Alsons Power Group, the power business unit of the Alcantara Group, has officially announced the retirement of Tirso G. Santillan, Jr. as Executive Vice President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO), effective March 31, 2024. Succeeding him as CEO is the group’s current Deputy CEO Antonio Miguel B. Alcantara starting April 1, 2024.
With a career that has spanned three decades at Alsons Power, Santillan, affectionately known as “Cito” among his colleagues and friends, has made significant contributions to the company’s growth and development.
“The organization is fortunate to have Cito's wealth of wisdom, dedication, and tireless efforts in transforming Alsons Power into what it is today: a highly dependable, responsible, and trusted power supplier in Mindanao, with an expanding presence in other areas in the country,” said Nicasio I. Alcantara, Chairman of Alsons Power.
Santillan played a crucial role during the group's formative years in the '90s, when Mindanao and the rest of the country were grappling with a power crisis. Alsons Power Group was one of the first in the private sector to respond to this situation, embarking on its inaugural power generation project – the 103-megawatt (MW) Northern Mindanao Power Corporation, now known as Mapalad Power Corporation, in Iligan City in 1993.
After four years, Alsons started running the 100-MW Western Mindanao Power Corporation (WMPC) diesel plant in Sangali, Zamboanga City, enhancing the region’s power supply reliability. In 1998, the Southern Philippines Power Corporation (SPPC) diesel-fired power plant in Alabel, Sarangani Province commenced operations.
By 1998, Alsons Power had a total capacity of 258 MW, accounting for 16.6 percent of Mindanao's total capacity of 1,552 MW and 2.15% of the country's total capacity of 11,988 MW.
As Mindanao again faced recurring power shortages in the late 2000s, Santillan played an important part in the development of the 210-MW Sarangani Energy Corporation (SEC) baseload facility in Maasim, Sarangani. The first 105-MW unit of SEC began operating in 2016, while the second 105-MW unit commenced in 2019.
Santillan also led Alsons Power’s inaugural renewable energy (RE) project—the 14.5-MW Siguil Hydro Power Corporation (SHPC), which is set to begin commercial operations this year. This is one of the group’s contributions to achieving the Philippines RE power generation mix targets of 35% by 2030 and 50% by 2040.
Following Santillan's retirement, Antonio Miguel B. Alcantara will assume the role of CEO, effective April 1, 2024. Alcantara brings 15 years of experience within Alsons Power to this new role. Currently serving as the Deputy CEO of Alsons Power Group, he has been instrumental in the group’s business development and portfolio expansion efforts.
“I am deeply grateful for Cito Santillan's exceptional leadership, which has been instrumental in shaping Alsons Power’s trajectory over the last thirty years. He led us through periods of significant growth and also laid a solid foundation for our future endeavors. Inspired by his commitment to excellence, I look forward to leading Alsons Power’s next chapter as we drive forward, embracing innovation and transformation with a steadfast focus on making a positive societal impact,” said Alcantara.
For his part, Santillan expressed his confidence in Alcantara's ability to lead Alsons Power into the future.
“Looking ahead, I see a bright future for Alsons Power with Anton at the helm. His dynamic leadership and depth of experience instill in me a strong belief that Alsons Power will reach new levels of success,” Santillan said.
To date, Alsons Power has an aggregate capacity of 468 MW, serving over eight million people in 14 cities and 11 provinces in Mindanao. The group is also enhancing its RE footprint, with SHPC nearing completion and several others in various stages of development. PR