Globe Telecom promotes use of renewable energy through solar lantern distribution

Globe Telecom reinforces its commitment to environmental sustainability by promoting the benefits of using renewable energy among its partner communities in far-flung places which are deprived of electricity.

                Globe, together with Stiftung Solarenergie Philippines, is spearheading a solar lantern distribution program in Batangas, Davao, and Benguet.  The said provinces are part of the Community of Practice (CoP) strategy of Globe which brings together various advocacies and initiatives of the company in areas of environment, good governance, social services, entrepreneurship, and volunteerism.

                “We employ a wholistic approach in the communities that we serve that is why we provide them with the tools to make their lives better.  In this case, we decided on distributing solar lamps so that the people could avoid using coal and kerosene which are hazardous to their health and environment.  More importantly, it is expected that the use of solar lamps will generate significant household savings which they can use for more productive undertakings,” said Fernando Esguerra, OIC, Globe Corporate Social Responsibility.

                Globe has identified specific communities in the three provinces which are not part of the main electrical transmission grid, thus, they rely heavily on fossil fuels such as coal and petroleum to provide light in the evening.  However, the use of fossil fuels has raised considerable concern among environmentalists since they are non-renewable resources and take millions of years to form.

                As an initial activity, 80 solar lamps will be distributed to the boatmen and tour guides of Taal who live in Barangay Caliwit, Balete, Batangas.  Balete is a fifth class municipality along Taal Lake which provides a panoramic view of Taal Volcano. Calawit is one of the 13 barangays in Balete. 

                In Arakan Valley, at the border of Davao and Northern Cotabato, recipients of the solar lamps are the 132 members of Bantay Gubat, a group of tribal people who protect the habitat of the Philippine Eagle. 

                On the other hand, public elementary schools hosting seedling nurseries will be the beneficiaries of 257 solar lamps in Benguet to lessen and eventually end their reliance on kerosene. 

                Solar lamps for distribution are either portable or for installation in homes and can provide from four hours of continuous use under maximum setting to as long as 100 hours under bedtime setting.  They can also be used to charge mobile phones.

                Globe currently has existing partnerships with Pusod, Inc. on the protection of the Taal Volcano Protected Landscape, Philippine Eagle Foundation for the Forest Corridor Initiative Program in Arakan Valley, and Cordillera Conservation Trust on the Roots & Shoots Nursery Program in Benguet.