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About this event

The Upsilon Sigma Phi invites everyone to the fifth installment of U-Talks Climate Action Series. This session will revolve around how climate finance will enable us to achieve the goal of net-zero carbon emissions.

The climate change crisis has mobilized governments, organizations, and individuals to take immediate action against global warming, but in many cases, this requires a shift to more expensive practices and technologies. The talk will focus on governments’ funding pledges, and how environmental, social, and governance factors are critical in accessing these funds.

Our speaker:

Our speaker for this installment is Fellow Michael Arthur “Migs” C. Sagcal who currently serves as the Country Representative of Washington, D.C.-based firm Astris Finance and the President of project development company, Libra Konsult.

Migs completed his Visual Communication and Juris Doctor degrees from the University of the Philippines Diliman in 2005 and 2009, respectively. He also finished a Diploma in Corporate Finance from the Ateneo de Manila University in 2014. He attended Her Majesty’s Treasury Infrastructure, UK's Public Private Partnership Masterclass as a Mansion House scholar in 2012. He was recognized as a Global Opinion Leader by Povaddo in 2019, and recently completed Harvard Kennedy School's Executive Education program on Climate Change Policy: Economics and Politics in 2021.

Summary:

The Upsilon Sigma Phi invites everyone to the fourth installment of U-Talks: Climate Action Series. MORE Power’s President and CEO Roel Z. Castro will give a talk on how MORE Power is adopting to the fast-changing policies and improvements in the technological environment. He will also share the various activities MORE Power is doing in contributing to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Our speaker:

Roel is the President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of More Electric and Power Corp. He established the company three years ago with the end in goal of operating the electric distribution utility here in Iloilo City.

Roel has been in the power and electricity business for over 15 years now. He was a pioneer in the creation of the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) when it took over the management of the transmission grid from the National Transmission Corp (Transco). After his stint in NGCP, he started a number of power generation companies in Western Visayas and Mindanao to provide baseload and peaking power.

For his academic preparation, Roel finished Bachelor of Science in Agricultural Business from the University of the Philippines Los Banos in 1987. He completed his Master in Management from the Asian Institute of Management in 1997. In 2017, he attended the Advanced Executive Management Program of the Iesse School of Management (University of Navarre) in Spain in partnership with the University of Asia and the Pacific (UA&P).

Roel has received several recognitions among which is the Most Outstanding Alumnus of UPLB. He was also featured twice by The Asian CEO Magazine. Roel is one of the Upsilonian Noble and Outstanding (UNO) awardees in 2020.

Summary:

The Upsilon Sigma Phi invites everyone to the third installment of U-Talks: Climate Action Series. The talk will revolve around renewable energy opportunities in the Philippines.

Renewable energy is an essential part of the country's low emissions development strategy and is vital to addressing the challenges of climate change, energy security, and access to energy. Developments in renewable energy are also vital in responding to the country's economic and energy problems which are compounded by the pandemic.

Our speaker:

Our resource speaker for this installment is Carlos Lorenzo Vega, Vice President for Power Marketing, Economics and Trading Group of First Gen Corporation. Carlos is responsible for the business development, regulatory and power marketing efforts for the geothermal, hydroelectric, and natural gas-fired power projects of First Gen Corporation. Carlos graduated Cum Laude with a bachelor’s degree in Economics from the University of the Philippines - Los Baños and a master’s degree in Business Administration and Management from the Asian Institute of Management.

Press Release:

Upsilon Sigma Phi and Unilever Philippines Champion Sustainability

This 2nd episode of the "U-Talks, Climate Action Series" revolves revolve around sustainability, and how any business, even global conglomerates, can adopt ethical and sustainable practices to mitigate environmental damage.

Our speaker:

Ed Sunico is the Vice President for Communication of South East Asia and concurrently heads the Sustainable Business and Communications function of Unilever Philippines. Handling corporate affairs and championing sustainability, Ed translates performance into purpose as he leads Unilever’s various sustainability initiatives focused on health & nutrition, environment, and livelihood with the goal to inspire change in the industry and make sustainable living commonplace. Purpose-led and Future-fit, his organization has consistently been named as a leader in the Dow Jones Sustainability Index as well as the Globe Scan Sustainability Leaders survey. Unilever Philippines also won the top sustainability award from the 2018 ASIA CEO Awards and named as one of the best workplaces by HR Asia. Ed began his career in Unilever in 1991 and has worked in various roles in Customer Development and Media.

Press Release:

U-CAN talks climate initiative launched by Upsilon Sigma Phi

The Philippines’ initiatives to fight climate change. The Paris Agreement is a legally binding international treaty on climate change. It was adopted by 196 countries (including the Philippines) at the 21st Conference of the Parties in 2015. Its goal is to limit global warming to well below 2, preferably to 1.5 deg Celsius, compared to pre-industrial levels. We will hear the Philippine commitments to the Paris Agreement and it’s climate change mitigation strategies to strengthen the country’s resilience and adaptive capacity.

Our speaker:

Atty. Felix William “Wimpy” Fuentebella is a current Undersecretary for Planning, Investment, and Media Affairs and Spokesperson of the Department of Energy. Prior to his current role at the DOE, he was tasked to lead the Power and Renewable Energy programs. Wimpy hails from Tigaon, Camarines Sur where he served as Congressman of the Fourth legislative district. As a member of House of Representatives of the Philippines, he pursued several bills including the Anti-Money Laundering Act or the Republic Act 9160 and amendments to the Procurement Act or Republic Act 9184. Wimpy earned his BS in Business Administration in 1997 from the University of the Philippines, started his Bachelor of Laws in the Ateneo Law School and continued it from San Sebastian College Recoletos Institute of Laws. He passed the Bar Examination in 2009. Wimpy started his government career as a Political Affairs Officer from 1997–2000, as Chief of Staff from 2007–2010, Housing Commissioner of the Housing and Land Use Regulatory Board in 2010, Deputy Secretary General of the Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council in 2011.