AboitizPower allocates P37.4M for Bataan ecosystem protection

AboitizPower, through its subsidiaries GNPower Mariveles Energy Center and GNPower Dinginin, has committed P37.4 million to support environmental protection efforts in Bataan.

The commitment was formalized on 23 March through the signing of two memoranda of agreement with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, the Provincial Government of Bataan, local government units of Orani and Morong, and partner people’s organizations.

AboitizPower said the initiative aims to strengthen conservation of coastal ecosystems, including mangrove forests and marine wildlife habitats.

Under the first agreement, P24 million will fund the seven-year Orani Mangrove Experimental Forest Project, which will expand the company’s adopted mangrove area by 12 hectares in Barangay Kabalutan, Orani, bringing the total to 32 hectares.

The project, also known as the Tubo-Tubo Orani Mangrove Adoption and Protection Project, is a multi-sector effort focused on restoring and protecting coastal ecosystems in Bataan.

It forms part of the broader Project TRANSFORM Baka1Bataan, which promotes environmental sustainability and community resilience.

The second agreement allocates P13.4 million to extend the Sagip Pawikan Conservation and Protection Project for another five years.

The community-led initiative, based in Sitio Fuerte, Barangay Poblacion in Morong, focuses on protecting endangered sea turtles, particularly the Olive Ridley species, which nest along the Bataan coastline.

During its initial three-year program, the project transplanted more than 37,000 eggs and released over 35,000 hatchlings, achieving a 96.25 percent hatching rate, significantly higher than the natural rate of 25 percent or less.

AboitizPower officials and representatives from DENR, local governments, and partner organizations led the signing of the agreements.