PGI completes social consultations

TINGLAYAN, Kalinga -- Philippine Geothermal Inc. (PGI) recently completed its social consultations with local tribal communities here. The consultations were undertaken in line with the company's plans to evaluate the viability of the geothermal resources in the area for future commercial development.

The consultations, begun in May 1999, were undertaken in coordination with the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP), the body mandated to represent the communities and implement the Indigenous People's Rights Act (IPRA). IPRA was enacted by Congress in 1997 to promote the heritage, welfare, and development of indigenous peoples throughout the country.

The public dialogue, held in Tinglayan, was undertaken with the support of the provincial NCIP office, the Tinglayan municipal government, and the Department of Energy (DoE). Six tribes were represented in the dialogue, chiefly among them the ethnic groups of Sumadel, Dananao, and Tulgao.

PGI project manager Quintin Pastrana affirmed that the social consultation process under the IPRA "is aligned with our company's commitment to be a responsive partner in the areas we operate and hope to invest in the future. We want the host communities to fully understand in simple, objective terms what geothermal energy means to them as stakeholders in energy development." PGI is the first energy company to initiate social consultations under the IPRA. "We are hopeful that the indigenous communities will support our efforts to evaluate the area's potential to supply clean, indigenous, reliable, and affordable energy, not only for the province of Kalinga, but the entire country. However, we also recognize the importance of inter-tribal consensus and we respect the communities' need to resolve internal issues before being ready to welcome further evaluation."

PGI is a wholly-owned subsidiary of US-based Onocal Corp., one of the world's leading independent energy and project development companies. Together with National Power Corp. (Napocor), PGI pioneered the development of the geothermal industry beginning at Tiwi, Albay, and later with Makiling-Banahaw, Laguna.

Both projects have helped their host communities, particularly the towns of Tiwi, Albay and Sto. Tomas, Batangas, develop into progressive 1st class municipalities. The Tiwi and Mak-Ban geothermal projects have a combined installed capacity of 756 megawatts and supply 15 percent of the power for the Luzon Grid.