Reducing carbon emissions… and cleaning up rivers and oceans are integral parts of corporate social responsibility.
Reducing the carbon footprint, preserving biodiversity and promoting sustainability are not part of the core operations of a business enterprise.
Yet, some conglomerates in the Philippines are taking the initiative to clean up rivers, reforest barren mountains and tap renewable energy sources. These actions will not directly contribute to a company’s profit picture. In the long run, however, they will preserve and create jobs, and lead to the sustainability of their business operations.
And in return, they receive carbon credits for their emission reduction programs. Certified climate action projects that avoid or remove greenhouse gas emissions reward companies. They also avoid penalties associated with air and water pollution.
San Miguel Corp. is known for dredging major river systems in Luzon. SMC chairman and chief executive Ramon Ang has stressed the importance of desilting and clearing obstructions in rivers to mitigate flooding. The inundation has worsened due to factors like low-lying geography, deforestation, garbage clogging waterways, rising sea levels, land subsidence and excessive fishponds.
The company is about to complete the massive river cleanup in Bulacan province, having removed over 4.2 million tons of silt and waste. The job, spanning 74 kilometers of waterways, is the largest volume extracted in SMC’s Luzon-wide initiative.
The Bulacan cleanup removed waste from major rivers, including the Taliptip-Maycapiz-Bambang, Meycauayan, Marilao, Mailad-Sta. Maria, Guiguinto, Balagtas, Pamarawan, Kalero and Labangan-Angat Rivers.
SMC earlier dredged the Tullahan, Pasig and San Juan rivers in Metro Manila.
SM Supermalls of SM Prime Holdings Inc. of the Sy family, meanwhile, has unveiled the company’s largest self-used rooftop solar photovoltaic (PV) system at SM City in Santa Rosa, Laguna, installed across over two hectares of the mall’s building.
The road to energy efficiency is a reaffirmation of SM Prime’s commitment to build a sustainable future as it progresses towards its net-zero ambition by 2040.
The solar PV system at SM City Santa Rosa is composed of 5,772 panels generating 3.088 megawatts.
It has an annual solar energy production of up to 4.292 gigawatt-hours. The installation of the solar PV system at SM City Santa Rosa will power 15 percent of the mall’s energy consumption needs.
SM Supermalls first started installing solar PV systems in 2014 at SM City North EDSA—the first mall in the Philippines to harness solar energy. In 2016, the solar power facility in SM Mall of Asia with twice the capacity of SM North EDSA was installed.
After harnessing solar energy as a clean and renewable source, SM Supermalls has reduced its reliance on the power grid, which is handy against rising electricity demand when temperatures get hot.
Warmer temperatures are fueling stronger typhoons, which unfortunately have battered the Philippines in recent months. The recent rainfall in the Bicol region during the onslaught of Kristine, for one, was double that registered during Typhoon Ondoy (Ketsana) in 2009.
Faulty urban planning policies are also aggravating natural disasters. Tropical storm Enteng (Yagi) in early September caused heavy flooding in several parts of the metropolis and the nearby towns of Rizal, Cavite and Bulacan provinces.
Reduced vegetation cover as a result of urbanization is leading to frequent floods in Metro Manila and Rizal province. Timely intervention is required to restore the balance in nature.
Prime Infrastructure Capital Inc. of tycoon Enrique Razon Jr. took this cue and agreed to rehabilitate the Upper Marikina River Basin Protected Landscape (UMRBPL)
Razon, chairman of Prime Infra, Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Secretary Maria Antonia Yulo Loyzaga and Rizal Governor Nina Ricci Ynares formalized a partnership for the sustainable management of UMRBPL
The milestone, according to Razon, reflects “a decisive step toward safeguarding and restoring nature’s resources through innovative, science-based interventions, focusing closely on forest rehabilitation and management.”
Rizal is a strategic province for Prime Infra. The province hosts two of Prime Infra’s key infrastructure projects—the Wawa Bulk Water Supply Project and the Wawa Pumped Storage Power Project.
“These projects, along with the MOA we are signing today, reinforce our dedication to driving sustainable development and creating a resilient future for the people of Rizal,” says Razon.
The parties committed to “rehabilitate, conserve, and sustainably manage” an initial 4,000 hectares within the UMRPBL, and establish a model for afforestation, reforestation, and revegetation that integrates sustainable livelihoods, biodiversity conservation, climate change mitigation and adaptation, and disaster risk reduction, while generating verified nature-based credits.”
“With this agreement, we aim to rehabilitate an initial 4,000 hectares of degraded land within the Upper Marikina protected area combining science-based approaches with community-centered efforts,” said Loyzaga.
Reducing carbon emissions, preserving biodiversity and cleaning up rivers and oceans are integral parts of corporate social responsibility. They are the most relevant bottom line.
E-mail: rayenano@yahoo.com or extrastory2000@gmail.com
