Corporate Social Responsibility Sustainability Commercial Operations

SUKELCO-AboitizPower partnership goes beyond the delivery of electricity

December 02, 2021

Sultan Kudarat Electric Cooperative (SUKELCO) in 2014 entered into an agreement with AboitizPower to bring more ample, reliable, and cost-efficient electricity supply to its customers.

SUKELCO’s franchise area covers the 11 municipalities and one city in the province of Sultan Kudarat as well as the towns of Paglat, Pandag, Datu Paglas, and Mangudadatu in the province of Maguindanao.

More than seven years later, the two have gone from merely powering communities to helping build them. Since 2014, AboitizPower, through SUKELCO, has implemented several corporate social responsibility projects within the electric cooperative's franchise area. These include programs aimed at enhancing education, promoting livelihood opportunities, and conserving the environment.

Among their recent collaborations are several dental and medical missions, donation of computer sets, and classroom rewiring projects. 

The latest the two parties’ commitment to community-building was manifested was in the aftermath of heavy floods hitting Tacurong, Isulan, and Lambayong in Sultan Kudarat earlier this year, forcing at least 500 families to take shelter at evacuation sites, destroying their farmlands, and disrupting their livelihoods. While some families were able to return to their homes, there was still a pressing need for food and other basic commodities while keeping COVID-19 at bay.

SUKELCO, in partnership with AboitizPower, stepped in to provide displaced families with relief packs comprising rice, canned goods, coffee, business, and noodles around September.

“Sa tanan, madamu gid na salamat (To everyone, thank you very much) for partnering with us and working together to help our community. It is this time that our member-consumers need us most,” SUKELCO General Manager Claudia Pondales said.

AboitizPower shares with SUKELCO the commitment to putting people first, and that includes lending a helping hand to communities during difficult times.

“We recognize the resilience of the families who have been displaced and have been greatly affected by this calamity. At AboitizPower, we are conscious of the severity of the environmental crises we frequently face as a country. As such, we continue to find partners that we can work with such as SUKELCO as well as communities in the region where we can extend our support,” said AboitizPower First Vice President for Commercial Operations Sandro Aboitiz.

AboitizPower continuously engages communities, stakeholders, and businesses where it operates through various CSR programs in partnership with its customers and the local government.

The company believes in delivering value to the community by focusing on educational projects, enterprise development, and environmental preservation. 

This principle is embedded in the group’s philosophy of enforcing sustainability in its operations and business practices.