Toledo City, Cebu 3rd district to benefit from Therma Visayas projects
Residents of Toledo City and the rest of Cebu province’s third district can look forward to a better year as projects launched by AboitizPower subsidiary Therma Visayas, Inc. (TVI) during the last quarter of 2020 go into full swing.
TVI, in partnership with the Aboitiz Foundation, rolled out in November the Gulayan sa Barangay project in Barangay Bato, Toledo City, an initiative that aims to enhance the farming capabilities of the Sawod-Kaladman Farmers Association (SKFA).
“We are very grateful for the help extended by Therma Visayas and Aboitiz Foundation. The project will enhance the production capabilities of the organization which are composed of farmers from Barangays Bato, Awihao, and Cabitoonan,” SKFA President Jean Hilo said.
TVI will provide upgraded equipment and seeds to help maximize the association’s production of pinakbet crops, comprising various vegetable ingredients in the dish such as eggplant, ampalaya, patola, and squash.
A study conducted by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) points out that addressing food security starts from the ground. The FAO notes that the Philippines recorded the most number of food-insecure people in Southeast Asia from 2017 to 2019, which means approximately 59 million Filipinos suffer from moderate to severe lack of consistent access to food.
While the project helps to enhance the crop production of the farmers in Toledo, it also creates opportunities for entrepreneurship in the future along with other enterprise development projects TVI has planned for 2021 onward.
TVI also recently turned over various welding tools, equipment, and materials to the Cebu Technological University (CTU) – Pinamungajan Campus in Brgy. Pandacan, Pinamungajan, midwest Cebu.
Dr. Redjie Arcado, campus director, said the equipment will beef up the university’s capability to shape skills-oriented and industry-prepared graduates. According to Arcadio, welding is among the most in-demand study areas at the campus, with over 1,000 students taking it up, including those from the industrial technology and technical-vocational programs.
The CTU-Pinamungajan Campus is currently working on getting a Certificate of Program Compliance (COPC) from the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) and later with the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA), endeavors that this latest project can greatly support.
TVI Deputy Plant Manager Noel Cabahug said the project aims to provide quality technical education to CTU students that come from different areas in Cebu’s third district, adding that “this will help graduates of the university to gain an advantage in acquiring employment opportunities in different industries here and abroad.”
House of Representatives Deputy Speaker Pablo John “PJ” Garcia, representing Cebu province’s third legislative district, praised AboitizPower, TVI and the Aboitiz Group’s initiatives and added that the organization has “always been a model corporate citizen not only here in Cebu, not only in Visayas, but all over the country.”
“You do not only advance business, but you always try in any way you can to advance the communities that you have graced with your presence. We now feel what it is like to be in a community with Aboitiz here in Toledo, in Pinamungajan, and other neighboring municipalities,” Garcia added.
AboitizPower subsidiary Therma Visayas, Inc. is the operator of the 340-megawatt Toledo Baseload Power Plant located in Brgy. Bato, Toledo City, Cebu. TVI is certified in three ISO standards namely, Quality Management (ISO 9001:2015), Environmental Management (ISO 14001:2015), and Occupational Health and Safety Management (ISO 45001:2018). The facility is an 80-20 joint venture between Aboitiz Power Corporation and Vivant, Corp. respectively. Together with Therma Luzon, Inc. and Therma South, Inc., the three primarily compose the Coal Business Unit of AboitizPower.
