Bohol News Daily

50 households get solar power in Alumar Getafe

THE government, through the Department of Energy (DOE) rehabilitated about 50 photovoltaic solar
panels from its other projects to light some 50 poor households in Alumar Island off Getafe town in a
cooperation project by two governments.

The national and local governments of the Philippines and the Japanese Government through the
Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) was able to pool some P500K to make the wishes of
the islanders come true.

The government of Japan through JICA put up some P275K while the local government of Bohol and
Getafe put in P150. Member households put up the remaining P75K to complete the costs needed to
install and operationalize the Solar Household Project here, explained DOE information Officer Lou
Artiaga to members of the media.

Beneficiaries in turn get a solar lighting package of 20 or 50 watts good enough for at least two 10
watts fluorescent lights, a 7-watt compact fluorescent light.

Homeowners can also separately plug in a radio cassette and an Liquid Crystal Display television set
for the 50 watt package, said Alan Abear, DOE Cebu senior research assistant.

We have projects like the solar drier that didn’t work well, so we pulled out the solar panels and
rehabilitated them for the Solar Home Projects, which has ignited world attention for its being a
leading eco-solution to the problem of power, Magdaleno Baclay Jr of DOE told the media.

We contributed P2,000 and committed to united and plan for the community’s development so we
can spread the light project to the whole 400 resident households of this island, shared Evangeline
Salabero, one of the 50 project beneficiaries.

We pay about P200 monthly and pool the amount so we can pay for the expansion of the project,
she added.

An island lying on the edges of the inner bank of the double barriered-Danahon Reef, the community
used to be dependent on fishing until the government presented other possible options to lessen the
dependence on fishing the common resource.

Now into seaweed farming, most people of Alumar earn an average of P3,000 a month from dried
seaweeds.

Some families however complement their income by gleaning seashells, or catching crabs for market.
(racPIABohol)

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