Geothermal Energy Development as a Medium Towards Total Community Development: The Philippine Example

Abstract

Philippine geothermal projects have evolved into total community development efforts over the years. This is in large part attributed to the in situ development and sustainable management of the geothermal resource. Alongside the application of resource-sustaining geothermal technologies, the government-owned Philippine National Oil Company - Energy Development Corporation (PNOC-EDC) also considers the social aspect of sustainability by adopting the integrated social forestry (ISF) scheme which would later set the pace for the company's other community development initiatives. With ISF, the company was able to effectively mobilize the upland communities, create livelihood opportunities and inculcate values among them to work collectively towards attaining self-reliance. Meanwhile, the parallel corporate citizenship efforts have served as yardsticks for social desirability of many development projects in the country. With these experiences, PNOC-EDC has proved that geothermal projects can be an impetus in bringing about countryside development