by Sarwell Meniano | July 13, 2026 | Published by Philippine News Agency | READ THE STORY HERE
TACLOBAN CITY – The Institute for Climate and Sustainable Cities (ICSC) is expanding its partnership with local government units (LGUs) in Eastern Visayas to help accelerate the region’s transition to renewable energy (RE).
In a statement on Monday, the ICSC said it aims to work with more municipalities in developing local renewable energy roadmaps that will help unlock indigenous energy resources, attract investments, strengthen energy security, and build climate-resilient communities.
“The roadmap eventually unlocks local RE potential, attracts more investments, strengthens energy security, and paves the way for a more resilient and sustainable future for communities across the region,” the organization said.
The statement was issued following the Renewable Energy Roadmap Scoping Workshop held recently in partnership with the municipal government of Alangalang in Leyte.
Alangalang is the first town in Leyte to develop a renewable energy roadmap aimed at enhancing local energy security and accelerating its clean energy transition.
The workshop gathered representatives from the municipal government, national government agencies, the local electric cooperative, civil society organizations, and development partners to identify priority actions for institutionalizing the municipality’s shift to renewable energy.
“The success of our energy transition will not just be measured in megawatts installed, but in the choices we enable our communities to make. Because when local governments lead, communities follow, and sustainable progress becomes possible,” the ICSC said.
Aside from Alangalang, the organization is also working with five other LGUs in Eastern Visayas to advance local energy transition through the development of local energy plans and the enactment of RE ordinances.
These are the municipalities of Paranas and Marabut in Samar, and Guiuan, Oras, and Salcedo in Eastern Samar. The five LGUs signed a memorandum of understanding with the ICSC on Feb. 20 to implement a participatory local energy planning process.
The ICSC said the initiative is particularly important for Eastern Visayas, where recurring power shortages have disrupted health services, communications, and education despite the region hosting renewable energy facilities such as solar and geothermal plants.
The region remains heavily dependent on coal-fired power generation, contributing to some of the country’s highest electricity rates.
Under the memorandum of understanding, the participating LGUs committed to align their local energy initiatives with national policies, including the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Act and the Department of the Interior and Local Government-Department of Energy joint memorandum circular on facilitating energy projects.
The ICSC, for its part, committed to provide technical assistance and capacity-building support to help LGUs undertake multi-stakeholder local energy planning, formulate clean energy transition plans, craft RE ordinances, and mobilize investments.
Photo: Solar Rooftop installed in the Municipal Building of Guiuan Eastern Samar /ICSC
