Lopez-led geothermal leader Energy Development Corporation (EDC) bagged the top prize of the Grand Anvil at the 55th Anvil Awards of the Public Relations Society of the Philippines (PRSP), along with 12 other trophies for communication excellence in its PR, marketing, stakeholder engagement, and sustainability programs.

The Anvil Awards is the annual prestigious event of the Philippine public relations industry that recognizes exemplary, effective and innovative PR and communications programs and tools by companies, organizations and agencies.

EDC’s entry “Baslay Coffee: Brewing a Better Life for Kaingeros” received a Gold Anvil and was subsequently deemed the most outstanding among all other recipients, thus earning it the highest Grand Anvil distinction.

As a corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiative of EDC’s team in Negros Island, the 30-year old Baslay coffee program has transformed slash-and-burn farmers in the mountains of Baslay in Dauin, Negros Oriental into forest stewards by providing them alternative and lucrative coffee farming livelihood, effectively turning them away from their former environmentally destructive practices.

EDC also won various other Gold and Silver Anvils in both PR program and PR tool categories for its projects such as the Positive Energy Negros Facebook page, the #MaketheShift geothermal energy advocacy, BINHI national greening legacy program, GeoSkwela youth dialogue on sustainability, OMGeo eco-tourism vlog series, and CSR initiatives under the Mt. Apo Foundation Inc. (MAFI) as well as the organization’s 25th anniversary coffee table book.

“We believe that just as important as the implementation and positive impact of our various CSR and stakeholder relations programs is the way they are communicated,” said EDC CSR – PR head Atty. Allan Barcena. “We proudly share the awards we garnered with our partner organizations and the people who have made our work successful and those who continuously help us attain our vision of a clean energy future for the country.”

EDC is a global pioneer in the geothermal energy industry and the world’s largest vertically integrated geothermal developer, generating 1,457.8 megawatts of clean, stable, and truly sustainable energy for the country.