146 | theceomagazine.com
In 1993, Edgar transferred to Alsons
Power Group (APG) as Deputy Operations
Manager of Northern Mindanao Power, the
Group’s first foray into the power industry.
“When I joined the company, the Mindanao
power grid was supplied predominantly
by two government-owned hydropower
plants located in the north. These plants
were vulnerable to weather changes, which
resulted in frequent shortages in power
supply,” explains Edgar. “These circumstances
presented the opportunity for Alsons to
expand its power business, and we did
so through strategic partnerships with
Tomen Power Corporation of Japan and
AboitizPower. I rose to become Operations
Manager of the Diesel Power business
portfolio, then Alsons Vice-President of
Operations, and in 2013, I was promoted to
my current role as Vice-President Business
Manager for Diesel Operations.”
APG’s power generation facilities continue
to focus on the island of Mindanao, where
they play a major role in providing electricity
to fuel the region’s growing population
and rapidly expanding economy. Its three
diesel power facilities include Southern
Philippines Power Corporation’s 55MW
plant in Sarangani; Western Mindanao Power
Corporation’s (WMPC) 100MW plant in
Zamboanga City; and the 103MW Mapalad
Power Corporation plant in Iligan City. Edgar
has been a huge influence in developing,
expanding and maintaining APG’s diesel
and coal power generation portfolios within
the Philippines and in countries such as
Indonesia, Vietnam and China.
Refusing to rest on its laurels, the Group
has three more power projects set for
construction by mid 2018, each to be
operated by one of its seven subsidiaries.
These include the second 105MW coal
plant of Sarangani Energy Corporation;
the 105MW San Ramon Power base-load
coal-fired power plant in Zamboanga City;
and the 15MW Siguil hydropower project
in Sarangani Province. Once finished, these
projects will bring APG’s power portfolio to
around 588MW of generating capacity, which
translates to almost 25 per cent of Mindanao’s
projected peak power demand in 2021.
Edgar believes that a community-oriented
culture is at the core of the Group’s
commitment to providing safe, reliable, and
affordable power to the people of Mindanao
and the rest of the country. “A strong culture
is crucial in achieving our goals. However, it
is also one of the biggest challenges we face,
given the cultural diversity of our employees.
From the beginning of their employment,
we aim to mould their values and attitudes
to match our own company culture,” he says.
“We give our employees the opportunity to
grow and freedom to make decisions. We
provide the goals and vision, and ensure
people know their actions can make a real
difference in the success of the organisation.”
Forging, maintaining and enhancing
mutually beneficial relationships with
stakeholders is a core requisite in each and
every Alsons project. “Since the very
beginning, we have engaged the community
through corporate social responsibility
projects in the areas of education, healthcare,
and livelihoods. We have placed strong
emphasis on greening the community and
providing electricity to areas that were
previously unconnected,” explains Edgar.
Many of those who manage and operate
Alsons’ plants are residents of, or live within
the vicinity of, its host communities. It is
therefore of great importance to the Group
that residents are able to live in a clean and
ecologically safe environment, and it has
embarked on several watershed preservation
and development projects to rehabilitate
degraded forest lands.
In December of last year, the Government
of the Philippines introduced the Tax Reform
for Acceleration and Inclusion (TRAIN)
legislation, which is expected to generate
PHP130 billion in revenue by imposing
higher taxes on fuel, cars, tobacco and sugary
beverages. Edgar says TRAIN will also see an
increase in the cost of power in APG plants.