As a severe dry spell turns Northern Luzon’s grasslands into tinderboxes, Aboitiz Renewables, Inc., the renewable energy arm of Aboitiz Power Corporation (AboitizPower), is putting fire prevention directly into the hands of the communities most at risk.
The initiative, known as Project Kabisig sa Kabundukan, provides half a million pesos in specialized firefighting and agricultural equipment to nine People’s Organizations—not to fight fires after they ignite, but to stop them from spreading in the first place. By equipping local residents with the tools to create and maintain strategic firebreaks, the program shifts the strategy entirely: from reactive emergency response to proactive, community-led prevention.
This urgency is grounded in hard data as the Bureau of Fire Protection records a significant spike in grassland fires across Pangasinan from 2024 to present, intensified by the prolonged absence of rain. Against this backdrop, Project Kabisig ng Kabundukan empowers local residents to safeguard their own homes, livelihood and the whole community before a single flame takes hold.
At the core of this prevention effort is an equipment kit featuring 11 power sprayers, 45 high-capacity knapsack sprayers, 10 motorized grass cutters, and a range of industrial hand tools and personal protective equipment (PPE). These tools enable community members to clear dry vegetation and maintain firelines—strategic strips of land that deprive approaching wildfires of fuel before they can reach homes, farms, or other properties.
The difference this makes is felt most directly by the farmers themselves. “When fire breaks out near our homes and farms, we can’t afford to stay idle. In Bugallon, we are surrounded by dry land. With these sprayers and cutters, we now have the capacity to stop a fire before it reaches our community.” Mandy De Leon Palma, 51, member of Aluklukan Village Farmers Association said.
During the rainy season when fire risk is low, the same equipment keeps the 28 members of the Aluklukan Village Farmers Association going. The sprayers that protect their land from wildfires are the same ones watering their crops of rice (palay), corn, eggplant, squash, and string beans through the punishing summer heat. Palma describes the project as doing “double duty”: keeping fires at bay while keeping food on the table.
“Through this community-driven fire mitigation campaign, we are strengthening the community’s capacity to protect their homes and their livelihood against fire,” says Leo D. Lungay, Vice President and General Manager of Solar and Wind Operations at Aboitiz Renewables. “By working hand-in-hand with local farmers, we ensure that while we generate clean energy for the nation, we also foster a resilient and fire-safe environment for the people of Pangasinan.”
Project Kabisig ng Kabundukan reflects the company’s commitment to grow alongside its host communities—ensuring that renewable energy development translates into tangible safety and economic benefits for those living on the frontlines of the climate crisis.
