BY LEANDER C. DOMINGO
ARITAO, Nueva Vizcaya (December 7)—To intensify years of advocacy for environmental sustainability, SN Aboitiz Power Magat (SNAP-Magat) formed a partnership with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) and peoples’ organizations in Nueva Vizcaya with the establishment of the Aboitiz Passion for Agroforest and Reforest to Keep (A-PARK) project.
With this, a memorandum of agreement (MoA) was forged to officially establish the partnership under a program called the “A-PARK Luzon Watershed Project.”
The MoA was signed at the DENR-Community Environment and Natural Office in Barangay Darapidap here by the DENR Region 2 office, DENR Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Office (DENR-Penro), Ongkay Abetungan Tree Farmers Association Bufferzone Occupants, Inc. (OATFAI) and SNAP-Magat.
According to lawyer Mike Hosillos, SNAP Group vice president for corporate affairs, the MoA which was finalized on November 28, 2022, expressed support for environmental initiatives through A-PARK which is funded by Aboitiz Equity Venture (AEV) through its social development group Aboitiz Foundation, Inc. (AFI).
He said A-PARK will rehabilitate denuded and deforested areas identified by the DENR-Penro within the Magat Watershed or adjacent to the Magat reservoir in the province.
Hosillos said the A-PARK Luzon Watershed Project reaffirms SNAP’s commitment to promoting environmental responsibility.
“It is only through collective action and cooperation that we can make progress toward our common goal of a sustainable future for future generations,” Hosillos said.
According to SNAP-Magat, the OAFTAI, a people’s organization based in Dupax del Sur town in Nueva Vizcaya, shall primarily implement the key activities of the project
Hosillos said OAFTAI will be the main implementing unit of the project on which the success of the partnership project significantly relies upon.
He said the project is a reforestation program that involves the planting of 18,750 forest trees and fruit-bearing seedlings over a 10-hectare area within the Dupax Watershed Forest Reserve for four years and will cost P2 million, with AFI contributing P1.5 million and SNAP-Magat contributing P500,000.
In her message, DENR Region 2 Executive Director Gwendolyn Bambalan, emphasized that the government through the DENR, local community and private sector such as SNAP Magat makes a significant contribution to mitigating climate change.
“This project within the protected area of Dupax Protected Forest Reserve contributes to the efforts of increasing the forest cover in the park as an ecotourism destination and with its success will be felt not only within the protected area but also will radiate to adjoining watersheds and communities contributing to environmental programs,” Bambalan said.
Expressing thanks for this environmental collaboration, DENR-Penro Giovannie Magat said the project has been in the works for quite some time and “we are glad that it finally came to reality.”
“[This] will greatly contribute to the region’s desire to improve the watersheds in Region 2,” Magat said.
Meanwhile, Jhonber Castillo, SNAP Group watershed senior specialist, noted that SNAP is constantly implementing environmental programs to help save the planet.
“This is SNAP’s first environmental project in Nueva Vizcaya, and we are grateful to our government partners and community organizations for their shared commitment to environmental conservation,” Castillo said.
SNAP-Magat’s environmental initiatives have planted over 136,600 seedlings of various species covering an area of approximately 92 hectares, he added.
SNAP-Magat is a joint venture of Scatec and Aboitiz Power Corporation which is the holding company of the Philippines-based Aboitiz Group’s investments in power generation, distribution and retail electricity services
It owns and operates the Magat hydroelectric power project (HEPP) with a nameplate capacity of 360 megawatts (MW) and a maximum capacity of 388 MW; as well as the 8.5-MW Maris HEPP.
The non-power components such as dams, reservoirs and spillways are owned, managed and operated by the government.