A total of 120 beneficiaries composed of families, teachers, and uniformed personnel in Pag-Asa Island — the only barangay in Kalayaan, Palawan— received solar lamps in a recent community outreach of the One Meralco Foundation (OMF), the corporate social responsibility arm of the Manuel V. Pangilinan-led Manila Electric Company (Meralco).
OMF, through its solar lamp distribution project Light Up Pilipinas, participated in the Guro, Pulis, Sundalo na May Galing, Puso, at Sigasig (GPS2) program of Metrobank Foundation, Inc. to help provide island residents with access to basic needs and services. This is the second time the outreach activity has been held in the remote Pag-Asa Island, located in the West Philippine Sea some two hours away via aircraft from Puerto Princesa, Palawan.
The solar lamps from OMF will provide light to guide fisherfolks whenever they venture out to sea and give uniformed personnel in the island additional equipment to help with their monitoring duties.
For Jonel Rapols, a fisherman living in Pag-Asa Island, the solar lamp is useful for when he’s out fishing in the dark and when he needs to check on his boat for repairs, especially during the Amihan (northeast monsoon) season when the waves are strong.
Rapols also underscored the importance of his family owning a solar lamp that charges for free when exposed to sunlight.
Aside from the solar lamps, residents also received grocery bags, sacks of rice, as well as crutches and walkers during the outreach. Children, meanwhile, received uniforms, dental kits, sports equipment, and loot bags. Various groups also contributed to donate equipment and books.
“Our kababayan residing in Pag-Asa Island may be isolated by distance, but they are not alone. They continue to demonstrate resilience and strength despite various threats. We hope that through this initiative, we can express our readiness to support and provide for their productivity,” OMF President and Meralco Chief Corporate Social Responsibility Officer Jeffrey O. Tarayao said.
“When different groups, both from the government and private sector, come together, we can spread the light further and be of service to more of our kababayan,” he added.
Since 2021, the Light Up Pilipinas program has provided solar lamps to more than 8,000 families, fisherfolks, indigenous communities, forest rangers, soldiers, and those in underserved rural communities so they can be more productive at home and at work.
