Datu Rogelio Manapol, head of the Indigenous group of Bagobo-Tagabawa in Davao del Sur said that they will support two college students in terms of financial assistance in the form of the royalty share the IP community received last April 1 from the AboitizPower wholly-owned subsidiary Hedcor Sibulan, Inc. amounting to P1 million.
“Mu gahin mi og financial assistance sa duha ka bata kada semester sulod sa upat ka tuig nga kurso sa kolehiyo (We will give five thousand pesos financial [educational] assistance per semester to two college students),” said Manapol.
Aside from the allotment on education, the IP was also allotted livelihood through goat dispersal, and medical assistance to the IP community members of P5,000 per severe illness.
Barangay Sibulan of the municipality of Sta. Cruz has allotted majority of the share to livelihood projects. Barangay Sibulan received its firstt royalty share amounting to P1.5 million last March 30.
“We owe the growth of the entire barangay to the Sibulan Hydropower Plant. Before, we had a hard time looking for financial sources to sustain all the needs of barangay, but now, we can say that we are blessed enough because of the help of Hedcor,” Ang explained.
Aside from the IP community of Sibulan and the Barangay Sibulan, the municipality of Sta Cruz, Barangay Darong and the province of Davao del Sur received their respective shares also in April. The shares are over and above what is mandated by law and part of the commitments of Hedcor to its host communities.
Hedcor president Rene Ronquillo explains why this is so: “It is at the core of AboitizPower’s business philosophy to operate its companies in a sustainable manner. For operations to be sustainable, the company has to make sure that community and social development are an integral part of how the company does business.
The host communities are home to the 42.5 MW Sibulan Hydropower Plant developed and operated by Hedcor Sibulan, Inc. which began its commercial operation on March 26, 2010.
