THE BENEFITS OF A SINGLE SOLAR PANEL

OVER THE PAST 100 YEARS OR SO, the residents of Panalsagon Island off Barangay Vito in Cadiz City were not able to enjoy the benefit of having electricity on their island. They relied on small kerosene lanterns to light their homes, and battery-powered transistor radios to listen to local news broadcasts. The children of the villagers, who rely solely on fishing for their livelihood, encountered difficulties with school as it was very hard to study at night. In addition, they had to travel by boat to get to their schools on the nearby island of Bulanon.

In addition, the harvest of the local fishermen started to dwindle due to the destruction of the mangroves around their island. The livelihoods and lifestyles of the 50 households on the island, which is composed of around 350 individuals, will be compromised if the mangroves will continue to deteriorate. But with the recent installation of a single solar panel on the house of one of the villagers, the situation began to improve—and the mangroves around the 27-hectare island were also protected. How was all this achieved?

A MODEST BUT SIGNIFICANT PROJECT The project was conceptualized by Aladino “Nonoy” Moraca, executive director of the Ecological and Agricultural Development Foundation, Incorporated (EcoAgri), which is based in Bacolod City.

Moraca introduced the concept to his fellow Ph.D. students in Technology Management at the Northern Negros State College of Science and Technology or NONESCOST. They, in turn, initiated the project under the guidance of their professor, Dr. Jocelyn Bantigue after a lengthy discussion and deliberation about the feasibility of the modest project before it could be implemented.

Financing the project became a stumbling block; while the students decided to contribute around R2,000 each, the total amount fell short of what they needed. EcoAgri and the RU Foundry and Machine Shop Corporation in Bacolod City, owned by Ramon Uy Sr., assumed the remaining balance to make sure that the project would be implemented after taking into consideration the