TACLOBAN CITY –The local government of Guiuan in Eastern Samar received solar generators from the Institute for Climate and Sustainable Cities (ICSC).
The two units of solar generators will be of big use to them, especially if there is a power outage, Dr. Maria Socorro Flores, chief of the rural health unit (RHU), said during the turnover held on Friday (Jan.26).
The solar generators, personally handed over by ICSC representative Orland Quesada, will be installed in the rural health unit of the town.
“We hope that the RHU will lead in promoting the use of renewable energy not only by encouraging communities to shift to the use of renewable energy but also explaining its importance and its significant effect on the environment,” Quesada said.
Flores, in her message, said that having solar generators will allow them to function even if there is a power outage.
“This will also strengthen the RHU’s resilience during an emergency and enhance the RHU services,” she said.
Flores added that using a renewable source of energy for the electricity needs of the RHU will not only lessen their cost on energy consumption but will also help in reducing the footprint of carbon emission and the effect of climate change which the town experienced when it was badly hit when Guiuan was pummeled by Super Typhoon ‘Yolanda’ in 2013.
Scientists and experts claimed that Yolanda was a climate change-induced typhoon.
Due to the power outage after the onslaught of the super typhoon, the delivery of health services was affected, limiting their capacity to respond to the medical needs of the residents, Flores said.
For her part, municipal administrator Kinna Kwan, representing Mayor Annaliza Gonzales-Kwan, said that the local government recognizes the importance of the ICSC’s donation as it will help the RHU fulfill its mandate even during a power outage being the most critical and vital facility of LGUs.
“The absence of electricity hampers the delivery of services to the people who are in need, most especially those who are needing health care like women who are about to give birth,” she said.
“We commit our support to renewable energy because it is not only sustainable but is also reliable. Shifting to renewable energy is the LGU’s tangible step toward a climate-adaptive future. Renewable energies such as solar power reduce carbon emissions and decrease the use of fuel,” Kwan added.
Prior to RHU Guiuan, the ICSC had donated a solar generator to Sulu-an, an island off Guiuan town. (ROEL T. AMAZONA)
