Sun Life Brings Light To Minglanilla, Cebu

The speed at which technology evolves is something that people often marvel at. There is always a buzz about the latest gadgets and popular applications, that it can be easy to forget that there are actually places in the Philippines still have no access to a basic commodity: electricity.

One such town is Minglanilla in Cebu. Residents here make a living by making barbecue sticks, but when dusk comes, they are forced to stop as the lack of proper lighting make it difficult to continue working. Meanwhile, the young ones, who travel 35 kilometers either by motorcycle or on foot to the nearest school, have to take turns with their siblings in using a kerosene lamp just so they can do their homework.

In order to address the situation, Sun Life Financial-Philippines Foundation, Inc. partnered with Liter of Light Foundation to provide the solar-powered LED lamps to the residents of Minglanilla. Apart from the funding provided by Sun Life Foundation, Sun Life’s executives from all over Asia also participated in building the lamps when they flew to the Philippines last December for a conference. Technicians from Liter of Light were on hand to supervise them.

Each lamp is capable of illuminating an entire room. It also has panels with provision for a socket, which the residents can use to charge their mobile phones – a feature that would especially be useful should there be emergencies.

A total of 110 lamps were recently distributed to the Minglanilla residents, who were all too happy that they could finally enjoy proper lighting in their respective homes. In fact, many became emotional and even shed tears.

One of the recipients was a grandmother named Steffa Canedo. “I am very happy about this donation,” she said. “I’ve lived in Minglanilla all my life, and it is only now that we will finally be able to enjoy light in our homes!”

Today, parents are able to earn more because they can extend working hours until nighttime, while the students’ performance in school has significantly improved since they can now study properly at home. Moreover, they no longer have to go down to the main road or trek to the nearest barangay that has electricity just so they can charge their mobile phones.

“This project was definitely a fulfilling one for us at Sun Life Foundation. We’re happy to have been able to help a community enjoy a basic necessity, and, ultimately, improve their lives,” Sun Life Foundation Chairman of the Board Riza Mantaring said. “This inspires us to keep doing all that we can to spread hope, bring cheer, and build a brighter world.”
Sun Life Financial-Philippines Foundation, Inc. is the philanthropy arm of Sun Life of Canada (Philippines), Inc.