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Journey to Decarbonization: First Gen, Green Convergence spearhead GHG calculator workshop

Green Convergence’s Ako Ang Bukas (AAB) Program led the workshop on the use of the entity level greenhouse gas (GHG) calculator in a forum organized by the First Gen Corporation titled The Green Shift: Mapping Your Decarbonization Journey on Wednesday, March 12, at the Rockwell Business Center in Pasig City.

Companies and businesses of various industries were invited to the forum, in line with First Gen’s objective to further educate industries on what climate actions to take on, identify their specific energy needs, and drive decarbonization roadmaps through First Gen’s renewable energy solutions.

Vincent Martin Villegas, First Gen’s Senior Vice President and Chief Revenue Officer and Pi Energy’s President and Chief Operating Officer, opened the forum by recalling last year’s leg of The Green Shift and how it set the stage for exploring a cleaner energy future through concepts presented by regulatory agencies in the Philippines.

Villegas emphasized that the forum then continues on its second leg by identifying steps and actions that businesses can navigate through towards decarbonization.

“The steps taken today, whether it’s energy efficiency or sustainability issues, are consequential and will help determine the future resilience of your businesses. We are today in a critical juncture as the latest climate data tells us that urgency is no longer a choice, but it is already a necessity,” Villegas said.

Moreover, the first session was steered by the First Philippine Holdings (FPH) Corporation’s Chief Sustainability Officer Agnes de Jesus. She delved into the current state of the climate and linked it with actions that businesses can do to alleviate their GHG emissions.

“This [climate change concepts] is important to know not only to comply with evolving regulations but, more importantly, we hope that, in the future, it will help you protect your family, your company, and your community,” De Jesus said.

She proceeded to detail climate issues that have been disrupting the planet, notably the Philippines, such as extreme hot temperatures that in turn cause worsening typhoons. De Jesus then connected these to the importance of action from the business sector, both within their operations and their general contributions as carbon emitters.

With this, De Jesus introduced the use of GHG calculators in monitoring and regulating the carbon footprint of businesses. “Carbon footprint” refers to the amount of GHG emissions that are produced by our daily activities.

She specifically showcased the AAB GHG calculator, both the household level and entity level, as well as how trainings on its usage has helped several offices and businesses, such as the Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Office (PENRO) of Cavite, Ormoc City, First Balfour’s Suppliers, and more.

In line with De Jesus’ discussion on GHG calculation, the demonstration workshop on the use of the entity level GHG calculator was then led by AAB Program’s Project Leader Milagros Serrana.

“The AAB movement actually was born out of the urgency to act now, and the first action that we have to really take is to determine our carbon footprint or our GHG emissions,” Serrana mentioned, also specially recognizing the support of FPH in developing the AAB household and entity level GHG calculators.

Following the walkthrough of the AAB entity level GHG calculator, Serrana led an interactive activity wherein participants of the forum were able to use and experience the AAB entity level GHG calculator firsthand through a provided dummy data.

Linking these concepts and interventions, First Gen’s Assistant Vice President for Power Marketing and Sales Arlene Soriano showcased an overview of First Gen’s products, services, and decarbonization programs that would help make operations more sustainable.

Soriano highlighted that First Gen currently owns the largest zero-coal portfolio and is the largest renewable energy (RE) producer in the Philippines. This is in line with FPH Chair and Chief Executive Officer Federico Lopez’ declaration a few years ago that First Gen will ‘never invest in any coal-fired power plants.’

Furthermore, First Gen’s Vice President and Chief Customer Engagement Officer Carlo Vega closed the seminar, expressing his excitement about observing more participants from the first leg of The Green Shift who are ‘pursuing the same decarbonization and regenerative future as First Gen.’

Vega acknowledged the AAB Program’s initiative in helping achieve a net zero carbon future. “I really believe that this [tool] is the missing link for us to be able to manage [and assess] our carbon footprint effectively,” he expressed.

He then concluded his closing remarks echoing FPH Chair and CEO Lopez’ words, “If at the end of all this, we find ourselves alone, it would have meant that we failed our mission,” emphasizing the importance of collaboration and partnership in climate actions—hence, the goal in which “The Green Shift” forum forwards.

The forum was wrapped up with an opportunity for the participants to network and build partnerships towards a net zero carbon future.

Ako Ang Bukas (or “I am the future”) is a movement with a central campaign, “Quantum Leap NOW: Climate Neutrality 2050.” It seeks to involve all sectors and levels of society nationwide in taking urgent, concerted action to address the climate crisis facing the country and the world.

Be part of a bigger change by joining the AAB program through this link: bit.ly/AKOANGBUKAS. Moreover, the AAB household GHG calculator can be accessed through this link: aab-household-ghg-web.app.

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5th Philippine Environment Summit “Ako ang Bukas: Quantum Leap to Climate Neutrality”

We greatly appreciate your attendance and participation in the 5th Philippine Environment Summit held at Grand Xing Imperial Hotel, Iloilo City with the theme, Ako ang Bukas: Quantum Leap to Climate Neutrality.We hope you will benefit from the rich knowledge and deep insights on environment and climate
change shared by our expert speakers from government and civil society; and be inspired by the innovative ideas of selected project presentors. Below are the links to the programme highlights for a lasting reference to the content of the summit.
May we all continue to care for the environment to be able to protect our common home. And may we all heed the global emergency call to each of us to help avert the catastrophic impact of the climate
crisis in the next decades.
God bless us All and the amazing Earth!

5th Summit Presentations
Official Photos
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“5th Philippine Environment Summit in a Capsule”

Green Convergence held its Kamayan Para Sa Kalikasan forum for the month of February 2025 titled “5th Philippine Environment Summit in a Capsule” on Friday, February 28, via Zoom and Facebook livestream.

The February forum aimed to debrief and relay ‘in a capsule’ the discussions during the 5th Philippine Environment Summit, which was convened last February 19 to 21, 2025, at the Grand Xing Imperial Hotel in Iloilo City, with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR).

In recollection of her opening remarks during the Summit, the forum was opened by Green Convergence President Victoria Segovia, amplifying the international, local, and even individual responsibility to ‘quantum leap to climate neutrality.’ This echoes the “Ako Ang Bukas” movement to achieve net zero carbon emissions by the year 2050.

“Together, let us find solutions and inspire each other to take the big leap toward net zero emissions in the immediate future,” Segovia said.

The forum then proceeded to present discussions of the plenary resource speakers in the Summit, covering those that encapsulate the calls to action forwarded in the three-day conference.

Tackling how climate change is an existential threat to human civilization, First Philippine Holdings Corporation Chair and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Federico Lopez’ talk was presented in the forum.

Lopez detailed climate impacts that have stemmed from the increase of the global temperature above the pre-industrial average, making 2024 the hottest recorded year in the last 125,000 years.

These climate impacts include the alarming spread of wildfires, heat waves causing office and class suspensions, severe droughts affecting agriculture, ocean heat fueling more super typhoons, melting glaciers and ice sheets causing sea level rise, record of the worst coral bleaching, and more that are bringing not only ‘massive destruction’ but also ‘dispossessing millions of families of everything that they have on a brutal and repeated basis.’

“Today, no one is spared from the unprecedented fury that’s unleashed by the more frequent occurrence of extreme weather events that’s supercharged by climate change,” Lopez emphasized.

On the other hand, as presented in the forum, Department of Agriculture (DA) Undersecretary for Policy, Planning, and Regulations Atty. Asis Perez highlighted in his talk during the Summit the effects of climate change on food security.

Perez emphasized that climate change would not be viewed as a concept by farmers, but would rather feel the impacts of it directly, hence the need to focus on more productivity, resiliency, and income from farmers.

He also detailed the mitigation measures that are lined up for the agriculture sector. These include their coconut tree planting initiatives given its high potential in carbon sequestration, composting of biodegradable waste through their facility, alternate wetting and drying (AWD) for rice, manure management, and use of solar energy for irrigation systems in farming.

Following the talks of Lopez on climate change and Perez on food security, First Philippine Holdings Corporation Chief Sustainability Officer Agnes de Jesus provided a talk on what Green Convergence through the “Ako Ang Bukas” (AAB) program is doing to aid greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction measures—the AAB calculator.

De Jesus delved into the technicalities which help calculate the carbon footprint of entities and households who utilize the AAB calculator. She also shared the trainings conducted with Cavite’s Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Office (PENRO), Ormoc City, and First Balfour to encourage the use of the calculator to gauge GHG reduction.

In line with this mission, De Jesus presented the total calculated carbon footprint generated by convening the three-day Summit and what Green Convergence, with the Nature Awareness and Conservation Club, Inc. headed by Social Responsibility Specialist Violeta Imperial, has done to offset the carbon footprint of the Summit—a tree planting activity of 1,500 mangrove seedlings.

Green Convergence Trustee Dr. Angelina Galang then concluded with a presentation of the resolutions and recommendations, as reflected in the Summit outcomes. These covered calls to face the triple planetary crises—climate change, biodiversity loss, and plastic pollution, involve education sectors to raise awareness and popularize climate actions, forward mitigation and adaptation measures inclined with climate justice, and more.

The February forum was closed by Green Convergence Trustee Dr. Cecilia Gascon, wherein she emphasized the need for collective effort to quickly turn knowledge into action, mentioning collaboration as the ‘most powerful tool.’

Moreover, Gascon acknowledged the evident involvement of the youth during the Summit, saying that it is a sign of hope. “Your passion and commitment remind us that climate action is not just about policies and plans, but about empowering a generation that will drive real lasting change,” she expressed.

Kamayan Para Sa Kalikasan is a monthly initiative organized by Green Convergence Philippines that enables non-government organizations (NGOs) and government representatives, the media, students, teachers, church groups, and concerned citizens to discuss, analyze, and create solutions to pressing environmental issues in the country.