QUEZON CITY, 11 June 2026 – On the eve of Philippine Independence Day, civil society organizations, renewable energy advocates, industry representatives, and community members called for freedom from high electricity prices and recurring power interruptions, urging the Philippine government to empower Filipinos with greater access to affordable, reliable, and secure energy.

Held at Quezon City Memorial Circle, the gathering marked the launch of “Sayang Ang Araw: Gawing Mura Ang Solar,” a public engagement and policy advocacy campaign pushing for the accelerated adoption of rooftop solar. The campaign calls for concrete reforms to improve affordability and access, including the removal of value-added tax and import tariffs on solar systems to reduce upfront costs and accelerate adoption; strengthened net metering implementation to ensure efficient adoption of rooftop solar; simplified permitting and faster interconnection processes; and expanded access to affordable financing. By unlocking access to solar energy, the campaign aims to help more Filipinos take control of their energy costs while building a cleaner, more reliable, and more resilient energy future.

Chuck Baclagon, Senior Advisor for Communications and Campaigns for 350 Pilipinas, noted that the campaign comes at a critical time as Filipino consumers continue to face high electricity costs driven by dependence on imported fossil fuels—a challenge that also contributes to the worsening climate crisis—and structural barriers that prevent wider access to rooftop solar adoption.

“The irony is that the solution is already above our heads,” Baclagon said. “In a country blessed with abundant sunlight, we should be making solar energy easier—not harder—to access. If we are serious about lowering electricity costs, strengthening energy security, and addressing the climate crisis, then we must remove fiscal barriers on solar technologies and allow more Filipinos to harness the power of the sun.”

The Solar Power Estimation of Capacities and Tracking Using Machine Learning (SPECTRUM) tool developed by the Institute for Climate and Sustainable Cities (ICSC) estimates 106 gigawatts (GW) of rooftop solar potential across the country’s major urban areas and economic zones alone. Today, only about 0.50 percent of this potential has been tapped, with many rooftops still idle despite their capacity to produce electricity.

Philippine Solar and Storage Energy Alliance (PSSEA) President Ping Mendoza also highlighted that the country’s technical rooftop solar potential is nearly six times greater than the current national peak electricity demand. “Imagine all the energy we need, falling from the sky every single day. Free. Independent from whatever one person, company, or country decides to provide for us or not,” said Mendoza. “‘Sayang ang araw’ is not [just] a campaign slogan. It is an admission that we are not doing a good enough job to get things done,” he added.

“Sayang ang araw kung ang energy transition ay mananatiling usapin lamang ng malalaking planta, utilities, at gobyerno — kung pwede namang maging bahagi din [nito] ang ordinaryong mamamayang Pilipino, ang ating mga local entrepreneurs, mga installers, mga lokal na pamahalaan, mga paaralan at iba’t iba pang komunidad na kasama natin ngayon,” added Brenda Valerio, Philippines Country Director of New Energy Nexus.

(“It is a waste when the energy transition remains a conversation among plants, utilities, and governments—when ordinary Filipinos, local entrepreneurs, installers, local governments, schools, and other communities can also be involved.”)

The local government of Quezon City, represented by Acting Chief of Climate Change Mitigation Division Vanessa Claire Vinarao, expressed support for the campaign, and underscored the role of LGUs in accelerating the call, citing the city’s ongoing solarization efforts across its public facilities. “Three of our major buildings are now fully solarized. Those 600 panels alone save the city PHP1.5 million annually, funds that we save and redirect to build and rehabilitate day care centers.”

According to Vinarao, fully utilizing viable rooftop spaces in Quezon City for harnessing solar energy could generate up to three times the city’s current energy demand, further highlighting participation of different sectors to fulfill this. “True energy independence requires a whole of society approach. Bawat sector, bawat isa po sa atin, bawat gusali ay sumama sa atin sa pagpapalaya mula sa fossil fuel dependency.” she added.

(Every sector, every one of us, and every building has to join us in achieving freedom from fossil fuel dependence.)

Participants also joined the reading of the Manifesto for Affordable, Reliable, and Resilient Solar Energy, calling for policy and financing reforms to make rooftop solar more accessible to Filipino households, businesses, public institutions, and communities. Led by environmentalist and UN Environment Programme Goodwill Ambassador Antoinette Taus, the Manifesto reads: “Sa bisperas ng Araw ng Kalayaan, nagkakaisa tayo para sa bagong kalayaan: kalayaan mula sa mahal na kuryente, kalayaan tungo sa kaginhawaan.”

(“On the eve of Independence Day, we come together for a new kind of freedom: freedom from high electricity prices; freedom that leads to a more comfortable life.”) 

The launch concluded with the unveiling of the campaign banner in front of the Quezon City Memorial Shrine, carrying the message: “Sayang ang Araw! Gawing Mura ang Solar!”

Through Sayang ang Araw, advocates are calling for reforms such as removing unnecessary taxes on rooftop solar systems and components, rationalizing import duties, streamlining permitting and interconnection processes, improving net metering, supporting real property tax incentives, and expanding access to affordable financing. The petition is live on https://letsgorenewable.ph/sayangangaraw.

“Ang hamon ngayon ay kung paano natin gagawing mas abot-kaya at madaling ma-access [ang solar energy], lalo na para sa mga higit na nangangailangan nito,” said ICSC Director for Energy Policy Romil Hernandez. “Inaanyayahan namin kayo na pirmahan ang ating petisyon at makiisa sa panawagan na gawing mas abot-kaya at mas accessible ang rooftop solar para sa lahat ng Pilipino.”