Mirant, AIM tie up on M’danao proj

Mirant Philippines Inc., the country’s largest private power producer, has tied up with the Asian Institute of Management (AIM) in setting up the first Center for Bridging Societal Divides (CBSD), a leadership training program focused on Mindanao.

AIM president Roberto de Ocampo said the center will focus on bridging leadership research and leadership issues in Mindanao on its initial year. AIM is a hub for intellectual capital building and other multi-faceted activities.

Mirant president Edgardo Bautista, on the other hand, said this center is the first of its kind in the world and will enable the country to produce much-needed solutions in addressing the problems in Mindanao.

"This endeavor is timely and relevant to address structural weaknesses and breed new types of leaders. This will be a long-term project," Bautista said. "We are honored to be part of an institution that will help ease conflict in Mindanao," he added.

Bautista said like Mirant’s energy and power-related projects, the center will also help resolve issues in Mindanao by bridging the seeds of misunderstanding through leadership training.

Specifically, the CBSD will promote the development of leaders in Asia who are able to recognize societal divides, mobilize and assemble different stakeholders to own the divides, and come up with collaborative action to address the societal issues.

The collaborative action will hopefully result in a collective action plan that will bring about stakeholder empowerment to address and reduce societal inequities, improve quality of life, and promote greater human security," the officials said.

Initially, the center will focus on addressing divides and leadership issues in Mindanao, This is in line with the desire of Mirant Philippines to promote stability, peace and development in the region.

"We are in synergy in our vision of having concrete and lasting contribution to promotion of peace and development and greater human security in the Philippines and in the Asian region," De Ocampo said.

The center aims to come up with program activities such as applied materials development, program design and formulation, and capacity building.