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About the CentRE and Women in Inclusive and Sustainable Energy (WISE)
The Center for Empowerment, iNnovation and Training on Renewable Energy or CentRE/Cent-RE is a non-profit multi-stakeholder association composed of energy industry players like RE developers and electric cooperatives, NGOs, academe, youth and labor organizations, and some individuals. It envisions an inclusive and sustainable society where people and communities live in dignity, control their energy future, and enjoy access to reliable, affordable and clean energy attained through an energy transition that is just and democratic.
The CentRE conducts or initiates activities like capacity-building and knowledge sharing, piloting, policy dialogues and advocacy, awareness-raising, and partnership-building activities on renewable energy towards realization of its vision of 100% RE in the Philippines.
In line with this vision, the CentRE, embarked on an initiative in 2021, in partnership with Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung Philippines, and in collaboration with CentRE members and local partners - Active Citizenship Foundation (ACF), Association of Isolated Electric Cooperatives, Center for Power Issues and Initiatives, Center for Youth Advocacy and Networking, Institute for Climate and Sustainable Cities, Rural Women's Congress (PKKK), Romblon Electric Cooperative, Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung, Kaabag sa Sugbu, Lingap sa Kalusugan ng Sambayanan (LIKAS, Irosin), WeGen Distributed Energy, and One Renewable Energy Enterprises, Inc. (OREEI).
The initiative provides a venue and facilitates exchanges among women where they can share their stories about their energy situation, how they are affected by and deal with it, and what are their solutions or recommendations to address their energy concerns.
This initiative is called Women in Inclusive and Sustainable Energy (WISE) and Just Transition: A Dialogue Series on Women, Inclusive and Sustainable Energy, and Just Transition.
The WISE Initiative aims to: a) document the situation and recommendations of women v.v. energy access and RE deployment; b) engage policy makers towards adopting more gender equal/inclusive energy policies and programs; and c) bring forth a network or pool of women who will advocate for gender-responsive, inclusive and sustainable energy and just energy transition.
Context
Energy access remains one of the major concerns in the Philippines, especially among women and girls who account for half of the country’s 110 million population with majority living in rural areas. Based on 2021 government data, 1.66 million households are without electricity access, 1.5 million of them are in rural communities within the franchise areas of rural electric cooperatives.[1]
While many women have access to electricity from the grid (largely sourced from coal power and natural gas), they experience intermittent power supply due to weather disturbances or technical issues. Weekly or daily brownouts of 4-to-8 hours still occur in rural areas, while densely populated urban centers like Metro Manila and Cebu seldom have power interruptions, for 2 to 3-hours if any. In island communities like in Visayas, electricity is enjoyed for 4 to 6 hours a day, often at night. To cope with the lack of electricity either due to unavailable or insufficient supply, or unaffordable rates, households or individuals use instead energy that are hazardous to health and the environment such as diesel for generator sets, kerosene or candles for lighting, and wood and charcoal for cooking. Electricity cost in the rural areas (about 5% to 10% of a household budget) is almost twice the electricity rates in Metro Manila (about 20% of the minimum monthly income).
Since the country continues to be patriarchal especially in rural areas, most of the household or care work are left to women who therefore suffer more when there is no electricity. Aside from care work, most of the women are engaged in call centers, service and academic sectors, cottage industries and in informal economy including home-based entrepreneurship like online selling, as well as in farming and fishing. For them, energy poverty also results in time poverty which deprive them of some time for their personal growth, thus contributing to their economic poverty.
Access to sufficient and affordable electricity could help women achieve their potentials, and improve their and their family’s quality of life. The Energy International Agency (EIA) defines energy access as "a household having reliable and affordable access to both clean cooking facilities and to electricity, which is enough to supply a basic bundle of energy services initially, and then an increasing level of electricity over time to reach the regional average." This indicates energy access is not just having the energy or power infrastructures, but also that energy is available, sufficient, affordable, and can be delivered to consumers when needed.
Sadly, majority of women continue to have lesser voice, opportunities, as well as lower pay or income. They are generally not involved in discussions or projects on energy or renewable energy. Their perspectives are less heard or reflected, if at all, in the government’s energy policies and programs. This, despite women having the potential to contribute in their respective community’s or the nation’s overall social and economic development. However, they need to be given opportunities to learn more, and be heard or involved in community or public discussions/ decision-making processes. Capacitating them can increase their confidence to speak up and take active role in the planning and implementation of policies or programs including on energy.
Women in Inclusive and Sustainable Energy (WISE) and Just transition
Brief history
In June 2021, the CentRE, in partnership with Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung Philippines, initiated the Women on Inclusive and Sustainable Energy (WISE) and Just transition- A Dialogue Series on Women, Inclusive and Sustainable Energy, and Just Transition. The initial activities were conducted in collaboration with CentRE members and other FES partners who comprise the working group — Active Citizenship Foundation (ACF), Association of Isolated Electric Cooperatives, Center for Power Issues and Initiatives, Center for Youth Advocacy and Networking, Institute for Climate and Sustainable Cities, Romblon Electric Cooperative, Kaabag sa Sugbu (Cebu), and Lingap sa Kalusugan ng Sambayanan (LIKAS, Irosin).
The WISE initiative provides a venue, and facilitates exchanges among women where they can share stories about their energy situation, how they are affected and deal with it, and what are their solutions or recommendations to address such concerns. It involves Focused group discussions, forums, dialogues with policy-makers, and media briefings, and network-building.
The project aims to:
a) Document the situation and recommendations of women v.v. energy access and RE deployment;
b) Engage policy makers towards adopting more gender equal/inclusive energy policies and programs; and
c) Bring together women who will advocate for gender-responsive, inclusive and sustainable energy
and just energy transition.
WISE and Just Transition 2022
“Where are the women’s energy or renewable energy (RE) agenda in the energy policies and programs?” This is a question that the WISE project wants addressed especially by the nation’s newly installed leaders.
This year, the project shall therefore continue the dialogues among women, provide them a venue to come together, facilitate the formation of women RE and Just Transition advocates, and present the women’s RE agenda to the policy-makers, especially our women legislative and executive officials.
Target activities and outputs include focused group discussions (FGDs), survey, research, and policy dialogue/forum.
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[1] https://business.inquirer.net/315918/93-of-filipino-homes-now-have-access-to-electricity
BUILDING WOMEN'S NARRATIVES ON ENERGY ACCESS AND INVOLVEMENT IN REALIZING INCLUSIVE & SUSTAINABLE SOLUTIONS
Gathering and Consolidating Women's Narratives on Energy Access
Gathering and Consolidating Women's Narratives on Energy Access
and inclusive energy planning
and inclusive energy planning
Improving Women's Access to Energy Begins With Women Being Heard [1]
Energy poverty continues to be a serious challenge for millions of Filipinos. The lack of steady and reliable access to electricity severely limits options and possibilities as well as denies opportunities for Filipinos in thousands of urban and rural poor communities. They are a priori excluded from the fulfillment of so many needs, and they are unable to enjoy the comforts and convenience that energy access provides. By extension and much worse, they are unable to benefit from the necessary elements that make individual development and progress possible --- health, education, information access, and participation in political exercises.
Energy poverty serves to exacerbate other kinds of poverty, such as that created by landlessness, lack of sustainable and regular employment, or by geographical considerations. And in all the various kinds of poverty, Filipino women more often than not, carry the heavier burden.
Already, women have to contend with so many challenges that are technological, economic, and social in nature, to say nothing about natural inequalities. Despite the leaps and bounds that the discourse on women's rights and gender development has taken in the last decade, many women in the Philippines are still left behind and the quality of life in many of their communities have yet to improve to reach acceptable standards.
As things stand, the Philippines continues to implement a top-down policy when it comes to government programs and reforms. In the campaign for the country's just transition, Filipinos should assert the implementation of the opposite -- bottom-up policy. By this, we mean that transformation processes regarding energy and the implementation of energy programs should engage civil society and social capital, and women in particular.
In the struggle for a just transition, women have an important role to play, and they have a stake in ensuring it. Women stand to greatly benefit from the creation of decent, quality jobs and they stand to also gain from the popularization and clean and renewable energy, especially when they themselves have access to it. Renewable energy is a valuable tool to end energy poverty for women, and improving women's involvement in policy-making to ensure the popularization and accessibility of clean, sustainable, and renewable energy technologies is necessary.
The first step, however, is to have women speak out.
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1 Part of the article on WISE, written by Ina Silverio in December 2022. Read the full article here.
ONLINE FGDs (2021) women in rural and island communities, urban areas, and women in the academe, power industry, and women in trade unions/informal economy
June 2021
June 2021
Camarines, Laguna, Sulu-an (Leyte)
July 2021
July 2021
Quezon City, Sorsogon City, Cebu City
August 2021
August 2021
Quezon City, Cebu City, Bicol, Romblon
face-to-face FGDs/ conversations (2022-2023) with home-based and working women in Mindanao, Visayas, and Luzon
MINDANAO
Davao City, August 2022
Zamboanga City, August 2022
Zamboanga del Sur, August 2022
Zamboanga del Sur, August 2022
VISAYAS
Malalison Island, Culasi, Antique , October - November 2022
Malalison Island, Culasi, Antique , October - November 2022
Antique Electric Cooperative, October 2022
Antique Electric Cooperative, October 2022
LUZON
Payatas, Quezon City, August 2022
Tondo, Manila City, August 2022
Romblon, Romblon, October 2022
GMA, Cavite, Oct-Nov2022
SJDM, Bulacan, June 2023
On 17 June 2023, our WISE (Women for Inclusive and Sustainable Energy) team was fortunate to have an insightful focus group discussion with some of the female community leaders of ALPAS (Aniban para sa Lehitimong Paninirahan ligtas sa Sakuna) - Kilos Maralita (KM) in San Jose Del Monte, Bulacan. These women shared how their community collectively manages their rooftop solar PV system, one of their main sources of electricity, as well as some potential opportunities to use electricity for livelihood to improve their household income. They also shared the challenges in ensuring their homes and community continuously enjoy electricity.
Pasig, Metro Manila June 2023
Energetic women from 5 power companies – WeGen, BPEC, GAAD, First Gen, and OREEI, joined the WISE focus group discussion held in Ortigas, Pasig City on 30 June 2023. Coming from different backgrounds – government, human resources, social services, and fresh university graduate – they shared their views, experiences, and interesting stories on how they end up in the energy industry, what are their roles and reflections as part of their companies, and how they can contribute in energizing other women. Many grew up in communities plagued by brownouts, thus their desire to solve or contribute in finding a sustainable solution to this energy access problem.
For them, the top 3 concerns in the renewable energy sector are political and legal climate, differences in generational culture on work, and further integration of women in the workforce. They also shared some women-related programs of their companies – for one participant, it is daycare area so that employees, especially women, can also bring their kids while they work; other participants shared that their offices give them a blowout to celebrate Women’s Month. They believe that the trainings they acquire at work can be shared with other women and can give them power, literally and figuratively. For instance, one company conducts trainings on energy efficiency which also capacitate women in-charge of their households. They hope that more women will get into the energy industry or electrification sector. Consciously inviting or involving women in the social preparation or community discussions, and development of RE projects could also contribute in the success of energy projects like RE.
Cavinti, Laguna, July 2023
Saturdays and Sundays are usually "labada days" (laundry days) for most people, especially women. But these women of KALIPI women organization in Cavinti skipped their "labada day" on July 1, Saturday, as they were eager to discuss how they can have more power with less money involved.
Cavinti, Laguna is one of the host communities of the first hydroelectric power plant built by National Power Corporation in 1942 - the Caliraya Hydroelectric Power Plant (CHEPP). KALIPI leaders - each representing one of the 19 barangays of Cavinti - made time for the focus group discussion to learn about WISE (Women in Inclusive and Sustainable Energy and Just Transition), share their concerns as women electricity consumers, and presented their ideas how they may enjoy affordable power.
While their town is one of the host communities of CBK hydropower plant, their electricity rate is probably among the highest in the country. Their electric bills account for about 20 to 50 percent of their monthly household income, thus high electricity cost is on top of their agenda. They believe that with lower power rates, their lives may improve as they can use more electricity to ease burden from care work or for more livelihood or income opportunities such as making ice cream, using washing machine, refrigerator, and air conditioning. They want to know how they can utilize their rivers and streams to they have affordable and sustainable electricity from renewable energy.
SURVEY. Making women's voices count.
SURVEY. Making women's voices count.
EQUIPPING WOMEN WITH TOOLS TO SECURE AND MANAGE THEIR MODERN ENERGY REQUIREMENT
TRAINING-WORKSHOP ON ENERGY EFFICIENCY & CONSERVATION
19 October 2023, University Hotel, University of the Philippines, Diliman, Quezon City
Training Community Women Leaders
on Gender and Budgeting, and Picohydro Development
for Just Energy Transition (JET)
(September 2024, Cavinti, Laguna)
The Center for Empowerment, iNnovation and Training on Renewable Energy (CentRE), together with KALIPI or Kalipunan ng Liping Pilipina in Cavinti, with the support of Friedrich-Ebert—Stiftung (FES) Philippines and the Local Government Unit of Cavinti, set a two-day training on 20-21 September 2024 for KALIPI leaders, as first of the 3-phase training program for women to realize RE and local gender-responsive policy support for this.
This year’s initiative in Cavinti is an off-shoot or follow-through to the initial discussions and interactions by the CentRE last year with Cavinti LGU personnel and especially with KALIPI leaders who have expressed the need to build local knowledge and capacity in harnessing the energy potentials of natural resources like rivers and streams that abound in the municipality. KALIPI leaders shared the view that policies and training on RE, as well as financial and human resources including women are critical to realize reliable and affordable electricity to enable more use of electronic gadgets or facilities that can provide more lighting and lighten household chores, aid children’s education, and enhance family incomes through livelihood activities.
Materials
Materials
Presentation on WISE and the importance of data in empowering women (presented at REboot workshop on September 20, 2024)
Presentation on Aqua Bida project in Cavinti, Laguna (presented at REboot workshop on September 21, 2024)
The Filipino Primer on Pico Hydropower was developed for women and community members to provide them with basic understanding on renewable energy (RE), particularly on hydropower RE technology
BRINGING WOMEN'S ENERGY ACCESS AND PARTICIPATION CONCERNS TO PUBLIC ATTENTION
FOR GENDER-RESPONSIVE/INCLUSIVE AND SUSTAINABLE ENERGY PROGRAMS AND POLICIES
INTEGRATING WOMEN PERSPECTIVES IN NATIONAL FORUMS ON SUSTAINABLE ENERGY AND JUST TRANSITION
RE Congress 2022
RE Congress 2022
"Making Renewable Energy for All (REAL) Deal Happen" 12 October 2022, 9am - 5pm, Institute of Civil Engineering, University of the Philippines, Diliman Quezon City
Mindanao Clean Energy Forum X RE Congress 2023
Mindanao Clean Energy Forum X RE Congress 2023
Gearing Towards 50% RE Mix by 2030
20-21 November 2023, Acacia Hotel, Davao City
View presentation of WISE here
MEDIA ACTIVITIES
In celebration of the Human Rights Week and in observance of the 18-day campaign of the United Nations to end Violence against Women (VAW), the Center for Empowerment, iNnovation and Training on Renewable Energy (CentRE) brings to public attention the often-neglected issue of women's access to energy - as both a human right and part of the means to addressing violence against women and children at home and in communities.
For this media briefing, the Women in Inclusive and Sustainable Energy (WISE) initiative shared
· the women's voices - actual experiences on their energy situation as a result of lack of infrastructures, climate-induced disasters and other calamities, and economic poverty;
· how women's access to energy have affected them; and their perspectives on how their situation can improve.
The media briefing presented the stories of women from the Focus Group Discussions and surveys conducted by CentRE and WISE working group members in various parts of the country (Metro Manila, Cavite, Romblon, Sorsogon, Antique, Davao and Zamboanga).
View the presentation here
Linking with Women Legislators Championing Women's Energy Rights
Linking with Women Legislators Championing Women's Energy Rights
Legislators and their Congressional Committeee meberships relevant to the promotion of women's energy rights
Senator Risa Hontiveros - Chair of Senate Committee on Women, Children, Family Relations and Gender Equality . Member of Joint Congressional Energy Commission
Rep. Mercedes K.Alvarez - District Representative, Negros Occidental 6th District. Member of Lower House Committees on Energy, and on Women and Gender Equality
Rep. Jocelyn Sy Limkaichong, District Representative, Negros Oriental 1st District. Vice-Chairperson of Lower House Committees on Cliate Change, and on Micro, Small and Medium Enterprise Development. Member of Committee on Women and Gender Equality.
Unit 2804 Discovery Center, No. 25 ADB Avenue, Ortigas Center, Pasig City 1600, Philippines
info@thecentre.ph | +639205621962 | Facebook: @TheCENTREPhilippines
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