BOHOL, Philippines – Solar energy is one of the best solutions to provide clean and reliable power in the Philippines. This was the message of youth climate advocates from Negros Island, and groups CORA Philippines, YouthLead Philippines, and Greenpeace, who have partnered to provide an STY Odette- affected community with solar power. The groups aim to demonstrate renewable energy (RE) as a practical solution in increasing Filipino communities’ adaptive capacity to the climate crisis, and, weeks before election day, amplify the youth’s call for the next president to place climate justice and the urgent and just transition to RE, at the top of their agenda.

The solar panels have a total installed capacity of 4,800 watts, and will provide power for the barangay hall and healthcare center, which are crucial to the local government’s work and in providing basic services for the 1,019 total population of Mantatao that is equivalent to 260 households. Many places in Bohol, including Mantatao Island are still deprived of power after the typhoon struck early December. Four months after the typhoon, transmission lines from diesel genset power stations in the island including in Bohol are still waiting to be repaired.

“Malaking tulong ang solar panels para sa amin na nawalan ng kuryente dahil sa Bagyong Odette,“ said Mantatao Brgy. Captain Hon. Gaspar Ytac. “Ngayon, aasa kami sa kuryente mula sa araw para sa aming komunidad, nang walang gasolinang gagamitin,” he added.

The groups maintain that the next administration must ensure that solar and wind power play the role of the cornerstone of the country’s shift away from fossil fuels. The latest report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) released last April has highlighted that the shift to solar and wind power remain among the most important solutions to the climate crisis, and that solar and wind are now a lot cheaper than coal, even before the social and environmental costs of coal are accounted for.[1]

“We joined this initiative to help those who are still reeling from the effects of the typhoon to this day, and we believe decentralized renewable energy is a viable solution, not just during times of climate disaster but also in addressing the climate crisis. We hope that the next administration will take the issue seriously because it’s already affecting our lives in so many ways,” said Antoinette Taus, founder of Planet CORA.

Despite the country’s extreme vulnerability to climate change, most presidential candidates still do not consider climate action and justice as their top priority, based on their current statements and positions. Greenpeace has earlier renewed its demand from the country’s current and next leaders to implement genuine solutions, and to hold the world’s biggest polluters accountable for their contributions to worsening climate impacts, following the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s (IPCC) Sixth Assessment Report.[2]

“The worsening impacts of the climate crisis, and our reliance on fossil fuels, only add to the burden of the Filipino people; these continue to affect our economy, impeding our access to basic needs like food and water, livelihood, resources, and safety,” said Khevin Yu, Greenpeace Campaigner. “The path we are currently on is counterintuitive to the progress our aspiring leaders are promising. The incoming administration must institute climate action as the central policy of the state.”

Filipino youth have been speaking out on the lack of discourse and coherent plans to address the climate crisis. On Earth Day, and in the aftermath of Typhoon Agaton, youth organizations from various sectors, together with Greenpeace, delivered ‘love letters’ from Filipinos across the country to 2022 presidential candidates’ headquarters in Metro Manila, reminding them to champion climate and environment.[3] 

Joshua Villalobos, convenor of Youth for Climate Hope and RE advocate, led a workshop for youth participants as part of this initiative, which included hands-on training for creating DIY solar kits. 

“I want to spread awareness about RE and climate change among my fellow youth–whose future is at stake–that the impacts they are experiencing today are consequences of the greed and destructive activities of the world’s biggest carbon polluters,” Villalobos said. “At the same time, I want to tell them that there is hope if our next leaders will prioritize our future over business interests, and stand solidly for climate justice. We need to make them, especially the next president, listen–because there’s no future without climate justice.”

Notes

[1] The Climate Solutions Are Here. Let’s Go! Key takeaways from the IPCC report on Mitigation (AR6 WG3)

[2] On latest IPCC report, Greenpeace: PH gov’t must stop procrastinating on climate action

[3] Youth ‘love letters’ remind candidates to champion climate, environment ahead of Earth Day 

Media Contact

Katrina Eusebio-Santillan
Digital Campaigner, Greenpeace Southeast Asia – Philippines
[email protected] | +639992296451