Negros media train on survival skills

DUMAGUETE CITY, Philippines — Twenty-eight practitioners from the broadcast and print media in Negros Oriental and Negros Occidental recently completed a two-day learning on geothermal energy, the environment, disaster-preparedness and survival techniques in a summer camp organized by geothermal giant Energy Development Corporation.

This is the first time that EDC has organized a summer camp for the media, which was held Thursday and Friday at the Energy Camp at the Southern Negros Geothermal Project in Valencia, Negros Oriental.

The 1st media eCamp is similarly patterned after that of the EDC's 11-year old summer camp "originally designed to provide a productive, educational and enjoyable activity for the youth living in the company's host communities who usually do not have access to such".

The eCamp, a brainchild of former EDC president and CEO Paul A. Aquino, was designed to provide not just the usual summer camp activities such as sports and development, but also providing participants exposure to both classroom and outdoor activities, as well as addressing the need to develop a person's whole being, both mind and body, EDC said.

Over the years, the EDC summer eCamp brings together its high school scholars from geothermal host communities as well as children of employees of the company's various geothermal sites.

This year, as part of its commitment to extend its knowledge and skills to other communities to empower them in time of disaster, the EDC introduced its 1st media summer energy camp for Negros media practitioners.

While learning about the importance and benefits of geothermal energy and environmental protection, the media e-campers engaged in survival training and other physical activities.

EDC's disaster and crisis team head, Dr. Ted Esguerra of the Mt. Everest Team, gave them tips on how to prevent disasters and accidents, and more so, how to deal with them in case they happen.

On Day 2, they learned more about EDC's Health, Education, Livelihood and Environment programs and its BINHI greening legacy reforestation program.  They also planted premium, indigenous tree species as a testament to their commitment to care for the environment.

The highlight of the camp is an adapted version of the "Amazing Race", where participants apply everything they learned while working together and competing against other teams.

"Our aim is to provide the same experiential learning environment to the Negros media who have been covering EDC and the Energy Camp all these years," said John B. Arnaldo, EDC's Vice President for Corporate Affairs. — (FREEMAN)