MARIVELES, Bataan: GNPower Dinginin Lt. Co. (GNPD) that operates a coal-fired power plant in Mariveles, Bataan has entered into a three-year agreement worth P4.3 million with the provincial government and the Sagip Pawikan Foundation to adopt the pawikan hatchery in Morong town.
The hatchery is located at sityo Fuerte in Barangay Poblacion, Morong where olive ridley, hawksbill and green turtles, three of five identified species of pawikan in the country, can be found.
Laurice Anne Zapanta, GNPD stakeholder and public relations associate, said Tuesday that the signing of the agreement was made at The Bunker, seat of the Bataan provincial government that marked the company’s flagship program of protecting the pawikan in the province.
Gov. Jose Enrique Garcia 3rd said the presence of pawikan is a sign of the favorable state of the seas in Bataan and has become a tourist attraction. He said that conservation projects with the full support of GNPD is very important.
Arcel Madrid, GNPD assistant vice president for community relations, said of the need to strengthen of the company’s commitment to protect the environment and the pawikan.
“As the largest coal-fired power plant in the Philippines, we are also eager to participate in environmental programs like this hatchery adoption not only to prevent the extinction of pawikan but to also teach the community about their importance,” Madrid said.
GNPD CEO Dennis Jordan lauded the efforts of provincial government and the Sagip Pawikan group to preserve the pawikan.
“GNPD is very serious in these matters, especially those that fall into the letter P of our PROGRESS Project: Protect Marine Life. These programs display our unfaltering dedication in helping the province of Bataan, and it is rewarding to see it all bear fruit,” Jordan said. (30)
