SUBIC BAY FREEPORT—The Ayta community of Pastolan, which owns a large portion of the Subic Bay Freeport Zone, has approved the establishment of a renewable- energy (RE) project to be located inside an 800-hectare area of the Ayta ancestral domain here.
Ayta Tribal Chieftain Conrado Frenilla and Ayta elder Bonifacio Florentino signed on Friday a memorandum of agreement with Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) Chairman Roberto Garcia and Jobin SQM Inc. President Nancy Tan for the construction of a $200-million facility that will produce power from clean energy sources.
The proceeding was witnessed by representatives from the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP), which oversees the welfare of native communities.
In the same occasion, Tan presented the Ayta leaders with a P1-million check representing the company’s donation to the tribe.
Frenilla and other members of the Ayta tribal council said they would deposit the donation with the ancestral domain fund that they use to undertake various community projects.
The project site on Mount Santa Rita forms part of the Pastolan Ayta’s 4,355-hectare ancestral domain, which represents almost 45 percent of the land area of the Subic Bay Freeport Zone.
According to Chairman Garcia, Jobin SQM Inc. intends to build a $200-million facility that will produce 150 megawatts of combined solar and wind energy.
The project, he added is in line with Republic Act (RA) 9513, or the Renewable Energy Act of 2008, which aims to accelerate the exploration and development of RE resources, increase utilization of such and promote their efficient and cost-effective commercial application. The law was also designed to effectively prevent or reduce harmful emissions to protect public health and the environment.
The alternative energy project, Garcia further said, was formally committed during President Aquino’s state visit to China in September 2011.
The Aquino administration has included the development and promotion of RE among the priority projects of the national government under the Investment Priorities Plan of 2012.
Garcia said that Jobin has already satisfied the requirements set by the Department of Energy and has engaged the partnership of HydroChina International Engineering Co. Ltd., which is involved worldwide in renewable energy development projects, as well as ports, highways and buildings.
Garcia said the Jobin project will be a pioneering venture for the establishment of renewable energy facilities in the Subic Bay Freeport Zone.
Henry Empeño / Correspondent