180 ARMM villages get electricity — finally

SHARIFF AGUAK, Maguindanao — Electricity finally came to at least 180 villages in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) Friday night, thanks to a US-funded renewable energy program, that many Muslim clerics consider a Ramadan gift that symbolizes "enlightenment and wisdom" to do good and reject evil.

The switching-on, organized by the US-funded Alliance for Mindanao Off-Grid Renewable Energy Program (AMORE) and ARMM Gov. Zaldy Ampatuan, coincided with the lailatul kad’r, an important day in Ramadan which, for Muslims, was the day Allah, through Archangel Gabriel, ordered Mohammad to propagate Islam.

The solar-powered lighting facilities in the 180 villages were switched on during a symbolic ceremony held at Ampatuan’s liaison office here.

Witnessing the event were Muslim clerics, representatives of the provincial peace and order council, and lawyer Mustapha Sambolawan, the newly installed manager of the World Bank-funded ARMM Social Fund Project.

According to AMORE officials, the community solar power facilities got the assistance of Mirant Philippines Foundation and Winrock International, both involved in various rehabilitation projects for the poor.

Each of the solar panels and storage batteries cost at least P75,000.

AMORE now benefits 400 households in the ARMM and surrounding regions. The number is expected to increase threefold in the next three years.

Ampatuan said ARMM residents are grateful for the support of foreign donors in rebuilding Muslim communities still reeling from past armed conflicts.

"We in the government cannot do this difficult mission alone. We are very thankful that President Arroyo and foreign and local donors are helping us rebuild many parts of the ARMM into progressive and peaceful (communities)," he said.

Ampatuan and his father, Maguindanao Gov. Datu Andal Ampatuan, both appealed to the beneficiaries to protect the solar lighting facilities.

"We must cherish the project as something Allah gave for us to have light in our homes, for only those with evil intentions and those who do not obey the teachings of Islam, which literally means peace, want to live in darkness," the older Ampatuan said.

Ustadz Farid Solaiman, the grand preacher here, said last Friday’s lailatul kad’r celebration, which coincided with AMORE’s "light festival," also signaled the last three days of the Ramadan — a holy month in Islam.

During Ramadan, Muslims fast from dawn to dusk as a religious obligation meant to inculcate among them the importance of self-restraint and patience to achieve spiritual perfection.