Illac Angelo Diaz

Founder, Liter of Light

Inspired by the successful and impactful Ice ALS Bucket Challenge, Illac Angelo Diaz and the Liter of Light movement launched the Light It Forward challenge in 2020. It generated significant commemorative celebrations here and abroad, has been participated in by over 5,000 celebrities, organisations and distinguished personalities from five different countries as of date, and has lighted countless homes across the globe. The Light it Forward Campaign, in turn, received the Asia Pacific Social Innovation and Partnership Award (APSIPA) for empowering people, businesses and social service groups to join hands in building solar lamps for depressed communities at the height of the pandemic and quarantine restrictions.

But the Liter of Light’s award-winning founder believes the work is far from over. “Almost 800 million people still do not have access to electricity, and there should be macro-scale as well as bottom-up approaches to solving energy poverty,” Diaz says. With this, he aims for investment in green jobs and local skills rather than relying on the imported and patented.

For those who aspire to be like him, Diaz shares that social enterprise is one of the ways Filipinos can address social issues in the country and the world. “Relying on donations is a cash burn and a difficult method. . .In this space [social enterprise], doing good and being financially sustainable are the objectives of the ‘People and Planet’ programme,” he advises.

Two years ago, Liter of Light’s inspiration film about climate change premiered at the Expo 2020 Dubai. Early in 2022, Diaz was recognised as one of Conrad Manila’s Champions of Sustainability for his contribution to society and the environment.