SPECIAL REPORT: Sustainable renewable energy a must in off-grid Lumad communities

DAVAO CITY (MindaNews / 20 March) — Angelie Noa, a nine-year-old Obu Munuvu, and her siblings would huddle in their bamboo hut every night to share the “spot sa lighter” (small LED light from a lighter) to study for their classes the next day.

Angelie Noa (middle) and her siblings grate cassava which they will cook into suman for their meal. MindaNews photo by MANMAN DEJETO

Angelie, a Grade 4 pupil, attends classes at Maluan Elementary School, the only learning institution in Sitio Maluan in Barangay Marilog Proper, a 15-minute walk from their house.

Angelie hopes to be a teacher to help her family, she told MindaNews while showing the small lighter that helped them study.

Outside their hut, she and her siblings gather around a small basin, shredding cassava to cook suman, a sweet delicacy wrapped in banana leaves.

Angelie says her favorite subject is English and she enjoys teaching her siblings how to spell new words.

Angel Noa, Angelie’s 19-year-old sister, left school last year when she gave birth to her second child.

Despite her situation, the young mother, a Grade 10 student at Marahan National High School, is determined to finish high school, pursue agriculture in college, and support her family.

When she returns to school, Angel will have to endure more nights without electricity to review for her classes. For several years, they relied on lamps and flashlights to study because their home, like many others in their far-flung village, was not connected to the grid.

“Lisod kaayo mag study og walay tarong na suga kay dili magkadimao ang anseranan. Dili masabtan. Dili nimo mabasa og tarung. Lisod kaayo. (It is very difficult to study without proper lighting. You cannot answer properly. You cannot read properly. It’s so difficult),” she said.

Community-scale power plant

A small hydropower project built in 2014 along a river in Sitio Maluan was initially designed as a “model” for off-grid electrification initiatives, but several challenges, particularly environmental damage, climate change, and the issue of sustainability, ultimately led to its failure.

The construction of a community-scale power plant was intended to illuminate the houses of Lumads (Indigenous Peoples) in this remote village, nestled far from the reach of the distribution lines of the Davao Light and Power Company (DLPC), a distribution utility.

The DLPC, owned by Aboitiz Power, services Davao City, Panabo City, and the municipalities of Carmen, Dujali, and Sto. Tomas in Davao del Norte. The Aboitiz Group, a major Philippine conglomerate, operates power plants, including renewable energy sources and non-renewable sources like coal and diesel.

The Ateneo de Davao University (AdDU) and the Commission on Higher Education jointly funded the development of the five-kilowatt run-of-river project with a P700,000 and P2 million budget, respectively.

Dr. Randell Espina, dean of AdDU’s School of Engineering and Architecture, claimed that the electrification project was intended to help at least 15 Lumad households.

Expansion of agricultural farms upstream, drought, and a lack of community support, however, hampered the project’s sustainability.

Water of the stream supplying water for the micro hydropower facility in Sitio Maluan has diminished due to the loss of surrounding vegetation. MindaNews photo by MANMAN DEJETO

Espina noted that a strong collaboration among stakeholders is necessary to achieve the goal of establishing a sustainable renewable energy project for an off-grid community, which unfortunately was not attained.

“They were cutting the trees. Once the trees were gone, the water level of the river also receded. That’s why, when you implement hydro, we must discuss it with the community,” he said in Cebuano.

Espina and other engineers from AdDU’s Mindanao Renewable Energy Research and Development Center (MREC) design community-scale power projects like hydro, biomass, and solar for remote and off-grid villages.

To generate power, hydroelectric facilities need the force from the river’s natural current to rotate turbines. The installed hydro technology depends on a consistent flow of water. When the water flow recedes and eventually dries up, the technology is no longer usable.

Espina said the project was initially planned to be built in a different site in Sitio Maluan but a major landslide prevented their engineers from entering it. The community proposed an alternative stream closer to the community beneficiary where the hydropower facility was ultimately constructed in 2014.

At present, the pipes that delivered water from the supposed source to the turbines have been destroyed. Meanwhile, the generator in a small concrete building housing it had been removed.

One of the pipes supplying water to the turbines of the micro hydropower facility in Sitio Maluan that was damaged by landslides. MindaNews photo by MANMAN DEJETO

Datu Rodolfo Mande, a Matigsalug leader and the Indigenous Peoples Mandatory Representative (IPMR) at the 20th City Council of Davao, claims the project failed because it was not built near the source.

“Medyo fault pud sa community kay wala pud nila na tumbok ang source sa tubig, abe nila mao nato… unya pag hulaw wala nay tubig (The community was partly at fault because they failed to identify the water source. They thought they did but when drought happened, the water was gone),” he said.

To ensure the long-term success of the project, Espina emphasized that it was not enough to simply implement a renewable energy project because it must be paired with sustainable industry or income-generating activities and the community must take the lead in sustaining it after turnover.

Microgrid systems

Dr. Nelson Enano, Jr., MREC director, said these small energy systems have minimal environmental impact and can provide a sustainable source of power to households in remote villages unserviced by distribution utilities (DUs).

The construction of small energy systems would have been ideal for remote areas like those in the mountains or those situated near rivers, which are beyond the reach of DUs.

The government encourages the establishment of microgrid systems to electrify off-grid communities. Republic Act 11646 or the Microgrid Systems Act, was passed in 2022 to bring electricity to remote and off-grid communities, particularly for the Lumads.

Three years later, thousands of residents remain without reliable access to electricity.

Engr. James Doldolea, focal person of the Mindanao Power Program of the Mindanao Development Authority, noted that the implementation of R.A. 11646 is currently being worked out but no private sector or local government unit has so far breathed life into the law.

The challenge lies with “financing or capital investment,” he said.

The law provides that distribution utilities, which are granted licenses by Congress, may waive their obligation to provide distribution services and connections in areas identified by the Department of Energy as “unserved or underserved.”

According to the law, underserved areas receive less than 24 hours of electricity while unserved areas have no access to electricity, distribution lines, home power systems, or microgrid systems, and have no plans for the development or implementation of a distribution grid extension by DUs.

If the DU waives its privilege to serve those areas, the microgrid system providers (MGSP) will be allowed to enter unserved or underserved areas to install, operate, and maintain microgrid systems that will provide integrated power generation and distribution services to end users.

Growing up without electricity

Like Angelie Noa of Sitio Maluan, Jellie Sabas, a Bagobo-Tagabawa from Purok 2, Upper Kibangay, Marilog District, Davao City, grew up without electricity. She recalled using kerosene lamps to study and complete her homework at night when she was in elementary.

Jellie received a full academic scholarship and obtained a bachelor’s degree in secondary education at the Christian Colleges of Southeast Asia in Davao City.

She recalled waking up early morning to finish her schoolwork if their lamps ran out of fuel the night before. Unlike Angelie, whose area is still without electricity until now, Jellie’s long wait for electricity finally ended in 2010 when the power lines of DLPC finally reached their village.

Now 23, Jellie works as a scholarship coordinator at the office of Councilor Mande, where they help around 230 Lumad students finish college.

Datu Lipatuan Joel Unad, an Obu Manuvu elder of Marilog and Paquibato Districts, Davao City, pointed out that indigenous communities are frequently overlooked in electrification initiatives.

He said it is necessary to create programs to produce energy from available indigenous resources. Their ancestral domain has abundant natural resources with great potential for generating electricity, particularly from hydropower, he said.

He emphasized that the lack of basic social services, such as a dependable power source, is a major reason why their children fall behind in school.

Students are unable to study at night, putting them at a significant disadvantage.

Although areas near the access roads now have electricity, many communities remain without power, particularly those not yet reached by roads and distribution lines.

He said some organizations have visited their communities to explore the possibility of installing electrical facilities that will generate power from the rivers. These projects are still in the proposal or feasibility study stage.

‘Ancestral land is blessed’

In neighboring Digos City in Davao del Sur, Rogelio Manapol Jr., the tribal chieftain of the Unified Bagobo-Tagabawa, said their ancestral domain nestled at the foothills of Mount Apo is abundant in resources, including a potential hydropower source. Hidden among the lush greenery in Sitio Batangon, Barangay Binaton, lies a spring that feeds a waterfall flowing into the Mallubag River.

The mountains in Digos City that are part of the ancestral domain of the Bagobo-Tagabawa indigenous people. MindaNews photo by MANMAN DEJETO

The treacherous trail to the potential source, winds through dense vegetation for an hour. Along the way, Lumad farmers have planted crops such as coffee, durian, kaong, and lanzones.

Manapol pointed to a massive balete tree, with sprawling roots that hinted at its age. Enclosed by cliffs on both sides, the century-old tree lends itself as a marker for the spring head.

Their ancestral land, he said, is blessed as he cupped spring water with his hands to drink. They have many springs, providing a potable water source to communities downstream and a potential source of renewable energy for nearby sitios.

The land claims of the Bagobo-Tagabawas cover an area of 40,733 hectares, including those within Digos City, Bansalan, Santa Cruz, portions of Sibulan, and Old Balutakan in North Cotabato, sprawling across the foothills of Mount Apo, the country’s highest peak.

Many Lumad villages are situated in remote locations away from the reach of distribution lines of Davao del Sur Electric Cooperative (DASURECO), the power utility servicing the Davao del Sur and Davao Occidental provinces.

Five of the eight municipalities that constituted the 2nd district of Davao del Sur were separated on July 23, 2012, by Republic Act 10360, the province’s charter, to form Davao Occidental.

Manapol continues to hope that a microgrid system, such as community-scale hydropower, will be developed for his people. Unlike residents of Sitio Batangon, Lumad families in remote areas like Sitios Macopa, Matti, Timano, and Rano don’t have power.

“Enough lang gyud na mag generate og electricity sa community, nga mapababa ang rate ug dili ta mag salig sa mga dagko (Just enough to generate electricity for the community, to bring down the rates, so that we will not have to depend on big power producer),” he said, pointing out that energy derived from renewable sources are cheaper than non-renewable.

Prioritize sustainability

Atty. Jesus Villardo, a professor at the University of Southeastern Philippines-School of Law and a human rights lawyer, encouraged groups that plan to assist the Lumads to “prioritize sustainability” because development projects usually fail when there is a narrow focus on implementation without considering sustainability.

This will ensure that the Lumads can continue to benefit from the project for years after its completion and turnover.

“What will happen afterward, and how will the community sustain it? What will be next for this? How would you imagine the next level of support so that what you have initiated would be sustainably undertaken? That should be a question for development projects,” he said.

When designing a program, Villardo, an advocate for Indigenous Peoples’ rights, emphasized that it’s crucial to consider the limitations and opportunities, as well as the long-term plan for sustainability of the project, by taking into consideration “the future of the project and the next level of support required to ensure its continued success.”

Energy as a basic right

Villardo emphasized that a reliable power supply is a fundamental social service, essential for the development of communities.

He said many community leaders, especially those in remote areas, need reliable and effective communication tools such as mobile phones that would require electricity.

Another is that teachers have to endure working in geographically isolated and disadvantaged areas, hindering the delivery of effective and high-quality learning services.

Reliable electricity, he said, could help promote the four bundles of rights of the Lumads under the Indigenous Peoples Rights Act (IPRA) — ancestral domains, self-governance and empowerment, social justice and human rights, and cultural integrity.

The availability of stable energy could boost their livelihood and transform their ancestral homeland into a productive area, Villardo believed.

He asked how indigenous populations could ensure the economic viability of their ancestral domain without access to electricity and expressed disappointment over the lack of substantive progress in advancing the rights of Indigenous Peoples and criticized the focus on politicking rather than taking meaningful action.

Enano said that innovative approaches and community organization are essential for the sustainability of microgrid facilities in underserved and unserved areas. These methods are vital to bringing community members together and overcoming potential obstacles.

Prioritizing electrification in remote and isolated communities would create economic opportunities for indigenous peoples, he said.

Microgrid systems

Romeo Montenegro, assistant secretary of the Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA), said expanding distribution lines to off-grid areas would be costly with little potential profit, hence public utilities such as electric cooperatives and private power companies are waiving their rights to service these areas.

“Those off-grid areas are now the ones identified for possible qualified third-party providers, and those are the areas that can be proposed for microgrid. That’s why, they are waiving their right to serve those areas, so that there may be another entity that may want to come in and provide a small-scale facility,” he said.

In the Philippines, public utilities, including those engaged in the distribution and transmission of electricity, need to go through cumbersome regulatory and licensing processes to secure permits.

Under Republic Act 9136 or the Electric Power Industry Reform Act (EPIRA), Congress has the sole authority to grant franchises to companies that transmit and distribute electricity.

But Section 6 of R.A. 11646 states that owning and operating a microgrid system in unserved and underserved areas is not considered a public utility operation and that the MGSP will only need approval from the Energy Regulatory Commission. It does not also require a congressional franchise.

Despite the surplus of energy supply in Mindanao, Montenegro said electrification in off-grid areas continues to be a challenge. Island provinces and off-grid areas in the mainland still lack the quality and reliable energy supply that grid-connected areas have.

“The ‘excess supply’ does not necessarily relate directly to the circumstances of our off-grid areas because they’re not able to enjoy this excess or tap into this excess because they’re not connected to the grid,” he said.

Some areas without access to the electrical grid have intermittent power supplied by expensive and non-renewable energy sources such as diesel-fed power plants.

Electricity in the island provinces is available only in certain areas and at certain times, supplied by costly diesel power plants.

“Since they are powered by diesel, it’s expensive. The number of hours that electricity is available in these areas, especially in the island provinces, is unfortunately not 24/7. It is only available in the capital towns,” he said.

‘From power deficit to powerhouse’

Montenegro described Mindanao’s remarkable transformation, from a region grappling with power shortages to a major electricity exporter to Visayas and Luzon, through submarine cable connections. The transformation happened within the last 10 years.

“The Mindanao story today,” he said, “is a shift from power deficit to powerhouse.”

As of 2024, the Mindanao grid consists of 69% non-renewable power and 31% renewable energy.

The island’s power supply has significantly improved over the past 10 years due to the commercial operations of large power plants, which have addressed previous supply shortages and island-wide rotational brownouts.

Based on the power situation outlook of the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) as of March 8, 2025, the available generating capacity in Mindanao was noted at 3,159 MW while the system peak demand at 2,218 MW, leaving an excess of 1,168 MW. The NGCP operates, maintains, and develops the country’s power transmission network.

According to Montenegro, from this excess, Mindanao supplies 400 MW to Visayas and 200 MW to Luzon via the Philippine grid.

Despite the abundance of electricity in many parts of Mindanao, many remote areas are still not serviced by the distribution utilities, including electric cooperatives. MindaNews file photo by MANMAN DEJETO

The Mindanao-Visayas Interconnection Project (MVIP) was energized on April 30, 2023, connecting the island of Mindanao to the national grid. Through this project, transfer of surplus power from one region, like Mindanao, to areas with a power deficit has become possible.

The NGCP regarded the operationalization of the MVIP as a “significant achievement,” which enabled a “more reliable and sustainable power transmission service” in the Philippines, reducing power outages and promoting energy resource sharing.

The excess power generated in Mindanao can also be sold to the power market via the Wholesale Electricity Spot Market (WESM). With available electricity, any distribution utility could simply purchase capacity from the market to meet their growing demand.

Montenegro noted that additional capacities to the grid require corresponding effort to develop transmission assets to ensure that the transmission lines “are up to the task of delivering this increased amount of electricity.”

As the economy of Mindanao grows, the island’s demand for electricity increases at an average rate of 5% to 7% annually. Montenegro said this is equivalent to 100 MW a year or 300 MW over three years.

This is equal to the 300-MW generating capacity of the two coal-fed units of Therma South Inc. (TSI), a subsidiary of Aboitiz Power located between Davao City and Santa Cruz, Davao del Sur.

This is driven by the exponential growth of the real property and industries sector in urban areas, he said.

“If there are about 40 high-rise buildings rising in the next two to three years, for instance, here in Davao, Davao Light and Power Company would need to have additional 120 megawatts just to serve these towers. It excludes the other major projects in the industries and the growing population, in that computation,” he said.

He said microgrids can power remote areas, and community ownership is vital for managing electricity in these areas.

“We would also like local governments to be active in this area. In these types of projects, it is also income-generating for LGUs. Furthermore, we’re pushing for LGUs to do joint venture projects with electric cooperatives and another entity that will develop the project,” he said.

The LGU, he added, has the option to form a joint venture agreement with an entity that has the capability to construct hydropower plants.

‘Bias for renewable energy’

Data from the Department of Energy (DOE) stated that at least 2,875 megawatts (MW) of renewable energy (RE) projects in Mindanao are in the indicative phase as of October 2024.

Of the total, 1,072 MW or 37.29% are wind power projects, 701.460 MW hydro plants, 600MW natural gas, 451.53 MW solar, and 50 MW biomass.

He said the agency targets to increase the share of RE in Mindanao’s grid to 35% by 2023 and 50% by 2050.

Rapha Julysses E. Perez, science research specialist II of the DOE-Mindanao Field Office, told MindaNews that indicative power projects are still in the pre-development stage, meaning developers are undergoing studies and securing permits from government regulatory bodies, particularly for projects located in ancestral domains.

The Agus VI Hydroelectric Plant at the foot of Maria Cristina Falls in Iligan City, one of the showcase of the country’s renewable energy programs. MindaNews file photo by BOBBY TIMONERA

According to DOE, there are 258 MW of committed RE projects. These are 90 MW and 168 MW solar power projects, which are eyed for commercial operation between 2025 and 2028.

Perez stressed that the Philippines has a “bias for renewable energy” because of its commitment to reducing its carbon footprint.

Community-based RE is more sustainable

Dr. Jean Lindo, an environmental activist of Panalipdan-Southern Mindanao, believes that while a community-based renewable energy program is more sustainable, there is a tendency for the government to favor “corporate solutions.”

She is optimistic that a community-scale hydro power run by the people could still be done, as the government has the “economies of scale to do this if it has the political will.”

Prioritizing profits can lead to “reductionism,” where harmful mega-dam projects are labeled as “sustainable” despite causing damage to nearby communities, she said.

Datu Mande expressed disappointment over the lack of government support in helping their communities get access to electricity to power their homes.

The lack of access roads makes it impossible for distribution lines to reach these communities, preventing them from getting electricity. Without roads, remote villages will remain off-grid.

He hopes more Lumad communities will get access roads so that power lines can be installed. (Antonio L. Colina IV / MindaNews)

(Reporting for this story was supported by the Institute for Climate and Sustainable Cities under the Jaime Espina Klima Correspondents Fellowship)

TOMORROW: Lessons from a failed micro-hydropower project in Davao City’s Marilog