To cap off the celebration of the Philippine Environment Month in June, the Philippines’ largest integrated telco network PLDT Inc. and its wireless unit Smart Communications, Inc. marked another significant milestone in their sustainability journey after energizing solar rooftop panels in its biggest business facility in the Visayas, located along Osmeña Boulevard in Cebu City.
This is the third PLDT facility in the Visayas to be partly powered by solar energy. Two more offices in the central Philippine region are set to be equipped with solar panels in July. The project which aims to cut carbon emissions by integrating renewable sources of power in its energy mix not only aligns with PLDT and Smart’s direction to further embed sustainability in the business, but is also an opportunity to reduce energy costs. The solar panels in the five facilities were installed by Spectrum, a subsidiary of the Manila Electric Company (Meralco).
“We continue to look for opportunities to install solar rooftop panels in more PLDT and Smart facilities in order to enjoy the same benefits from the current deployments. Under the environmental pillar of our ESG initiatives, focus areas include energy efficiency, the use of green network technologies, and renewables. By doing so, PLDT and Smart are also doing their part to help the government achieve its target of reaching net zero by 2050,” said Melissa Vergel De Dios, PLDT and Smart Chief Sustainability Officer and Head of Investor Relations.
“As a solar company of Meralco, Spectrum is committed to providing safe and reliable solar solutions that will empower our customers to operate sustainably. We are committed to collaborating with companies like PLDT who share our vision to further both our sustainability agendas. As we celebrate this milestone, we look forward to exploring more opportunities to empower PLDT as they continue their sustainability journey,” said Patrick Panlilio, Spectrum Chief Operating Officer.
With the support of the PLDT Board led by Chairman Manuel V. Pangilinan, President and CEO Alfredo S. Panlilio has identified sustainability as one of the key drivers of performance of PLDT Group’s vision and strategy, advocating for the expanded use of renewable energy and green technologies in its operations. To realize this, the PLDT Group developed a decarbonization roadmap that aims to reduce its Scope 1 and 2 greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by around 40% by 2030.
“The installed PV panels on the rooftop of PLDT Jones will generate approximately 214,553 kilowatt hours (kWh) of solar power annually. This will reduce PLDT’s carbon footprint by 152 tons of carbon dioxide each year equivalent to planting around 15,680 trees or 313,600 trees over 20 years,” explained Henrey Donguines, PLDT Property and Facilities Management Executive and Project Manager of the Solar Rooftop Project.
“PLDT and Smart’s efforts in helping fight climate change are very commendable. Hopefully, we can replicate these in other areas and encourage other companies to follow in their footsteps on adopting renewable sources of energy,” said Charlie Fabre, DENR 7 Assistant Regional Director.
These initiatives underscore PLDT and Smart’s efforts in helping the country achieve its commitment under the Paris Agreement and to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals particularly UNSDG No. 7 on affordable, reliable, sustainable, and modern energy for all.
The event was led by Melissa Vergel De Dios, PLDT and Smart Chief Sustainability Officer and Head of Investor Relations; Charlie Fabre, DENR 7 Assistant Regional Director; Patrick Panlilio, Spectrum Chief Operating Officer; Jeffrey Tanjutco, PLDT Property and Facilities Management Center Head; and Henrey Donguines, PLDT Property and Facilities Management Executive and Project Manager of the Solar Rooftop Project.
