by Sophia Kaye Fernandez Editor’s Note: Sophia is currently a Communications Officer for Media and Events at the Institute for Climate and Sustainable Cities, stationed at the organization’s Eastern Visayas office. We are usually taught to be afraid of the dark. But for me, it was something I grew up expecting. Blackouts [...]
by Rebecca Carmela Cruz Editor’s Note: Becca Cruz is a Senior Data Analyst with the Institute for Climate and Sustainable Cities. Last February 12, our Energy Policy Team—the coolest team ever—joined Iloilo Provincial Board Member Rolando Distura on a ‘Lakbay Aral’ across Iloilo to witness firsthand its remarkable solar projects and initiatives. These efforts were [...]
SAMAR, March 27, 2025 – The municipal building of Paranas, Samar is now powered by a 48 kilowatt-peak (kWp) Smart Hybrid Solar Photovoltaic (PV) System, which was formally handed over through a Turnover Ceremony and Signing of Deed of Donation at the municipal hall grounds on March 26. The hybrid solar PV system installation was [...]
EASTERN SAMAR, March 2, 2025 – A 60 kilowatt-peak (kWp) On-Grid Hybrid Solar Photovoltaic (PV) System was formally handed over to the municipality of Guiuan, Eastern Samar, through a Ceremonial Switch-on and Turn-over held at the Guiuan Municipal Hall grounds on February 27. The hybrid solar PV system installation was done in partnership with the [...]
On December 2021, Super Typhoon Odette, internationally known as Rai, devastated the provinces of Surigao del Norte and Dinagat Islands. A year later, Klima Fellows from Philippine Daily Inquirer Erwin Mascariñas and Ivy Marie Mangadlao visited one of the affected villages and documented how solar energy helped the community back on its feet.
In the shift to renewables, all hands should be on-deck, from government actors, private stakeholders, the academe, and the community. In this two-part story, our Klima Fellows Germelina Lacorte and Barry Ohaylan speak with academics and engineers from the Ateneo de Davao University to learn about their efforts in greening their university and in extension, Davao City and Mindanao.
The indigenous Manobo community in Sitio Blit in Lake Sebu, South Cotabato used to be shrouded in darkness, until a government project called “tala” (star) lit up their homes using solar power. This special report by Bong Sarmiento and Carolyn Arguillas, our Klima Fellows from Mindanews, takes us to this foggy village in Mindanao, where households benefit from renewable energy.
In the mountainous Sitio Kamantian in Palawan province, the indigenous Pala’wan women turn to solar power not only to light up their community, but to save their long tradition to weave baskets, traditionally called “tingkep.” This story by Keith Anthony Fabro and Jee Geronimo, our Klima Fellows from Rappler, explores how renewable energy lights up an indigenous village, empowers women to uphold their traditions, and helps save the natural forests.
TACLOBAN CITY, 11 November 2022 – Taclobanons continue to power their communities with portable solar energy systems, strengthening their climate and disaster resilience nine years after Typhoon Haiyan (Yolanda) hit the city. Barangay officials and electricians, government trainers, and humanitarian workers assembled seven portable solar-powered devices or TekPaks as part of the three-day Solar Scholars [...]
THE Institute for Climate and Sustainable Cities (ICSC) said the Philippines needs to move towards more “distributed” power generation, which would involve the construction of more solar generation facilities while abandoning the current model of centralized baseload power, currently dominated by coal-fired plants. In an e-mail interview on Sept. 9, Pedro H. Maniego, senior policy advisor of ICSC, a climate and energy policy group, said that the dependence on coal renders the Philippines vulnerable to volatile international energy prices, and put forward solar as an alternative.