MARIVELES, Bataan — A coal-fired power plant here announced Thursday that it has turned over its three-year reforestation program to the Department of Environment and Natural Resources.
After three years of site maintenance and reforestation, GNPower Dinginin Ltd. Co. said it officially turned over the program to representatives from DENR Miguela Ramirez and Romelo Cuaresma.
Arcel Madrid, GNPD associate vice president for community relations, said the reforestation program in 3.5 hectares of land along the 6.5-kilometer bypass road in Mariveles has 389 surviving Banaba trees.
“GNPD will continue to work with empowering progress towards the achievement of sustainable forest management, based on science and principles of good forest governance. Let us protect a forest one at a time because protecting our forest is protecting our lives,” he said.
Madrid noted that through the initiative of the company and the goal to sustain the environmental compliance certificate, GNPD supports and acts in response to various DENR programs.
“Ultimately, GNPD aims to reduce the effects of the company’s business operations on the community, health, welfare, and the environment through this kind of program,” he added.
CJ Pascua, GNPD stakeholder and public relations associate, said the initial reforestation activities have been conducted on the site since June 19, 2018 and on December 10, 2019, the memorandum of agreement for the adoption of ENGP (Enhanced National Greening Program) plantation between DENR and GNPD was signed with a cover period of three years.
“Through this MOA, the reforestation endeavors by conducting tree planting, maintenance, and protection activities were expanded,” Pascua said.
Both DENR and GNPD said they look forward to a good partnership in having the same campaign toward empowering and protecting the environment.
The coal-fired power plants of GNPD and its sister company, Mariveles GNPower Energy Center Ltd. Co., are located in Barangay Alas-asin, Mariveles.
