SANTA CRUZ, Laguna: The provincial government of Laguna under Gov. Ramil Hernandez has conferred an award to AP Renewables Inc. (APRI) for being one of the top taxpayers.

The award was given on March 15 at the Laguna Cultural Center. The awarding was held during the Laguna Stakeholder's Summit in conjunction with the celebration of the annual Anilag Festival of Laguna.

Being one of the biggest sources of renewable energy in the Philippines, APRI was nominated by its two host local government units — Bay and Calauan — for the award. The summit was also attended by Senators Maria Imelda Josefa "Imee" Marcos and Mark Villar.

In her speech, Senator Marcos said that her father, former president Ferdinand Marcos Sr., introduced a decree (Presidential Decree 1111 of 1973) designating 162,000 hectares of land as a geothermal reserve. She emphasized that this decree helped enhance the Philippines' energy supply. Furthermore, she said that APRI, which operates the geothermal power plant, is one of Laguna's top taxpayers.

APRI, through its president Jeffrey Estrella, said: "We are honored to be recognized as a top taxpayer by Laguna and the municipalities of Bay and Calauan, underscoring our commitment to contributing positively to the community where we operate."

On Dec. 15, 2023, the town of Bay also awarded APRI with the same distinction during their annual Gawad Parangal. The town of Santo Tomas, on the other hand, awarded APRI as its Top 8 Taxpayer last Sept. 17, 2023.

APRI, a wholly owned subsidiary of Aboitiz Power, is one of the leading geothermal energy producers in the country, delivering clean and renewable baseload power from its two facilities in Tiwi, Albay; Bay and Calauan, Laguna; and Santo Tomas, Batangas.

Aboitiz Power is the holding company for the Aboitiz Group's investments in power generation, distribution and retail electricity services. It advances business and communities by providing reliable and ample power supply at a reasonable and competitive price, and with the least adverse effects on the environment and host communities.

The company is one of the largest power producers in the Philippines with a balanced portfolio of assets located across the country. It is a major producer of Cleanergy, the company's brand for clean and renewable energy with several hydroelectric, geothermal and solar power generation facilities. It also has thermal power plants in its generation portfolio to support the country's baseload and peak energy demands.

The company also owns distribution utilities that operate in high-growth areas in Luzon, the Visayas and Mindanao, including the country's second- and third-largest private utilities.

Aboitiz Power, together with its partners, is the Philippines' largest owner and operator of renewable energy based on installed capacity. In the next 10 years, the company will significantly expand its Cleanergy portfolio, in support of the government's efforts to promote renewable energy.

Aboitiz Power will build an additional 3,700 megawatts of renewable energy, growing its existing Cleanergy capacity threefold by 2030.