• GILBERT P. BAYORAN
With the availability of hydroelectric power, solar, and biomass energy resources, Mayor Richard Jaojoco is harnessing renewable energy to provide electricity to residents in Toboso, Negros Occidental.
Jaojoco pledged P2.8 million to expand the coverage of a micro-hydro power plant being managed by the Vergara Magtuod Development Cooperative (Vemadeco) in Barangay Bug-ang, a project that started in 2008.
Vemadeco provides electricity to about 200 households in former rebel-infested sitios of Magtu-od and Vergara.
Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson said the provincial government is more than willing to extend assistance for the cooperative to expand its coverage to neighboring areas.
Jaojoco said they are also using solar energy to power up the municipal hall, town plaza, and public market, and providing more solar lights to six of the eight barangays in Toboso.
Provincial consultant on energy and environment Rafael Coscolluela said Toboso is on its way to becoming the most renewable energy municipality in Negros Occidental, and the micro-hydro project of Vemadeco is a showcase of possibilities when resources are utilized by an empowered community.
“They are the source of inspiration as we push for a SecuRE Negros,” Coscolluela, a former governor of Negros Occidental, said.
The Toboso municipal government partnered with the University of St. La Salle College of Engineering to conduct a research and development project to study household energy use pattern and promote conservation strategies to sustain the Vemadeco hydropower plant, which has provided affordable and sustainable electricity to local households.
“May this study serve as a model for other communities in Negros Occidental, demonstrating that sustainable energy is sustained not only by technology, but by cooperation and responsible use,” Lacson said.
The Vemadeco mini-hydro power plant stands as a meaningful example of community-owned and community-managed renewable energy, which also provided affordable and reliable electricity to households in sitios Vergara and Magtuod in Toboso for years, the governor said.
“This initiative aligns with our SecuRE Negros program, which aims to ensure that energy in Negros Occidental is renewable, reliable, accessible, available, affordable, and sustainable, he added. | GB
