AFP to light 10,000 homes

MANILA, Philippines - The military and its private partners will bring light to thousands of poor households in Metro Manila by installing environment-friendly and low-cost solar bulbs.

The Armed Forces National Capital Region Command, the Rotary Club of Makati San Lorenzo and My Shelter Foundation will launch “A Liter of Light” project to illuminate 10,000 homes on Nov. 30.

The solar bulbs require basic materials like 1.5-liter soda bottles, chlorine, salt and water. The bulbs, which capture sunlight, would be sealed on roofs using a metal sheet. Each bulb is equivalent to a 55-watt electric bulb.

“A Liter of Light” project was initiated by the My Shelter Foundation, a non-stock, non-profit organization involved in sustainable, capability-building and employment-generating projects.

Lt. Col. Samuel Sagun, commander of the 7th Civil Relations Group, said the 10,000 solar bottle bulbs would be installed in 30 communities in 17 Metro Manila cities. Each bulb costs less than P50 but poor residents would be getting them for free.

Shelly Lazaro, president of the Rotary Club of Makati San Lorenzo, said the bulbs would allow the beneficiaries to save P500 a month on their electri-city bills. She said the project would help address the lack of access to electricity.

“By having the contraption installed in their homes, housewives will be able to work on their domestic chores, children will be able to study under better light and households and small-scale businesses can save on their monthly expenses,” Lazaro said.

She said they aim to make the Nov. 30 event the largest grassroots lighting project in the world. According to Lazaro, the ultimate goal of the project is to illuminate 10 million homes by 2012. The project started in San Pedro, Laguna with 5,000 lighted homes, followed by another 5,000 in Manila.

“The project proposes an alternative to household dependence on electricity and open flame. By using the natural source of light – the sun – a household can save on expenses, reduce risk and maximize its potential during the day,” Lazaro said.

The bulbs were developed and designed by students of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) spokesman Col. Arnulfo Burgos said they would provide manpower to facilitate the installation of the bulbs. He said 17 teams composed of military personnel and civilian volunteers would convoy from Camp Aguinaldo to designated venues to install the solar bottle bulbs.

AFP chief Gen. Eduardo Oban Jr. said the installation of solar bulbs is consistent with the goals of their security plan Bayanihan.