Electricity on the island

CEBU, Philippines - Barangay Lapinig, a small island barangay located west of Pres. Carlos P. Garcia (PCPG) town in Bohol, is comprised of 150 families that rely on fishing and farming as sources of livelihood. To get there, one has to take a 15-20 minute pumpboat ride from the mainland.

When the Kapit-Bisig Laban sa Kahirapan-Comprehensive and Integrated Delivery of Social Services (Kalahi-CIDSS) project arrived in Bohol in 2005, Lapinig proposed for an electrification project for its community, Eventually, it was ranked first in project prioritization during the Municipal Inter-Barangay Forum (MIBF), out of the 23 barangays that were part of PCPG town.  

The joy of Lapinig for being chosen did not last long, however, when it withdrew its application the next day due to concerns of its inability to shoulder the local cash counterpart (LCC), required for the project.

The project roughly cost P4.6 million, a high cost because electric wires would have to span nearly four kilometers of water to reach the island. Since Kalahi-CIDSS beneficiaries are expected to cover 30 percent of the expense, Lapinig had to provide a counterpart of around P 1.4 million, in cash or in kind.

Lapinig then set out to find people and organizations to help fund the electrification project, and over the next three years presented its case to several funding agencies, with solicitation letters to everyone thought to be of help, such as island’s natives relatives and friends working abroad, businessmen and legislators.

The residents of Lapinig also contributed P100 per household, while barangay officials gave P500 including their mid-year bonuses to the project. Those who would be hired for the construction and repair of the electricity lines offered to cut their salaries in half to reduce the project cost. The Barangay Council responded by providing free lunch for all the workers throughout the duration of the work.

During the 3rd cycle in 2007, the community reconstructed its project proposal and realigned budget items from the funds it obtained and project materials it gathered. Finally, the implementation of the project started on October 2007 and was finished by the end of January 2009.

During the inauguration, Lapinig switched on the lights for the first time on the night of February 18, 2009. The island barangay was beaming with lights, full of people and filled with a festive air, joined by government officials and donors. It might have taken five years before the project was completed, but for the Lapinig people, the wait was worth it.

Before electricity was introduced in the island, there was a small public elementary school there with three teachers only. Children could hardly see what was written on the blackboard during gloomy weather, and it was practically impossible for them to pay attention to the lessons discussed. While the teachers tried to adapt to the situation by lighting candles, oftentimes they were forced to dismiss classes temporarily due to the difficulties.

When electricity came to Lapinig in 2009, enrollment went up from 15 to 45 students per classroom. Academic performance of the students also improved as teachers were able to use all forms of audio-visual educational activities. The school administration had to ask for three more teachers to accommodate the rising number of students and is now looking at plans for more school buildings.

The livelihood of fisher folks also benefited from the electricity. Unsold catch at the end of the day could now be placed in freezers and be sold the next day, allowing them to make more profits. Farmers have also added mat-weaving to their income-generating activities as they can now use fluorescent lamps for continued work.

The Kalahi-CIDSS’s approach to development by training the community to be self-reliant and not depend solely on grants was vividly seen in Lapinig. With capacity-building trainings, communities are taught to analyze their situation and craft simple yet comprehensive project proposals. They then realize their potential to find solutions to their problems, identify prospective funders and create strategies to generate additional funds to implement their project. They also find ways to reconstruct their budget proposal, trimming down its total cost and replacing items with viable alternatives such as community manpower and the use of indigenous materials instead of commercial products.

On a cloudless night, Brgy. Lapinig can now be seen from the mainland with its beautiful lights dancing and blinking at a distance. (FREEMAN)