FPH commits support for government, UN gathering on disaster risk reduction

MANILA, Philippines — Lopez-led First Philippine Holdings Corp. has pledged support for the upcoming Asia-Pacific Ministerial Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction (APMCDRR) that the Philippine government and a United Nations body will co-host next month in Manila.

Federico Lopez, FPH chairman and CEO, joined other top business executives whose companies committed to serve as sponsors of the APMCDRR under a memorandum of agreement (MOA) finalized with Environment Secretary Maria Antonia Yulo-Loyzaga last Sept. 3.

The Philippine government, led by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), and the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR), will co-host the APMCDRR at the Philippine International Convention Center from Oct. 14 to 18.

This large international gathering will bring together representatives from governments, intergovernmental, international, national and civil society organizations, the private sector, science, academia and stakeholder groups to accelerate progress in reducing disaster risk.

The conference will provide an important opportunity to review risk reduction efforts, share innovative solutions and make actionable commitments to accelerate disaster risk reduction by 2030 in the world’s most disaster-prone region.

As one of the private sector sponsors of the APMCDRR, FPH will provide resources to help the DENR co-host the conference.

FPH will also present during the gathering the disaster risk reduction programs and projects of its subsidiary First Gen Corp., as well as those of the Oscar M. Lopez Center for Climate Change Adaptation and Disaster Risk Management Foundation, Inc., a non-profit think tank also known as the Oscar M. Lopez Climate Change Center or OML Center.

FPH, one of the country’s largest and oldest conglomerates, has a long history of supporting advocacies not only to protect but to enhance the environment. Its subsidiary First Gen has the Philippines’ largest portfolio of power plants that use clean, low-carbon and renewable energy (RE) sources.