BY LEANDER C. DOMINGO
SANTIAGO CITY, Isabela (August 30)—A renewable energy company has reaffirmed its commitment to support education in its host communities in the provinces of Benguet, Isabela and Ifugao as it welcomed 12 incoming college freshmen students to the Bridging Gaps in Higher Education through Tertiary Scholarships (BRIGHTS) program.
Joseph Yu, SN Aboitiz Power (SNAP) president and chief executive officer, said the students are from SNAP’s direct host municipalities of Bokod and Itogon in Benguet, Alfonso Lista in Ifugao, and Ramon in Isabela. SNAP’s hydropower generation facilities are located in these municipalities.
He said the scholars will each receive funding for their tuition fees, school fees and living allowances.
“These scholarships are especially significant because coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) has made it even more difficult for students to pursue their educational goals. We believe that education is a key component to powering positive change, so we continue to partner with parents and educators in helping our scholars realize their dreams” Yu said.
In July, SNAP held a screening for 78 applicants, so far the highest number since the BRIGHTS program was launched in 2017.
“It was a virtual screening due to the Covid-19 pandemic restrictions,” Yu said.
Yu explained that BRIGHTS is a scholarship initiative under SNAP’s corporate social responsibility program that targets deserving students with limited means from the company’s immediate host communities.
He said the program has produced eight graduates while the new batch brings the number of active scholars to 48 with current university partners such as Benguet State University, Cordillera Career Development College, University of Baguio, and the University of the Cordilleras in Baguio City; Ifugao State University in Lamut town; Isabela State University in Echague town; and PLT College Inc. in Bayombong, Nueva Vizcaya.
Yu said SNAP also conducted a combination of virtual and face-to-face orientations for the new scholars and their parents and guardians and culminated in the signing of memoranda of agreement in August.
All face-to-face activities were conducted according to Covid-19 safety measures, he added.
The SNAP Group is a joint venture between SN Power of Norway and AboitizPower. It supplies clean, renewable, and dependable energy through the operation of the 105-megawatt (MW) Ambuklao hydro, and the 140-MW Binga hydro in the province of Benguet. SNAP also operates the 8.5-megawatt Maris hydro in Isabela, as well as the newly updated 360- to 388-MW Magat hydro on the border of Isabela and Ifugao.