(Left to Right, standing): Masanori Sugiura (DTBC Director), Francis Estrada (DTBC Chairman of the Board), Yasuhiro Matsuzawa, Business (Development General Director & Board Member), Kiyonori Nakamura (Director for Overseas Development), Thaddeus Acuña (DTBC CFO), Rene Paraba (DTBC Director for Local Government Engagement), Mrs. Charita Puentespina (matriarch and shareholder), Jose Santillan (DTBC Financial Consultant), Atty. Hector Belisario (DTBC Corporate Secretary) (Seated L to R): NDC GM Anton Mauricio, DTBC President Olive Puentespina

Matina Aplaya, Davao City on December 7, 2023: The National Development Company (i.e. NDC), an investment arm of the Philippine government, recently signed a P40 million commitment into Davao Thermo Biotech Corporation (i.e. DTBC) via an investment agreement. The signing ceremony between NDC General Manager Anton Mauricio and DTBC President Olive Puentespina was held at Matina Aplaya, Davao City on December 7, 2023, in the presence DTBC top management and DTBC’s key Japanese technology partner, Kyowa Kako.

The timely P40 million investment by NDC will be used to fund further expansion plans by DTBC, such as the installation of a dashboard at the plant by 2024, in order to monitor air and composting activity, among other key expansion plans.

Among key speeches coming from NDC Undersecretary and General Manager Anton Mauricio and DTBC Chair Mr Francis Estrada, the ceremony was also highlighted by a key message of support coming from DTI Secretary Alfredo E. Pascual.

During his warm message of support, DTI Sec. Pascual highlighted the innovative nature of the DTBC business venture, that converts biodegradable wastes into biofertilizer. Aside from its environmental sustainability, Sec. Pascual also highlighted how such investments by the government (through the NDC) further demonstrated the government's thrust in diversifying and promotion investments in other part of the country. It is the DTI Secretary’s hope and reiteration to also visit the DTBC plant and see first- hand, the plant’s conversion process, in the near future.

About the Davao Thermo Biotech Corporation:

Davao Thermo Biotech Corp, established in 2015, is a Filipino company engaged in biodegradable waste management through the use of a patented hyper-thermophilic aerobic composting. This novel Japanese technology is environmentally safe, natural, and is compliant with local laws and regulations. The composting plant is appropriately designed to prevent any leachate contamination during the mixing & composting process, thereby preventing any negative impact on public health and the water table.

To date, more than 30 million kilos of biodegradable waste have been diverted from landfills and other traditional dump to its composting plant in Binugao, Toril, Davao City. To complete the cycle, at the end of the composting period, all biodegradable wastes is turned into biofertilizer, a necessary component in healing the deteriorating Philippine farmlands to support farm productivity and food security.

DTBC believes that waste is not the problem. Their circular reframing views waste as a resource, not refuse, and by managing waste through biodegradable composting, waste itself becomes generative, useful, and productive. With its’ mission to help clean Philippine environment and revolutionize Philippine agriculture, and the inspired leadership of the late Dr. Roberto "Doc Bo" Puentespina, a passionate wildlife veterinarian with great experience in environmentalism, DTBC’s operations transform biodegradable wastes into an agricultural resource through novel biotech technologies; becoming a leading sustainable enterprise that acts as a powerful catalyst for the effective management of Philippine ecosystems.

About the National Development Company:

NDC, the government’s investment arm, is the Philippine’s leading state-owned enterprise - investing in diverse industries, serving as an effective catalyst for inclusive growth.

As mandated in its Revised Charter (PD 1648) NDC, may on its own, or in joint venture with the private sector, undertake vital projects when necessary or when the private sector is not willing or able to undertake such projects due to high risks or to lack of funds/resources.

Source: NDC press release