Climate Change and Sustainability

Partner and Activity	Description
Green Convergence The 353rd Kamayan Para sa Kalikasan August 16, 2019	The partnership between Green Convergence and First Philippine Holdings (FPH) centers on building awareness among the youth and civil society on the urgency of climate change and the need for everyone to do their share to achieve intergenerational benefits. Federico R. Lopez, the Chairman and CEO of FPH, discussed the fast-changing climate conditions across the planet and the options to mitigate this.
Management Association of the Philippines (MAP) The 17th MAP International CEO Conference 2019: The Future of Business September 10, 2019	The MAP is an organization that promotes management excellence for nation-building. It has over 1,000 members representing a cross-section of CEOs, COOs, and the other top management practitioners from the largest local and multinational companies operating in the Philippines. FPH sponsored MAP’s “The Future of Business” conference, which provided an avenue to discuss the future of business and how businesses can help in solving climate change and other related problems.
Association of Electricity Supply Industry of East Asia and the Western Pacific (AESIEAP) AESIEAP CEO Conference 2019 September 22-25, 2019	AESIEAP is the largest organization of power and energy industry corporations. It has over 100 members from 25 countries. Industry experts from renowned global energy companies shared how technology and digitization will continue to revolutionize the industry. First Philec is a member of the association and, through this, FPH can access and share best practices in the industry. First Philec President Ariel Ong served as a speaker in the panel discussion on “Tech Talks: Enabling Socially-Inclusive and Sustainable Cities and Communities through Technology and Digitalization”.
National Geothermal Association of the Philippines (NGAP) Beyond Conventional: Tapping New Geothermal Frontiers Forum October 2-3, 2019	The Energy Development Corporation (EDC), a subsidiary of First Gen, has been a member of the NGAP for more than 30 years. Several of EDC’s personnel are officers of the organization. EDC President and COO Richard B. Tantoco was a speaker for this event, where he discussed the duty of everyone to do things better. He encouraged geothermal industry leaders and experts to be bold and to experiment in tapping “non-conventional” geothermal sources to address the coal-dominated energy mix in the Philippines which, ironically, is the third most vulnerable country to climate change.
Climate Change Commission (CCC) Adapting for a Sustainable Future: The 2nd Annual Global Warming and Climate Change Consciousness Week November 21, 2019	For the past decade, FPH and EDC have partnered with and regularly participated in the policy deliberations of the CCC. FPH officers are regular speakers in the commission’s business summits. Last year, EDC President and CEO Richard B. Tantoco discussed how Sustainability Reporting has driven resilient investments and programs within the company.
Business for Sustainable Development (BSD) Transformative Business Project December 2019	For more than a decade now, FPH, particularly its subsidiaries First Gen and EDC, has been a member of BSD, with EDC’s President and COO as the BSD president and FPH’s Chief Sustainability Officer as an adviser of the organization. The project serves as an avenue for information exchange with other companies. In 2019, new insights gained from the organization include the diverse initiatives of businesses on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and greening the supply chain.
EDC partner companies and contestable customers Climate Change and How to Address it Within Your Business Forum September 20, 2019	First Gen and EDC spearheaded a workshop and seminar for their customers. More than 50 representatives from 26 of EDC’s partner companies and contestable energy customers participated in the forum. The workshop reinforced the need for a sustainability roadmap, with focus on the carbon footprint and climate neutrality of companies. The forum highlighted that, together with their partners and customers, First Gen and EDC can help accelerate climate actions for the country

Environmental Management

Partner and Activity

Description

Forest Foundation Philippines (FFP)

Forest Landscape Management

February 25-27, 2019

FFP is a non-governmental organization (NGO) created by the Philippine and the United States governments to promote the conservation of tropical forests in the country. The organization is funded through the “debt for nature swap” program of the United States.

For the past eight years, FPH Chairman Federico R. Lopez has been on the Board of Trustees of the foundation. Our Chief Sustainability Officer (CSO), on the other hand, has been a member of the foundation’s Program Committee for the past two years. As a member of the foundation’s Board of Trustees and Program Committee, FPH can serve the government and communities by participating in the regular reviews of policies and community projects to be funded by the foundation. Through this partnership, FFP can introduce updates on new strategies on forest management to FPH, while FPH can share with FFP its field experiences on the subject. In this session, new approaches to forest management were learned from FFP’s forum.

Water Security

Partner and Activity

Description

Water Alliance

Climate Risks and Water Security: A Call for Action Forum

October 2, 2019

The Water Alliance is a multisectoral coalition led by CEOs who are committed to create solutions to the water problems in the Philippines. Philippine Business for Social Progress (PBSP) initiated the alliance, which is currently chaired by FPH President Giles B. Puno. FPH, through First Gen, provides secretariat and administrative support to the alliance, which enables them to coordinate and organize different activities.

The alliance has four pillars, namely: (1) water for waterless communities, (2) water footprint reduction, (3) governance and policy reform, and (4) research and database. FPH, through First Gen, tackles water footprint reduction, which includes the provision and promotion of training to different sectors on the said topic. In 2019, FPH sponsored the Water Alliance forum, “Climate Risks and Water Security: A Call for Action”. Here, ecologically responsive designs, sustainable water demand management initiatives, and other green technologies and solutions from different organizations were showcased.

Marine Biodiversity Protection

Partner and Activity	Description
Science, Education, and Advocacy (SEA) Institute – Philippines, and ABS-CBN Lingkod Kapamilya Foundation, Inc. Center of Center (COC) Project	First Gen supports the protection of Verde Island Passage (VIP), the world’s center of the center of marine biodiversity, through its support to the Bantay Dagat patrol, sponsorship of the Swim Junkie Lobo, and hosting marine ecocamps for the youth with the SEA Institute.

Corporate Governance

Partner and Activity	Description
Institute of Corporate Directors (ICD) Integrating Sustainability and Innovation in Corporate Strategy Forum November 19, 2019	The ICD is dedicated to the professionalization of Philippine corporate directorship by raising the level of corporate governance policy and practice to world-class standards. Our Chief Sustainability Officer (CSO) served as a speaker in the forum, sharing her insights on “Integrating Climate Change and Sustainability in the Business Strategy”. The forum provided an avenue for business leaders to discuss how they are redefining their strategic approach, as boards endeavor to create long-term value for people, planet, and profit by addressing challenges in climate change and disruptive technologies. FPH formed new networks and learned from the experiences of co-speakers and the audience.
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and Philippine Stock Exchange (PSE) The 6th SEC-PSE Corporate Governance Forum: Sustainable Business: Taking the Lead in Achieving the Sustainable Development Goals	FPH President and CEO Federico R. Lopez served as a panelist during the forum. It became a platform for the government and the private sector to discuss how they can collaborate to effectively contribute to the successful realization of their mutual responsibility of creating a sustainable environment and society. Further, the forum helped companies to assess and manage the financial impacts of climate change to their organizations.

Social Assessment

Partner and Activity	Description
The Philippine Learning Center for Environment and Social Sustainability (PHILCESS) University of the Philippines Indigenous Peoples Assessment	Our Chief Sustainability Officer (CSO) is an associate of the center. Here, she gains access to the regular clinic sessions of the World Bank and Asian Development Bank (ADB) on the current body of knowledge on sustainability. For 2019, she, in turn, shared best practices on the social impact assessment of indigenous peoples (IP) and how to install a culturally appropriate project monitoring.

Human Rights

Partner and Activity	Description
Commission on Human Rights (CHR) Guidance Document on Business and Human Rights	FPH participated in the consultations for the document, and shared with as well as learned best practices from the commission and other local and international practitioners.

External Networks External Networks