More than just a lighting project

The government also helps those who quietly wait their turn.

Last year, 40,000 households composed of about 240,000 individuals living in the remotest and most inaccessible puroks and sitios of Mindanao were provided light and potable water systems in their homes and communities under the Solar Power Technology Support (SPOTS) project of the Department of Land Reform.

With all systems installed in 40 agrarian reform communities located in 16 provinces and five regions in Mindanao, Elpidio Morales, SPOTS project manager, reports that they are now in the process of completing the implementation of AC-10 agribusiness packages.

Morales considers the SPOTS project a breakthrough not only in technology application but also in the sustainability of solar-powered projects.

"With most solar-powered agri-business projects already operational, whatever lingering doubts about the viability of village-level projects of SPOTS there may have been debunked," Morales says.

Already generating income for the communities are the captive fish project using solar-powered aerators of Dinagat Island in Surigao del Norte.

Some villages, according to Morales, are also earning handsomely from the operation of videoke, community theater, battery-charging station and even Internet shops using their AC-10 solar power systems.

The profit from the AC-10 village projects are used to fund the maintenance and repair of the systems, to include the salaries of the people managing the projects.

Moreover, with collection efficiency now up by 80 to 90 percent, home lighting has allowed SPOTS beneficiaries to work four to five hours more in the evenings, the sustainability of the solar power project is further assured.

The real value of the SPOTS project, according to Morales, is its capacity to spur growth in the target areas. Moreover, with actual income now being generated by both the households and the communities in less than two years of systems’ installation, the likelihood of proceeding with the second phase of the project is enhanced.

Hopefully, to be implemented this year is Phase 2 of the project which will cover about 44,000 households or some 284,000 more of the poorest of the poor living in conflict-ridden agrarian reform communities in the Visayas and Mindanao.

As in Phase 1 of the project, SPOTS 2 beneficiaries and their communities will also be provided with eight solar power systems — home lighting, school and health packages, community and barangay hall lighting, potable water system, and AC-10 for agri-business enterprises and agri-water supply.

While not all households in the communities may qualify for household lighting systems, Morales says everyone in the community benefits from the installation of community-level systems such as light and facilities for the schools, barangay clinics, barangay halls, agri and potable water supply, and participation in a village agri-enterprise of their choice.

Funded jointly by the Philippine and Spanish governments at the total cost of $32.889 million, the SPOTS project is the biggest solar-power project of its kind in the world, in terms of coverage and financing.

For each project site, the government has invested about P50 million for the solar packages aimed not only at improving the income and quality of life of agrarian reform beneficiaries, but also in propelling growth.

Initial data show a great improvement in the income and productivity of the farmer-beneficiaries in the SPOTS sites. Home lighting has increased the productivity of households primarily because of the four to 5.5 additional hours put into traditional income-generating projects such as bamboocraft, sewing, embroidery, sari-sari store operation and mini-bakery. This, according to studies on SPOTS 1, translates into an additional monthly income of P5,490.

Preventing losses from theft has also augmented family incomes. With community lighting — streets and other public places — the incidence of theft has been greatly reduced, from 16 reported incidents before SPOTS came into the village to three after SPOTS.

The annual loss from theft per family estimated at P5,001 monthly per household has been reduced to only P1,650.

Street lights have also encouraged the expansion of business activities from within the confines of the homes to the roadsides. This increase in business space and the improved exposure of goods and services for sale is now turning in an increase of P5,490 to P6,222 per month per household.

Lighting up the barangay hall is fast turning this facility into a business center as well. With the increased business hours in the barangay hall, from an average of 5.6 hours to 9.42 hours, households engaged in trading activities are earning as much as P16,400 per month.

The availability of clean drinking water in areas where there is an identified source has also reduced the average hospitalization expenses per household due to water-borne diseases. School attendance has also improved, from 83 percent two years ago to 85 percent in 2004.