At least six schools in remote villages in Benguet province have gained access to electricity and internet connectivity through AuroraPH, a flagship program of Aboitiz Foundation Inc. (AFI) in partnership with Aboitiz Renewables Inc. The initiative provides solar power systems with storage batteries and Starlink internet connections to support learning in last-mile schools.
The beneficiary schools include Ampucao Elementary School in Itogon; Bakian Guiniawan Elementary School in Bokod; Awing Elementary School in Kabayan; and Labney Primary School, Piminggan Elementary School, and Marcelo Marquez National High School in Tuba. The program aims to narrow energy gaps and enable digital learning for students who previously had limited access to electricity and online resources.
Jowell Ann Cruz, AFI Impact Lead for Education, emphasized that providing power and internet allows classrooms to become spaces of opportunities, where students can explore, connect, and learn without limits. Noreen Vicencio, first vice president and general manager for hydro operations at Aboitiz Renewables, highlighted that the program improves learning conditions “one school at a time,” demonstrating the benefits of connectivity for both students and teachers.
Aboitiz Renewables operates nine run-of-river hydropower plants in Benguet through its hydropower arm, Hedcor. The installation of solar power systems in these schools is seen as a step toward expanding sustainable energy, connectivity, and digital learning opportunities across other remote schools in the Philippines.
Awing Primary School, one of the beneficiaries, also extended the solar power to the local community after Super Typhoon Uwan, allowing residents to charge gadgets, flashlights, and other electrical items. The school received a 10-kilowatt solar power system with battery storage. Awing Primary School, built in the 1970s, is located six hours from the town proper and serves 17 pupils from kindergarten to Grade 5, mostly from local farming families.
Dr. Estela Cariño, regional director of the Department of Education in the Cordillera Administrative Region, noted that private sector involvement significantly supports last-mile schools. In a December stakeholders forum, she reported that out of 1,845 public schools in the region, 1,600 lack computers, over 1,400 lack libraries and clinics, and the region needs 3,469 additional classrooms. Many schools also lack internet, water, and science or technical-vocational facilities.
AuroraPH is helping bridge these gaps, providing dependable power and digital tools to improve education, benefiting not only students and teachers but also the surrounding communities.
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