ICTSI Foundation empowers Aeta community

Credit to Author: THE MANILA TIMES| Date: Sun, 02 Jun 2019 16:17:10 +0000

Successful switch-on of communal solar PV systems installed by ICTSI Foundation and Project Liwanag on March 12 (from left) Project Liwanag Executive Director Marlon Pia, Sitio Alunan 1st Kagawad Arnel Ramos, Sitio Malalabatay Chieftain Vic Oreman, PAGMIMIHA Aeta Federation Chairman Joven Ocampo, ICTSI Foundation Program Operations Manager Joy Lapuz, NCIP-Tarlac representative Gilbert Cuero and Judy Balintay, Sitio Malalabatay resident.

IN partnership with non-profit organization Project Liwanag PH, two communal micro-grid structures were installed at Sitio Malalabatay and Sitio Alunan-Purok 3 in Barangay Sta. Juliana, a remote community in the mountains of Tarlac province, some 109 kilometers north of Manila. Early this year, the Foundation and Project Liwanag had signed a memorandum of agreement to fund the installation of the solar electrification systems.

“Access to power still remains a challenge to many Filipinos living in mountainous regions and far-flung areas, among them our Aeta brothers and sisters. With these solar PV systems, it is our hope that we can improve their lives and make it more convenient,” Christian Gonzalez, ICTSI Global Corporate head and president of ICTSI Foundation, said.

The Aeta tribe, believed to be the earliest inhabitants of the Philippines, had their ancestral domain displaced with the devastating Mount Pinatubo eruption in 1991.

Under the supervision of Project Liwanag contractors, all able-bodied community members helped in the setting-up of the communal micro-grid panels. The residents also personally installed the electrical wires from the panels to their homes. Community leaders were likewise taught the upkeep of the solar PV systems.

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