Negros Oriental Gov. Roel Degamo on Thursday thanked geothermal power firm Energy Development Corporation (EDC) for its latest donation to the province of PHP5.6-million worth of reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) kits for coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) testing.

“’I am very grateful to EDC for its continuous support and assistance to the province of Negros Oriental, most particularly (in) this period wherein we are combating Covid-19. EDC is a partner in so many instances, and until today they are helping us,” Degamo said in a media release from EDC.

The governor officially received the kits from Norreen G. Bautista, EDC’s Corporate Social Responsibility head, during a simple turnover ceremony Wednesday afternoon, as witnessed by Assistant Provincial Health Officer Dr. Liland Estacion, and Dr. Rafael Duhaylungsod, EDC-Corporate Social Responsibility for Negros External and Stakeholder Relations Officer.

The additional RT-PCR detection, purification, and extraction kits for the Negros Oriental Provincial Hospital Molecular Laboratory (NOPHML) are seen to hasten coronavirus testing in the province, Bautista said in an interview.

The donation also includes consumables like PCR strips and sterile filtered pipette tips, among others, she said.

“We are glad to play a significant role in putting up the province’s first testing facility. These new items that we have turned over are our birthday gifts for our beloved Governor Degamo and our way of showing our unwavering commitment to helping the Negrenses thrive amid this health and economic crisis,” she said.

She said the laboratory can process up to 200 swab tests per day, expediting the processing of Covid-19 swab specimens, with results released within the day.

Last year, the samples were sent to Cebu City for testing.

EDC had also previously donated to the province two RT-PCR testing machines and other peripherals for the NOPHML, amounting to more or less PHP15 million.

Bautista said the Lopez-led renewable energy leader firm “continues to fulfill its mission of forging a regenerative future for its Negrense stakeholders.”

EDC owns and operates the 222.5-megawatt Negros geothermal facility, the company’s 2nd biggest site in Negros Oriental that has been providing uninterrupted supply of clean, renewable power to Negros Island and to the rest of the Visayas region for almost 40 years.

In total, EDC generates over 40 percent of the Philippines’ renewable energy output and serves about 10 percent of the country’s overall electricity demand with its installed capacity of almost 1,500 megawatts (MW).

Its 1,181MW geothermal portfolio accounts for 62 percent of the country’s total installed geothermal capacity and has put the Philippines on the map as the world’s third largest geothermal power producer, the company’s media release said. (PNA)