The Philippines is known for its archipelagic nature, home to varied scenic terrain and breathtaking beaches, which makes the country worthy of the moniker Pearl of the Orient. However, possessing paradise-like beauty also means that many areas in the country are naturally remote, posing challenges in access to basic services such as electricity.
Stable and reliable electricity service brings a multitude of benefits, especially to far-flung areas. Beyond playing a crucial role in powering national growth and economic progress, it also brings hope to the communities, empowering them to achieve a better quality of life.
One with the government in pursuing total electrification for the country, Manila Electric Company's (Meralco) social development arm, One Meralco Foundation (OMF), has been distributing high-grade solar lamps to far-flung areas across the archipelago through its transformative program befittingly called Light Up Pilipinas.
Born from the need to complement OMF's regular electrification program, Light Up Pilipinas is a developmental initiative that aims to benefit off-grid indigent communities, coastal barangays, and fishing communities by boosting their productivity through distribution of portable solar lamps that they can use for their livelihoods.
From Light Up El Nido to Light Up Pilipinas
Following the remarkable success of Light Up El Nido, a small-scale solar lamp donation campaign in El Nido, Palawan in 2021, OMF has proceeded to institutionalize the initiative as an official solar lamp donation program to other parts of the country, which merited the name Light Up Pilipinas.
Some 600 families from 12 communities in barangays of Bucana, Bebeladan and Teneguiban who were living below the poverty line were the first beneficiaries of Light Up Pilipinas. They were given a Namene SM100 solar light, an all-in-one, multifunctional lamp that can provide up to 16 hours of light on a single charge.
With fishing and farming as the main livelihood of the residents in the area, the Namene SM100 really came in handy since it has a strap that allows it to function as a headlamp. It also comes with a metal stand allowing it to also function as a desk lamp, which can be used by students to study at night.
The Light Up El Nido project was a clear demonstration of how members of the private sector can actively take part in improving the lives of Filipinos in vulnerable and low-income communities. It was therefore fitting to extend its benefits to other underserved regions.
As the project expanded to become Light Up Pilipinas, with an initial fund amounting to Php1.8 million pooled by Meralco's corporate customers and employees, OMF was able to distribute 4102 solar lamps to off-grid communities across the country in 2022 alone.
Two years into the program
Armed with the deep understanding that empowering the livelihood of indigent communities is tantamount to enabling inclusive growth for the country, OMF has continued to spread light and hope to different far-flung areas outside Meralco's franchise area.
Staying true to its commitment, OMF's Light Up Pilipinas program has so far benefitted over 6,000 low-income families across the country since its kickoff in October of 2021.
Bolstered by the generosity of the Meralco Fund for Charity, Inc. (MEFCI), a charitable institution comprising Meralco employees, the Light Up Pilipinas program has gone coast to coast and beyond Meralco's franchise. In 2023, the Foundation was able to distribute close to 1,600 portable solar lamps, benefiting farmers, fisherfolks, forest rangers, delivery riders, and mobile vendors from indigent communities all over the country.
Beneficiaries of the Light Up Pilipinas Program for this year include communities from the provinces of Rizal, Cebu, Antique, Bulacan, Cagayan, Aurora, Laguna, Zambales, Ilocos Norte, and Catanduanes.
Among the recent beneficiaries of the program are 227 families residing in the coastal communities of Aurora, particularly in Barangay Dibut in San Luis and Sitio Dialang in Barangay San Ildefonso in the municipality of Casiguran.
Recognizing the dedication of employee volunteers from OMF, the Meralco Rescue Team (MRT), and the Bureau of Fire and Protection (BFP) Pasig, who spent a total of 27 hours on the road to and from these remote communities, Mrs. Virginia Bernabe, a resident of Barangay Dibut, expressed her gratitude in Filipino: "I want to thank One Meralco Foundation because they really traveled a long distance to reach our community. The solar lamp they gave us is a big help to my family and our community because we do not have electricity yet. This is helpful for our livelihood and for the education of my grandchildren."
San Ildefonso Barangay Captain Proceso P. Moreno likewise expressed his gratefulness for the initiative. "I am thankful that One Meralco Foundation has chosen our barangay for this program. They gave us solar lamps that my constituents can use in their homes and for their livelihood such as fishing and farming," he said in Filipino.
Earlier this year, OMF also implemented Light Up Pilipinas in Norzagaray, Bulacan benefiting forest rangers tasked to protect the 6,000-square meter Ipo Watershed, which forms part of the Sierra Madre.
Prior to receiving the solar lamps from OMF, the forest rangers need to be resourceful, sometimes even resorting to using their own money on essential tools for their jobs. Danilo Santos, a resident of Sitio Sapang Munti and a seasoned forest ranger with three decades of experience, said: "We used to buy our own flashlight because we do not have any source of light. Sometimes, we make our own fire using dried leaves and wood just to have a source of light. These were very costly and tiring for us."
Now that they have a solar lamp that they can use in guarding the forest of Sierra Madre, the forest rangers are now able to perform their jobs safely and more efficiently especially now that they must be stricter in implementing protocols against illegal burning of underbrush and trees in the area.
Partnering with like minded organizations
Granted that the data from the World Bank Global Electrification Database, which tracks the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 7 or the Energy Progress Report, indicates that 97.5% of the country's total population has access to electricity in 2021, it still does not qualify as total electrification.
The remaining 2.5%, albeit a small percentage, represents hundreds of thousands of families that remain in the shadows of darkness after the sun has already set.
It is for this reason that the OMF, through the Light Up Pilipinas Program, continues with its mission to reach the farthest barangays to change the lives of many Filipinos residing in the corners of the country who are yet to experience the benefits of having electricity.
Aside from the financial assistance provided by MEFCI and Meralco's corporate customers for the Light Up Pilipinas Program, the Foundation also partners with organizations and institutions that share the advocacy and understands the urgent need to illuminate the darkness that envelops the unserved and underserved communities in the country.
One Million Lights Philippines (OML), a nationally awarded, youth-led, non-profit organization focusing on improving the quality of life of Filipinos through better lighting, was OMF's first partner in the Light Up El Nido project, which paved the way for the birth of the Light Up Pilipinas Program.
Other organizations that have been part of the initiative were Xavier Science Foundation, Inc., Ortigas Center Mountaineers, Inc., Manila Water Foundation, Philippine Navy, Philippine Army, Department of Environment and Natural Resources of the Philippines, and the local government of Ilocos Norte.
"One Meralco Foundation will remain relentless in advancing its mission to bring light to every dark corner of the country. Reaching and empowering the farthest barangays is the core of the Foundation's existence, and we will continue to help improve the lives of our fellow Filipinos one solar lamp at a time," OMF President Jeffrey O. Tarayao said.
