Solar-power system readies Marikina school for disasters

Proper preparation goes a long way. A new solar-power system has armed an elementary school with the right tools to endure the worst floods, especially when power lines are down.

As part of its Earth Hour 2016 campaign, the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) recently turned over to Nangka Elementary School (NES) a solar-power system that enhances the school’s ability to respond to disasters while augmenting its own power supply.

Present at the turnover ceremony were Rep. Romero “Miro” Quimbo of the Second District of Marikina City, Marikina City Mayor Del de Guzman, Marikina Department of Education (DepEd) Superintendent Helen Go and NES Principal Teresita Cervantes.

The project is supported by Swedish renewable-energy company Telge Energi and aims to support the school in adapting to the impacts of climate change—harnessing solar energy during El Niño and storing energy for situations when power is out, like typhoons and floods.

The initiative also minimizes the school’s carbon emissions by using renewable energy. The project saw the installation of a solar-powered system that generates free, clean, and renewable energy for the school, saving it on electricity.

The project also turned over portable solar lamps that simultaneously charge cellular phones and transistor radios while providing lighting for critical areas, like first-aid stations and communal bunks, during blackouts. Low-lying and highly populated Marikina City is no stranger to floods, with disaster-risk reduction and management a critical priority for the local government.

NES is one of over 30 Marikina public schools that double as evacuation centers for riverside communities during powerful storms.

At the height of the monsoon season in 2013, the school sheltered some 800 families. Go, a former WWF Prince Bernhard grantee, says: “Solar power will be harvested for the school’s use, particularly when power lines are down.”

“We are thankful for this project,” de Guzman said. “We need electricity for our day-to-day lives, and renewable-energy sources, such as solar power, can help us fulfill this need. In times of disaster, this will surely augment the response initiatives of the local community.” 12-year old Atasha Colobong, one of the school’s two official delegates to the 2015 Children’s Climate Conference organized by Telge Energi in Sweden last November, asked for stronger climate controls by the government. “I ask our public officials to be active in taking care of our environment through the stronger enforcement of laws to stem the effects of global warming,” she said. 11-year old Evita Tagasa, the other NES delegate, reiterated her call at CCC-2015 for the adoption of clean energy technologies.

“We, the youth of today, demand our world leaders to think ahead and come up with clean and renewable energy solutions by making use of natural sources of energy like solar, hydro and wind power to avoid pollution,” Tagasa said.

Over 500 students and teachers were further treated to a WWF Environmental Education module on climate change, learning the science of climate change, its impacts on vulnerable countries like the Philippines, and how communities can best prepare for these impacts while reducing their own carbon contribution.

Quimbo highlighted the need to protect the environment: “Nangka is the first to be impacted by the effects of environmental degradation Each one of us has a role to play in protecting our natural environment.”

WWF-Philippines Vice President for Sustainable Consumption and Market Engagement Dr. Ria Lambino lauded the spirit of Marikina City in addressing climate change.

“A perfect example of how we can solve the climate change crisis is the City of Marikina and the community of Nangka. With the collective efforts of our school’s parents, the local government units, and the DepEd, we have been able to weather strong storms: no flood, no matter how high, has yet drowned our spirit. Changing climate change is—together—possible,” she said.