Poor ARMM residents enjoying solar power

KIDAPAWAN CITY, Philippines - Poor residents of Maguindanao and Shariff Kabungsuan in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) who had lived for many decades without electricity are now enjoying "power from the sun." One of them is Tanie Mamaluba, 45, of Barangay Linandangan, one of the remotest villages in conflict-affected town of Pagalungan, Maguindanao, "You will never experience a total blackout or brownout once you have one of the solar electric systems in place—the power is arguably even more dependable than what you get from the grid," he said. Mamaluba could not contain his excitement when solar panels were installed on May 2005 in his little farming village, about 72.3 kilometers from Cotabato City, the seat of the ARMM regional government. Since last year, solar power has been put up in some of the towns in these provinces through the Alliance for Mindanao's Off-Grid Renewable Energy (Amore) program, a partnership of the US Agency for International Development (USAID), Mirant Philippines Foundation, Inc., the Department of Energy, Winrock International and the ARMM regional government. ARMM continues to hold the record of having the lowest electrification rate, standing at 84.34% percent, or 2, 255 villages out of 2, 671 barangays, records showed. Since 2002, Amore has been helping promote peace and progress in Mindanao by sustainable energizing poor, remote, conflict-affected communities that cannot be connected to the power grid, with clean, indigenous, reliable and affordable stand-alone renewable energy systems such as solar and micro hydro. Amore has energized at least 39 villages, most of them remote, in Shariff Kabunsuan and 77 in Maguindanao province. Each village has at least 30 households, records from the Amore showed. "Imagine the mood of people in a remote village for having electricity for the first time in their lives after several decades? They were screaming and jumping up and down for joy as they will be no longer live in darkness for the rest of their lives," Mamaluba said. Since 2005, Mamaluba's village has not "struggled" anymore in the dark as solar-powered batteries lighted their homes. "Through this solar power, we now have the chance to use modern conveniences such as television sets, electric lights, and radio sets," he said. But other communities are not as lucky as Linandangan in Pagalungan. Records from Amore revealed that as of December 2007, at least 1,438 villages in the region are still not energized. On June 18, an agreement was signed between the Amore Program and a power cooperative in the region to carry out 100% electrification program by the end of 2009 in six provinces of Mindanao. During the signing of the agreement, Energy Secretary Angelo Reyes said that in the next chapter of rural electrification, Amore and other electric cooperatives will again work together. The covenant signing last June 18 - where Amore committed to cover a total of 122 barangays or roughly 30 percent of all un-energized barangays in ARMM -- re-affirms its commitment to alleviate poverty in the ARMM, as well as foster peace and development in its conflict-ridden areas. "By providing electricity in their homes, Amore is able to give the children the chance for a better life. By lighting their homes at night, Amore is placed in a position to improve the people's lives and livelihood," its website said. The covenant signing marked the last lap of Amore's venture in the region. "When the government began rural electrification in 1999, the task appeared was daunting. Back then, about 9,600 barangays across the country had no electricity. In these villages, people cried out for attention and compassion," it added. - GMANews.TV