Aetas, SBMA ratify green energy project

The Aetas of Pastolan in Subic Bay Freeport has ratified the expansion of  wind and solar energy projects in its ancestral land as part of their commitment to sustainable development.

The Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA), through Emerging Power Inc. (EPI), a renewable energy (RE) firm, will allocate US$200M to its renewable energy project which will cover 800 hectares of Mount Santa Rita, a Pastolan ancestral land, in observance of a Joint Management Agreement (JMA).

SBMA Chairman Roberto Garcia signed on October, 2013 a joint management agreement covering partsof the Ayta ancestral domain in the Subic Bay Freeport with Pastolan Ayta chieftain Conrado Frenilla (right)and NCIP Region 3 director Ronaldo Daquioag. (AMD/MPD-SBMA)

“We are proud that the Pastolan Aetas have been very supportive in this milestone. This partnership is a witness that preservation of heritage and sustainable development can work together without being compromised,” SBMA Chairman Roberto V. Garcia said.

“We are helping each other by moving forward with our plans for the preservation of our future generation,” Garcia added.

The JMA was signed and witnessed on October 10, 2013 by SBMA, The Aetas, and National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP). The said project will generate a total of 150-megawatts of RE.

The agreement was forged to protect and preserve the rights of the Aetas along with the implementation of socio-economic and cultural development programs by SBMA.

The groundbreaking of wind and solar power farm, which happened on October 2015, was the first wave of its expansion.

Chairman Garcia assures that the Pastolan Aetas will benefit from this expansion, same with the turnover of P14.8M cheque to the Aetas as payment for lease rentals by the locators within the ancestral domain.

“We are giving a priority job hiring to the Aetas for the construction of more solar and wind power plants. The welfare of our brothers and country will always be important to us,” Garcia said.

The expansion is a collaborative action of SBMA and Indigenous Peoples to uphold RA 9513 or the Renewable Energy Act in 2008 to invest on RE projects. This also serves as their support in the global commitment of Philippines to reduce greenhouse gas emission at the 2015 Paris Climate Conference (COP21).

“As the first military base to be successfully converted into a Freeport zone, we are reaching greater heights by playing a vital role in the preservation of both cultural heritage and environment with the installation of a major clean energy project in partnership with Indigenous Peoples,” Garcia said.

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Subic Ayta tribe okays $200-M renewable energy project

The Pastolan Ayta community has approved the establishment of a renewable energy project to be located inside an 800-hectare area of the Ayta ancestral domain in the Subic Bay Freeport Zone.

Ayta tribal chieftain Conrado Frenilla and Ayta elder Bonifacio Florentino signed a memorandum of agreement on Friday with Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) Chairman Roberto Garcia and Jobin SQM Inc. President Nancy Tan for the implementation of the energy project on Mount Sta. Rita here.

Tan also presented the Ayta leaders with a P1-million check representing the company’s donation to the tribe.

The proceeding s was witnessed by representatives from the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP), which oversees the welfare of native communities.

According to Chairman Garcia, Jobin SQM Inc. intends to build a $200-million facility here that will produce power from clean energy sources. The facility will produce 150 megawatts of combined solar and wind energy.

Garcia said the project is in line with RA 9513, or the Renewable Energy Act of 2008, which aims to accelerate the exploration and development of renewable energy resources, increase utilization of such and promote their efficient and cost-effective commercial application. The law was also designed to effectively prevent or reduce harmful emissions to protect public health and the environment.

The alternative energy project, Garcia further said, was formally committed during President Aquino’s state visit to China in September 2011.

The development and promotion of renewable energy has been set as among the priority projects of the national government under the Investment Priorities Plan of 2012.

To carry out the Subic project, Jobin has successfully satisfied the requirements set by the Department of Energy and has engaged the partnership of HydroChina International Engineering Co., LTD. (HIECL) for a joint venture.

HydroChina, which engages in renewable energy development projects worldwide, operates projects in the fields of hydropower and water conservancy, solar and electric power, as well as ports, highways and buildings.

Garcia said the Jobin project will be a pioneering venture for the establishment of renewable energy facilities in the Subic Bay Freeport Zone. (HEE/MPD-SBMA)

PHOTOS:
[1] SUBIC RENEWABLE ENERGY. SBMA Chairman Roberto V. Garcia (center) signs an agreement for the development of renewable energy projects in the Subic Bay Freeport with Jobin SQM President Nancy Tan (2nd from right), and Ayta tribal leaders Conrado Frenilla (2nd from left) and Bonifacio Florentino. The alternative energy project—a 150-megawatt solar and wind power facility—will be located at an area covered by the Ayta ancestral domain in the Subic Bay Freeport Zone. (AED/MPD-SBMA)

[2] P1-MILLION DONATION. Jobin SQM President Nancy Tan presents a check worth P1 million to Ayta tribal chieftain Conrado Frenilla, as SBMA Chairman Roberto V. Garcia looks approvingly. Jobin SQM Inc. will develop a 150-megawatt solar and wind power facility that will be located at an area covered by the Ayta ancestral domain in the Subic Bay Freeport Zone. (AED/MPD-SBMA)

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SBMA, Jobin sign deal for $200-M solar/wind power project in Subic Freeport

The Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) has signed an agreement with Jobin-SQM, Inc., an all-Filipino corporation, for the establishment here of a $200-million renewable energy facility that will produce electricity from both solar and wind power.

SBMA Chairman Roberto Garcia and Jobin-SQM, Inc. President Nancy Tan signed an agreement reserving an 800-hectare property on Mt. Sta. Rita where the firm eyes to produce 20-megawatts (MW) of solar energy and 50 megawatts of wind energy.

Garcia said the project was formally committed during President Aquino’s state visit to China in September 2011.

The proposal is in line with Republic Act No. 9513, otherwise known as the Renewable Energy Act of 2008, which aims to accelerate the exploration and development of renewable energy resources, increase utilization of such and promote their efficient and cost-effective commercial application, and effectively prevent or reduce harmful emissions protecting health and the environment.

The national government has declared the development and promotion of renewable energy as among its priority projects under the Investment Priorities Plan of 2012.

Garcia said Jobin has successfully satisfied the requirements set by the Department of Energy (DoE) in line with its intention to develop the solar and wind power project and has signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) with the SBMA for the reservation of the project site prior to signing a lease agreement.

Thomas Garcia, Jobin-SQM Inc. stockholder, said the firm is keen on developing the Subic project, which is expected to turn on power by June 2016.

“Subic, we believe, is a progressive place and there’s a lot of potential. I like Subic,” Garcia added.

The renewable energy project has been in the pipeline since 2011 when Jobin entered into a joint venture agreement (JVA) with Hydrochina International Engineering Co., LTD. (HIECL) for the development of the said project.

Hydrochina Subic LTD Corp., which is the Filipino counterpart of HIECL, has been tapped to undertake the Subic project.

Meanwhile, HIECL will be in charge of the technical aspect of the project, including engineering, procurement and construction. (RFD/MPD-SBMA)

PHOTO:
SBMA Chairman Roberto V. Garcia shakes hand with Nancy G. Tan, president of Jobin SQM Inc., after signing a memorandum of agreement for the establishment of $200-million renewable energy project in the Subic Bay Freeport. With them are other SBMA officials and representatives of Jobin SQM Inc.

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