ABUCAY, Bataan – In observance of the Philippine Bamboo Month, GNPower Dinginin Ltd. Co. (GNPD) together with the Bataan Provincial Government – Environmental and Natural Resources Office (PGENRO) and Bataan Peninsula State University (BPSU), promoted sustainable bamboo utilization and conservation by planting 1,000 seedlings in the 5-hectare Abucay Bamboo Farm. GNPD aims to plant 3,000 seedlings in the farm and cultivate 39 of the 60 bamboo species found in the Philippines.
Planting for a Cleaner Future
In celebration of World Bamboo Day on September 18, 2024, GNPD led a tree-planting event along Malinta Creek at the BPSU – Abucay Campus. GNPD employees, college scholars, and community members planted the first 1,000 seedlings, including Kawayang Tinik, Bayog, and Giant Bamboo. This initiative aims to reforest the area and improve its ecological health.
“We believe that planting trees is a tangible way to give back to our community and environment,” said GNPD RSM Superintendent Joseph Paolo Mendoza. “By planting bamboo, we are not only helping to restore our forests but also promoting sustainable practices that will benefit future generations.”
The tree-planting activity aligns with GNPD’s PROGRESS program, specifically the R component, which focuses on Reforesting land.
Promoting Bamboo Awareness and Education
In partnership with the Philippine Bamboo Foundation Inc. and BPSU-Abucay Campus, GNPD conducted a Bamboo Orientation on September 16, 2024. Participants from diverse backgrounds, including representatives from local government units, people’s organizations, and students, gathered to learn about the various benefits of bamboo, its uses, and proper cultivation techniques.
The event featured expert speakers: Edgardo Manda, President of the Philippine Bamboo Foundation Inc.; Michael Gomez, Secretary of the Philippine Bamboo Foundation Inc.; and Maidas Anson, Mileatte Omaney, and Christian Llait, Instructors from Tarlac Agricultural University.
Creating Bataan’s Largest Bamboo Farm
In pursuit of best practices in sustainable bamboo cultivation and eco-park development, GNPD, its partners and representatives from the Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Office of Bataan (PGENRO), Bataan Peninsula State University (BPSU), Bataan Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), Bataan Tourism Department, and Bangkal Bataan Upland Farmers Association Inc. (BBUFAI) benchmarked several bamboo parks and eco-parks in Tarlac and Baguio City last August.
During the 3-day activity, the delegation visited the Tarlac Agricultural University (TAU) Bambusetum and Engineered Bamboo Production facility in Camiling, Tarlac, the Baguio Botanical Garden and Forest Park Arboretum, and the St. Francis Xavier Seminary Bamboo Sanctuary also in Baguio City.
The delegates learned about various aspects of bamboo cultivation, including species selection, maintenance, and management. They also explored the ecological benefits of bamboo parks and the importance of sustainable practices for these kinds of environmental areas to thrive.
GNPD is dedicated to developing long-term, dependable environmental and social development initiatives relevant to nurturing and supporting our community and environment to co-create positive change and empower progress. Initiating and sponsoring the benchmarking event helped solidify its P.R.O.G.R.E.S.S. roadmap: Protect marine life, Reforest land, Optimize wealth from waste, Generate livelihood skills and income, Rehabilitate social infrastructure, Elevate Educational opportunities, Safeguard quality health access, Strengthen Disaster Resiliency. #
About GNPD
GNPower Dinginin Ltd. Co. (GNPD) is a 2×725 MW (gross) coal-fired power plant in Mariveles, Bataan which is considered by far the biggest coal-fired power plant in the country today, spanning more than 20 supplied power agreements in the country.
GNPD operates under the private limited partnership of AboitizPower’s Therma Power, Inc., Ayala Corporation’s AC Energy Holdings, Inc., and Power Partners Ltd. Co.
UNIT 1 of the project has been generating power since March 2021 and went into commercial operation on December 2, 2021. Unit 2 successfully synchronized to the grid on April 23, 2022, and on May 27, 2022, it started to operate at its full load capacity. Certificate of Compliance was awarded to GNPD Unit 2 last October 11, 2022.
