Manila, Philippines – Indigenous peoples (IPs) are geographically isolated and underserved, with limited access to basic social services and economic opportunities. Their communities are in remote locations and usually have no reliable power sources, forcing indigenous people to use kerosene gas lamps for their lighting needs. These lights not only pose fire hazards and numerous health risks from fumes but also do not provide adequate illumination for family members to do housework, for children to study and for village elders to gather at night. Safety and security are also major concerns, as darkness exposes them to various dangers.
Sinag Pag-asa (Sinag: ray, radiate; Pag-asa: hope) provides indigenous people a brighter future by giving them access to sustainable lighting solutions. This project is funded by Signify Foundation and jointly implemented by ASSIST and Signify Philippines in partnership with the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples and the Pampamayanang Mangyan Ugnayan. Sinag Pagasa provided 550 solar-powered floodlights and 1,000 solar lanterns to various IPs including Dumagats, Mangyans and Aetas. These lights now illuminate their homes, tribal halls, study centers, places of worship and other communal facilities of off-grid communities in nine provinces in Central Luzon and MIMAROPA, impacting the lives of over 2,200 IP families. Community members are now able to work, study, meet and socialize safely at night at no cost, greatly improving their productivity, safety and security. “We often take lighting for granted in our modern world. But for indigenous people, most of whom live in far-flung areas untouched by electricity, darkness is a lifelong problem and safe and affordable illumination is always a challenge,” says Francis Macatulad, the Executive Director of ASSIST. “Sinag Pagasa has lit up the lives of these tribal communities and they now see a brighter future ahead.”
About ASSIST, Inc.
Asia Society for Social Improvement and Sustainable Transformation (ASSIST) was established in 2003 with the aim of addressing sustainability challenges in the Philippines. Driven by passion and purpose for progress and prosperity in the region, ASSIST takes pride in its professional outlook, social responsibility, and process-oriented approach to capacity-building towards social impact. More on ASSIST here.
About Signify
Signify is the new company name of Philips Lighting. Signify is the world leader in lighting for professionals, consumers and lighting for the Internet of Things. Signify’s energy efficient lighting products, systems and services enable our customers to enjoy a superior quality of light, and make people’s lives safer and more comfortable, businesses more productive and cities more livable. Signify proudly markets the best lighting brands in the world: Philips, Interact, Philips Hue, and Color Kinetics. More on Signify here.
About Signify Foundation
The Signify Foundation is an organization dedicated to supporting underprivileged and underserved communities across the world by enabling access to light. When pursuing this mission, the Foundation expects to leverage on Signify’s expertise and knowledge to help develop and provide easily-accessible, sustainable lighting systems that have a meaningful impact on people’s lives. More on the Signify Foundation here.
