EDC SIKAT SCHOLARS SHINE WITH THE HELP OF ASUS LAPTOPS


    WHEN the pandemic hit in 2020, many underprivileged students were left at a disadvantage of finding technological ways to cope with the demands of online learning.

    For Leones Mae Timosan, who lived in a rural area in Negros Oriental, traveling 45 minutes to a computer shop in the city had posed a new challenge as an incoming college freshman under a scholarship.

    Fortunately, she and over 100 other SIKAT scholars of geothermal leader Energy Development Corporation (EDC) had become beneficiaries of brand-new laptops through a partnership with ASUS Philippines.

    The SIKAT Program is the banner education program of EDC’s Corporate Social Responsibility that aims to provide support to underprivileged but deserving members of its host communities for higher education.

    According to EDC’s Assistant Vice President and Head of Corporate Social Responsibility and Public Relations Atty. Allan V. Barcena, the initiative is a “long-term solution” to make the communities self-reliant and become progressive.

    “When it comes to our scholars, we realized that because of the COVID pandemic and because of distance learning or remote learning, they need to have the basic equipment which is the laptop,” said Barcena.

    EDC partnered with ASUS Philippines in July 2020 before the start of the school year to help the SIKAT scholars adjust to the academic requirements of the new normal.

    EDC Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Officer and SIKAT Program Lead Damsel Iris L. Fruto shared that while 31% of SIKAT scholars already had access to laptops, ASUS provided the “best specs” in a laptop for first-time users and college students.

    “With the ASUS laptops provided to our scholars, they were able to join [our] virtual event and they were able to accomplish their requirements in school,” Fruto said.

    Since receiving the laptop, Timosan, who is currently taking up BS in Civil Engineering at Negros Oriental State University, does not rely on computer shops to accomplish schoolwork. “I can say that I am now more productive and it's also saving me a lot of time and money because I can now create my assignments and projects at home,” she said in an online interview.

    Another SIKAT scholar, Meluny Bregabiel who used to borrow her sister’s laptop, is now able to complete tasks at her own pace.

    “I believe that what [sets] ASUS apart from others [is] its highly optimized and powerful performance figures. Because these laptops that you provide can handle severe load usage for varied durations of time as per experience,” said Bregabiel who is currently taking up BS Food Technology at the University of the Philippines Visayas.

    Vanessa Sabaldana, an EDC scholar currently taking up BS Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering at Visayas State University, is grateful for her ASUS laptop unit because “without the ASUS laptop, it is very difficult for us to [make] visual presentations or visual aids, [and] 3D drawings.” The ASUS laptop allowed her and her fellow scholars to reach their full potential and “become more productive and efficient.”

    ASUS is committed to become a ray of light to more incredible scholars of the EDC SIKAT Program through the laptops.

    In addition to the SIKAT Program, EDC also supports other local scholars in Mt. Apo and the multi-awarded technical-vocational institution, Keitech Educational Foundation, Inc. EDC also supported these scholars by providing them with ASUS X409 JA-BV017T laptops.

    ABOUT EDC

    Energy Development Corporation (EDC) is the largest pure renewable energy company in the Philippines, operating 1,186 MW of geothermal, 150 MW of wind, 132 MW of hydroelectric power, and 12 MW of solar power plants— for a total of 1,480 MW of clean and renewable energy. Recognized as a world leader in wet steam field technology, the Company operates in various locations in the Philippines, including in Bicol, Leyte, Negros Island, and Mindanao. EDC, through its subsidiaries, also operates the biggest combined wind and solar farm in the region, located in Burgos, Ilocos Norte, and substantial hydropower assets located in Nueva Ecija.

    EDC accounts for 19 percent of the country’s total installed renewable energy capacity, and comprises 62 percent of the country’s total installed geothermal capacity based on the Philippine’s 2020 total installed capacity figures as published in the DOE 2003-2020 Power Statistics report. It has put the Philippines on the map as the 3rd largest geothermal producer in the world.

    PRODUCT DETAILS AND SPECS

    The ASUS X409 is a powerful all-around 14-inch laptop with a straightforward design perfect for everyday use. Check out the classic X409 at https://www.asus.com/ph/ or have a look at the solutions guide for more incredible laptop options.

    About ASUS X409

    ● Stylish and portable with an overall weight of just 1.65kg.

    ● NanoEdge display and 178° wide viewing angle for an immersive viewing experience for work and play.

    ● Dual-storage design of SSD and HDD for a perfect combination of large storage capacity and fast data read/write speeds.

    ● Built-in fingerprint sensor for a fast yet secure way of logging in.