DUMAGUETE CITY – A key official of geothermal power leader Energy Development Corporation (EDC) based in Negros Oriental has assured that they will continue their advocacy to empower the youth to actively participate and gain more knowledge on the preservation of the environment.
The assurance came following the successful staging of this year’s science quiz bee among Negros Island senior high school students.
“We are happy to see the interest among our youth to start initiating changes in how we take care of the environment,” said Norreen Bautista, head of EDC’s Community Partnerships, External Relations and Watershed Management (CREW) Group on Tuesday afternoon.
“I think this has been strengthened by the fact that they have seen the effects of the onslaught of Typhoon Ompong,” she pointed out.
The EDC, along with its partners, has carried out for three years already the Positive Energy Battle of the Brains (BOTB) science quiz bee as a means for students to increase their knowledge and awareness of key issues affecting the environment.
The grand finals, which was held here this past weekend, saw 10 senior high schools from Negros Oriental and Negros Occidental competing, with Balugo National High School in Balugo, Valencia in Negros Oriental emerging as champions.
This is the first time that a school from Negros Oriental has won the BOTB championship, which is now on its third year and is a project of geothermal power leader, Energy Development Corporation (EDC).
Now on its third year and with the theme “Renewable Energy for a Brighter Future,” the regional science quiz bee for junior and senior high schools aims to continue spreading awareness on the importance of renewable energy as one of the solutions to climate change, Bautista reiterated.
“I just hope that with that realization of the effects of Typhoon Ompong, that we will not wait for another disaster to strike before we act in protecting our environment, and correspondingly, our community and our country,” she stressed.
Bautista said the BOTB science quiz bee is something to look forward to every year because the questions and information provided are in line with local and global efforts to address and combat climate change, as well as on environmental protection.
The judges in this year’s BOTB quiz bee include Rodne Galicha, Climate Reality PH’s country manager; former Foundation for Philippine Environment president and former Visayas State University president Dr. Paciencia Milan; and Engr. Rey Maleza from the Department of Energy-Visayas. (PNA)
