Contributions to UN Sustainable Development Goals

First Gen supported LGUs through donations amounting to PHP741.0 million to manage the spread of COVID-19 in the community. The donations were used for the following:

• Acquisition of personal protective equipment (PPE), COVID-19 kits and medicines for the host communities
• Retrofitting of the Eva Macapagal Super Terminal in Manila into a COVID-19 treatment center
• Transforming the MetroTent in Pasig into a 120-bed temporary shelter for the employees of the nearby The Medical City hospital
• Stage 3 ambulance to Department of Transportation to help transport COVID-19 patients

The Company continues to implement the following programs to ensure that its employees are healthy and free from non-communicable diseases:

• Provided medical benefits to employees
• Established the virtual medical consultation for the employees as well as their dependents with the Company’s OH team
• Implemented the Employee Assistance Program (EAP) by providing hotlines for the counselling sessions of employees and their dependents
• Promoted good physical and mental health through:
  • Online sessions on mindfulness and mental resilience
  • Talks on hypertension and heart diseases
  • Online yoga sessions and weekly exercise tips

These programs, and the work-from-home arrangement, helped maintain zero incidents of occupational illnesses and diseases in the workplace.

First Gen grants support to students and schools of the host barangays for their continued access to education. Assistance from the Company includes:

• Providing donations to support modular learning of almost 20,000 students from host communities and those from far-flung areas,
• Granting of scholarships to 56 grade school students and supporting 359 high school students from the host barangays

The Company supported qualified students in pursuing technical and tertiary education. The Company’s contributions include:

• Work apprenticeship program (WAP) in partnership with Mitsubishi-Hitachi Power Systems that benefitted nine students from Batangas City,
• Awarding of scholarships to 113 college students from various host communities enrolled in various known state universities and colleges.

First Gen produced 8,157.3GWh from renewable sources through the 12 geothermal projects, 3 hydro projects, 10 solar projects and 1 wind project.

The Company continues to expand its energy services to the country through these projects:

• Ongoing construction of the 120-MW pumped-storage hydroelectric facility in Aya, Pantabangan, Nueva Ecija with the following capabilities:
  • Allows the storage of water pumped into a reservoir to generate power, and
  • Provides ancillary services to the electricity grid for grid security and stability
• Ongoing development of the Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) terminal in FGCEC in Batangas City to augment fuel supply for the operation of natural gas power plants

First Gen continues to provide decent work with just compensation and benefits to the 1,956 employees working in First Gen that consists of:

• 1,357 regular male employees (69.8 percent of total employees)
• 599 regular female employees (30.2 percent of total employees)
• 107 new employees
• 2.2 percent of employee turnover rate

There were no grievances reported on labor rights violation

First Gen gives the youth opportunities to have decent jobs:

• 65 employees or 60.7 percent of the new hires were below 30 years old

The Company also supports qualified students from the host communities to pursue college education and attend technical/ vocational courses.

• Supported 113 college scholars enrolled in various state colleges and universities,
• Nine students completed the Work Apprenticeship Program

All employees are accorded with the benefits prescribed in the Philippine Labor Laws and Standards. They are also provided with additional benefits such as allowances, insurance, medical and bonuses. Some benefits were restructured to fit the current work- from-home arrangement.

First Gen maintains an Occupational Health and Safety Management System (OSHMS) based on the Philippine OSH regulations and in reference to ISO 45001:2018. This OSHMS covers all employees and contractors working within the Company’s sites and premises.

First Gen has a Total Recordable Incident Rate (TRIR) of 0.13. This is considered as the Company’s best TRIR since 2018.

Likewise, the Company continues to respect human rights with the established policies and guidelines related to Human Rights, Gender Equality and Diversity, Cultural Heritage and Indigenous People, and the Business code of Ethics and Standards. There were no grievances related to human rights violation.

First Gen continues to institute measures in all its power plants and related structures that address the destructive impacts brought about by heavy rainfall and rising sea levels during the rainy season through:

• Typhoon-proofing and reinforcement of power plants and other structures, and upgrading of plant equipment, and
• Execution of the 3rd phase of the Flood/Tsunami Protection Program.

The Company also supported the development of structures that support human well-being, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. Projects that were funded to benefit the community include:

• Retrofitting of the Eva Macapagal Super Terminal into a COVID-19 treatment center
• Retrofitting of the MetroTent Ortigas into a 120-bed temporary shelter for the employees of The Medical City hospital in Pasig City
• Construction of the Port Capinpin Quarantine Facility in Bataan to accommodate COVID-19 patients

The Company adopted systems and improved its information technology and operational technology structures for the seamless transition of its business processes to adapt to the work-from-home arrangement.

A Flexible Communication Allowance program was instituted to ensure that all employees have access to the Internet and the Company’s network.

First Gen, along with the FPH Group, conducted a fleet-wide climate scenario analysis and has an ongoing assessment of the climate change potential impacts (i.e., physical risks and opportunities, and transitional risks and opportunities in the various business segments) that will be completed in April 2021.

Aside from the measures to strengthen its infrastructures, the Company also continues to institute ways to make its power plants resilient and adaptive to climate related disasters through:

• Updating of the Geohazard Map using latest, finer-resolution LiDAR data to further identify areas that are susceptible to rainfall-induced landslides that can pose a threat to the Company’s assets, and
• Implementation of strategic spares program

In 2020, the Company’s operations and climate change measures resulted in the following:

• 5,532,523.1 tCO₂e total GHG emissions, as part of the country’s estimated emissions of 215 MtCO₂e1
• 13,564,692.9 tCO₂e GHG emissions avoided vs. Coal
• 122,226.0 hectares of natural forests protected in Geothermal Reservations to maintain carbon sequestration capacity
• 1,739,824.0 tCO₂e sequestered by natural forests in Geothermal Reservations

In collaboration with FPH, First Gen continues to build its capacity to study the effects of climate change through these initiatives:

• Climate scenario analysis study in August 2019 to May 2020; and
• Ongoing assessment of climate change’s potential impacts in the various business segments.

The Company has also reached out to 7,878 students and community members in host schools and communities to promote awareness on climate change mitigation, adaptation, and impact reduction through the Create for the Climate program

First Gen established and restored forests in the following areas, bringing the total area of restored forests under BINHI to 9,570.0 hectares.

• New plantations measuring 91.0 hectares of indigenous forest trees in BacMan, Negros Oriental, and Pantabangan
• Enrichment planting of 30.0 hectares old plantations and forest gaps in Mt. Apo
• Maintained 1,399.0 hectares of existing plantations in BacMan, Negros, Mt. Apo, and Leyte
• Generated more than 276,000 quality seedlings of Philippine native tree species in the Company’s various nurseries that are used for reforestation or dispersed to partners to expand restored areas

The Company and its subsidiary EDC continuously implement BINHI—the multi-awarded initiative to rescue, protect, and propagate 96 Philippine native tree species, many of which are categorized as critically endangered or at the brink of extinction. EDC serves as a national catalyst for strategic partnerships on mainstreaming Philippine native trees throughout the country.

EDC also remains committed to its partnership with DENR and the Philippine Eagle Foundation (PEF) in protecting the remaining species of the critically endangered Philippine eagle (Pithecophaga jefferyi).