FIRST Gen’s Energy Development Corporation (EDC) once again earned regional recognition after it was named among the Top Sustainability Advocates in Asia at the 2026 Asia Corporate Excellence and Sustainability (ACES) Awards held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on Oct. 16, 2026.

The Top Sustainability Advocates in Asia Awards program recognizes companies that demonstrate exceptional commitment to corporate social responsibility through initiatives that are embedded in their operations, supported by strong leadership and focused on community engagement, environmental protection and social empowerment.

“[First Gen’s] Energy Development Corporation demonstrates what sustainability leadership can become when environmental purpose is embedded into the architecture of a business,” said ACES Awards president Dr. Shanggari Balakrishnan in the 2026 ACES Awards official winners report.

Creating lasting impact

Among EDC’s key sustainability initiatives is BINHI, its banner environmental program that has restored over 10,000 hectares of degraded forests and advanced the conservation of 145 priority threatened Philippine native tree species.

Complementing these efforts are EDC’s education and community development programs, including its SIKAT scholarship program and support for Keitech Educational Foundation Inc. In addition, EDC supports community enterprises, sustainable agriculture and disaster resilience initiatives.

Beyond renewable energy

Beyond its latest recognition, EDC contributed to discussions on responsible business leadership at the ACES Summit on Oct. 15, where Atty. Allan Barcena, EDC head of corporate support functions, delivered a talk.

“For us at the First Gen Group, including EDC, being renewable is not the finish line. It is the starting point,” Barcena said in his talk, “Renewable Is Not the Finish Line: Proving Responsibility Beyond the Energy Source.”

He emphasized that genuine sustainability must influence business decisions, produce measurable outcomes and be supported by credible evidence.

Barcena also highlighted the company’s role in establishing the Net Zero Carbon Alliance, which celebrated its fifth anniversary this year (see cover story).

Atty. Allan Barcena (2nd from left) represented First Gen’s EDC as he received the
company’s third consecutive ACES recognition, earning the Top Sustainability
Advocates in Asia award for 2026

By Alaina Lyn De Guzman-Domingo