In a span of less than four weeks, the Philippines was devastated by six succeeding storms. Typhoon Ulysses, the most recent of these, battered communities still reeling from earlier calamities and submerged parts of Metro Manila and whole towns – as far as Cagayan and Isabela in the North and Catanduanes and Marinduque in Southern Luzon – in flood waters. Hundreds of thousands of individuals were forced to abandon their homes, and water and electricity supply were cut off for millions.

Amid an ongoing health crisis, the burdens of electricity inaccessibility are more than doubled. As online classes became the norm in the bid to prevent the spread of COVID-19 among school children, education in typhoon-stricken towns has been disrupted, with many local authorities declaring indefinite class suspensions. Employees who have been afforded work-from-home set-ups are now unable to pursue their jobs. Moreover, at a time when access to information is most crucial, Filipinos who rely on social and traditional media for news about the ongoing crises are effectively left in the dark. And for many families, lights will stay turned off this Christmas.

It is in this context that the Center for Energy, Ecology, and Development (CEED) in coordination with partner organizations is deploying a limited number of solar-powered GenSets to communities highly affected by the recent typhoons in provinces where electricity will take longer to be restored, including Cagayan and Marinduque. The units would enable families to charge devices and power basic appliances even as damaged transmission lines and distribution facilities are still being repaired.

Much more can be done, however, to reach out to more Filipinos in need of basic access to power. We thus appeal to all for monetary donations which will be used to purchase portable solar lamps and chargers for typhoon affected families, in addition to basic relief goods.

Please send cash donations to the Center for Energy, Ecology, and Development at Bank of the Philippine Islands account number 1991012024.

For any inquiries, contact Aryanne De Ocampo at 09295940057 or 09176380993.

For a long time, we have fought together for a people-centered power sector and access to clean, affordable, and reliable electricity for all. Once more, let us join hands to advance clean energy in response to the climate emergency and to power our people’s recovery from this recent catastrophe.