Lighting up the future – literally – seems to be what Jim Ayala, chairman of the Solar Energy Foundation; and Art Valdez of the Kaya ng Pinoy Foundation has been doing for Davao del Sur lately. Trekking off to off-grid barangays in the said region, the two foundations have delivered almost up to 500 solar-powered lanterns to communities that have made use of kerosene and oil lamps for the past 36 years.
The most recent delivery, which was last Friday, February 10, on Sitio Sabwag, a village located just a stone’s throw away from the enigmatic Mt. Apo. The trek was a monumental success, both for the hikers and town residents, with 48 households, for the first time in 3 decades, experienced efficient and practical lighting.
According to Ayala, the choice of solar lanterns as compared to conventional battery-powered ones is based on its underlying benefits. A solar lantern, when fully charged, can light up for 100 hours, in the normal selector option; while as nine hours can be achieved with the maximum illumination selector option. Also, the solar lanterns can also serve as cell phone chargers, giving its users added benefits of time and convenience. Ayala has noted that some residents would actually head on over to another village just to charge their phones (which is a number of kilometers away), which can prove to be troublesome and time-consuming.
