as modules on liquefied natural gas-to-power and battery energy storage systems.

Participants also underwent simulator training and line tracing activities at the GNPower Mariveles Energy Center and GNPower Dinginin facilities in Bataan.

Separately, GTCOE conducted a three-week Advanced Global Start-Up Trainee Program, which certified 19 participants—18 Japanese and one Filipino.

A Filipino engineer from Samal Island in Davao, Engr. Jhanrod Jobell Enoc, earned the highest distinction in the O&M Basic Training Program. In his valedictory speech, Enoc cited his personal motivation for joining the program.

“Our island has been in a state of calamity due to an unreliable power supply since 2016. Growing up, I saw firsthand how much electricity affects our daily lives—our comfort, our productivity, and even our safety,” said Enoc, a cadet engineer from Therma Luzon. “It reached a point where I knew I had to act instead of simply complain. I want to be part of the solution. That is my greatest reason for joining GTCOE.”

JERA Philippines Chief Technical Officer Hideaki Oana said the graduation of the first batch highlights the impact of the partnership between the two companies.

“Through GTCOE, we are investing in people who will shape a reliable and sustainable future for power generation,” Oana said.

GTCOE Director Engr. Mayshelle Rosario said the initiative goes beyond skills development.

“This program represents more than skills training for all of us. It symbolizes partnership, mutual learning, and the strengthening of ties between Japan and the Philippines,” Rosario said.

The GTCOE aims to serve as a regional hub for developing world-class technical talent, supporting both companies’ advocacy for a globally prepared workforce in the power generation industry. Through its subsidiary JERA Asia, JERA holds approximately 27 percent equity in AboitizPower.