Cleanergy facility in Benguet reaches 1 million safe man hours
The 19-MW La Trinidad Hydro power plant, under construction by AboitizPower, has recently reached one million safe man hours without lost time incident since it broke ground in 2017.
The facility, set to be completed in 2019, is part of AboitizPower’s Cleanergy portfolio, its renewable energy brand which also includes geothermal and solar energy sources. This new project reinforces that AboitizPower, together with its partners, is the country’s largest producer of renewable energy from the private sector.
Renato Calderon, Officer-in-Charge of Whessoe Philippines Construction, Inc., one of Hedcor’s partners for the project, said that safety has been at the forefront of their operations since day one.
“AboitizPower is very particular with the safety of our workers for the construction of the hydropower plant. Thus, we ensure that all our workers are given the necessary education on safety prior to deployment,” Calderon said. He also shared that they conduct Daily Safe Task Instruction (DSTI), which includes a discussion on the area condition, task briefing, and risk assessment, as well as reminders on the use of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE).
Chris Sangster, AboitizPower Executive Director for Project Development and Execution, said that this safety milestone is a collaborative effort between AboitizPower and its partners, Whessoe and Alangdeo General Construction.
“This, for us, is certainly a time to celebrate and to congratulate everybody for such a milestone of a million safe man hours. It certainly is a team effort to get to this point. You don’t get here by chance. It takes a lot of planning, control, and discipline,” Sangster said.
Apart from ensuring the safety of workers, AboitizPower and its subsidiary Hedcor have also been giving back to the host communities for their support for the project.
To date, over Php 2 million worth of corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives were implemented in the municipality of La Trinidad. Moreover, the hydropower plant project has spurred employment in the host communities. Once completed, La Trinidad Hydro is expected to create more economic opportunities in Benguet.
About AboitizPower AboitizPower is the holding company for the Aboitiz Group’s investments in power generation, distribution, and retail electricity services. It advances business and communities by providing reliable and ample power supply at a reasonable and competitive price, and with the least adverse effects on the environment and host communities.
The company is one of the largest power producers in the Philippines with a balanced portfolio of assets located across the country. It is a major producer of Cleanergy, its brand for clean and renewable energy with several hydroelectric, geothermal and solar power generation facilities. It also has thermal power plants in its generation portfolio to support the baseload and peak energy demands of the country.
The company also owns distribution utilities that operate in high-growth areas in Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao, including the second and third largest private utilities in the country. NEWLY-APPOINTED Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) Governor Benjamin Diokno will get the nod of the powerful Commission on Appointments (CA) because of his "integrity, competence, and expertise," Malacañang said on Tuesday, March 5.
Speaking to Palace reporters, Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo said the Palace is confident that CA would approve Diokno's ad interim appointment as the new central bank chief.
"Well, that's their (CA members) call. We have a good man (Diokno) there. We have an experienced man. We have an expert man, a man of integrity," Panelo said.
Diokno now assumes the BSP governor post after serving as Budget secretary since Duterte assumed office in 2016.
Diokno was named new head of the BSP by Duterte on Monday, March 4, following the death of his predecessor, the late central bank chief Nestor Espenilla Jr., who died on February 23 after a year-long battle with tongue cancer.
His new stint at the BSP was announced amid investigation on alleged anomalies in the DBM during his watch and his supposed role in the "insertions" in the proposed 2019 budget.
Diokno's ad interim appointment as head of BSP is subject to CA confirmation.
Panelo was optimistic that Diokno would get the CA's approval since the allegations hurled against the former Budget chief were "not true."
"Integrity, competence, expertise... I already said the qualifications under which the President based his appointment. The banking industry lauded the appointment of Secretary Ben Diokno," he said.
"The allegations are not true. I don't think anybody believed [those allegations]," he added.