SNAPSh Issue 5, April-June 2011
P O W E R
G R O U P
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(People At Work: continued from Page 9) What is your most favorite aspect of rehabilitation work and what aspect were you not so fond of? ML: I don’t have a specific favorite (or non-favorite) area. I believe they are all important pieces of this great Ambuklao puzzle that without any of them you cannot complete the entire thing. (Note: In 1990, a strong earthquake struck Luzon, with Baguio and parts of Benguet among the hardest hit. Ambuklao had experienced technical problems since, which affected its operations. The government tried to rehabilitate Ambuklao but the rehabilitation was not a complete success. It was eventually decommissioned in 1999.) How would you express what you are feeling as the completion draws near? I feel very excited and proud to be part of the team. As I always say, I consider this also as a personal accomplishment, something I will cherish as an important part of my career as a project engineer. ~0~ The Ambuklao Rehabilitation Team is composed of Mr. Rolf Baaserud as Project Director and overall in-charge of the project, Mr. Emmanuel Lopez as Project Site Manager in-charge of the day-to-day site management, Mr. Jaime Villanueva as deputy site manager, Mr. Martin Lacey who is the Technical Manager in charge of technical issues, Fernan Tongco as the Electro-mechanical coordinator and Norconsult experts Mr. Svein Kvaalen, Civil Resident Engineer and Mr. Terje Ellefsrod, Electro-Mechanical Resident Engineer. They were joined by dozens of men and women who helped in both technical and non-technical work who made their contributions - big or small - to the rehabilitation of Ambuklao.
(News Round-Up: continued from page 7) Brigada Eskwela. SN Aboitiz Power (SNAP) repainted and repaired class rooms and roofs of two schools and a day care center in their host communities as part of their annual conduct of Brigada Eskwela (School Brigade). The Botic Elementary School and Binga Day Care Center in Brgy. Tinongdan, Itogon in Benguet and Sto. Domingo Elementary School in Brgy. Sto. Domingo, Alfonso Lista in Ifugao were the respective beneficiaries of the simultaneous school brigade held by SNAP-Benguet and SNAP-Magat on June 3, 2011. About 70 pupils including pre-schoolers in Tinongdan and 240 students in Sto. Domingo benefited from the school make-over. Gate Valve Installation. SNAP-Magat has started providing gate valves for about 400 hectares of fishponds in Ramon and Cordon, Isabela as part of the ongoing multi-sectoral campaign to promote efficient water use and sustainability. The gate valves will be used by beneficiaries to effectively regulate water flow from the dam via canals to their fishponds. They are expected to enhance the livelihood of nearly 200 fishpond operators in Isabela. This is part of the ongoing DALOY-Magat campaign or “Dependable Agriculture and Livelihood through Optimized water use Yearlong in Magat” implemented with NIA, BFAR, and irrigators’ associations. SNAP-Magat Holds Medical Mission. About 250 residents of Diadi, Nueva Viscaya received free medical and dental services from SN Aboitiz Power-Magat, Inc. (SNAP-Magat) to mark the municipality’s 44th anniversary on June 17, 2011. The medical mission was led by SNAP-Magat Plant Manager Wilhelmino R. Ferrer and Diadi Municipal Mayor Norma Miguel.
(Bona Fide: continued from Page 15) We particularly align with the development goals and objectives of our host communities, and we strive to implement projects in key result areas which we have jointly determined, evaluated and prioritized with them. Projects are also jointly undertaken by the communities and SNAP, each providing for their counterpart funding and undertakings, to ensure the success and sustainability of the projects. We apply approaches and standards on development management to ensure effectiveness of our CSR programs with our communities. We view CSR as a way of doing responsible business, and something that we need to do over and above regulatory requirements. If integrated as part of BOI conditions, CSR becomes a regulatory compliance matter and no longer voluntary in nature. It potentially losses its value as a driver for good corporate citizenship by companies/investors.