The event was attended by key leaders from both organizations, including First Balfour Inc. (FB) Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Anthony L. Fernandez (rightmost), Energy Development Corporation Asst. Vice President and Corporate Support Functions Head Atty. Allan V. Barcena (center) and FB Vice President for Strategic Business Planning and Corporate Sustainability Vicente de Lima II (leftmost), who planted native trees at the FB head office to contribute to a cleaner, cooler environment and to conserve biodiversity in an urban setting.
Parañaque City, Philippines – First Gen-owned Energy Development Corporation (EDC) and First Balfour Inc. (FB) have partnered to uphold their shared commitment to sustainability through a tree-growing activity at the designated Miyawaki Forest in the latter’s headquarters in Sucat, Parañaque City. This initiative, which leverages the Miyawaki method of creating a dense and fast-growing urban forest, is designed to introduce a much-needed green space to what First Balfour refers to as the “concrete jungle.”
Atty. Allan Barcena, EDC Asst. Vice President and Corporate Support Functions Head, underscored the project’s dual purpose in his address. “This is special for us because it’s not just about growing trees—it’s about building something meaningful together as part of the Lopez Group family,” he said. Noting that the Miyawaki method allows for a self-sustaining mini-forest to emerge in just a few decades—an ideal solution for urban environments where every bit of green space matters. This initiative also directly supports FGen-EDC BINHI’s mission to bring native trees back to abundance and increase public appreciation for them.
A total of 58 seedlings from 14 Philippine native species were planted, including Bagauak morado (Clerodendrum quadriculare), Malakatmon (Dillenia luzoniensis), Bignai pugo (Antidesma pentandum), Igem-dagat (Podocarpus costalis), Ebony (Diospyros ferrea), Ooi (Diospyros philippinensis), Apunan (Dispyros cauliflora), Kamagong (Diospyros blancoi), Banuyo (Wallaceodendron celebicum), Molave (Vitex parviflora), Bolong eta (Diospyros pilosanthera), Yakal-saplungan (Hopea plagata), Quisumbing gisok (Hopea quisumbingiana), and Yakal-malibato (Shorea malibato). As they mature, these trees are expected to sequester nearly 1.53 tons of carbon dioxide—a small but powerful step in advancing nature-based climate solutions.
The collaboration builds on the long-standing partnership between FGen-EDC and First Balfour, with the latter serving as a trusted contractor for many of FGen-EDC’s renewable energy projects. This alliance extends beyond energy facilities into environmental restoration.
During the tree-growing activity, Atty. Barcena took time to converse with young engineers and architects from First Balfour, emphasizing the importance of propagating and protecting the country’s indigenous tree species as a cornerstone of sustainability.
On behalf of FGen-EDC BINHI, he expressed his gratitude: “May this pocket forest grow into a symbol of what we can achieve when we work together—one Philippine native tree seedling at a time—for a greener and more sustainable future for all Filipinos.”
Energy Development Corporation (EDC) is First Gen Corporation’s 100% Renewable Energy (RE) subsidiary with 1,388.8MW total installed capacity that accounts for 17% of the country’s total installed RE capacity. Its 1,094.80MW geothermal portfolio comprises 56% of the country’s total installed geothermal capacity, making the Philippines the third largest geothermal producer in the world. First Gen is the Philippines’ leading clean energy company.
