THE NATIONAL Power Corp. (Napocor) has signed an agreement with the Climate Change Commission (CCC) for an eight-year program to rehabilitate the Caliraya-Lumot Watershed in Laguna.
“This partnership will help us hasten the rehabilitation of the Caliraya-Lumot Watershed, a critical water resource for Caliraya and Kalayaan hydroelectric power plants,” Napocor President and Chief Executive Officer Fernando Martin Y. Roxas said in a statement on Thursday.
“Restoring these open areas will also enhance water conservation, erosion control, and biodiversity conservation in the area,” he said.
The partnership will cover an eight-year period and will include establishment of new plantations as well as nourishing of reforested areas.
Napocor said the agreement will utilize a comprehensive and integrated approach in implementing its reforestation activities, which includes the capacity-building of people’s organizations and raising awareness in the communities.
The rehabilitation of the 25-hectare upland forest within the watershed will help offset carbon footprint, according to CCC Vice Chairperson and Executive Director Robert E.A. Borje.
Napocor’s partnership with CCC is part of its Energy Sector Carbon Sequestration Initiative (ESCSI), a program it launched together with the Energy department in 2021.
“The program aims to enjoin the private sector in mitigating the effects of climate change through reforestation,” Napocor said.
Aside from Napocor’s missionary electrification mandate, it is also tasked to manage 11 watershed areas with a combined land area of 485,199 hectares. These watershed reservations support hydro and geothermal power plants in the Philippines. — Ashley Erika O. Jose