Continuing to serve communities where it operates Chevron Philippines Inc. (CPI), marketer of the Caltex brand of fuels and lubricants, funded the purchase and installation of solar panels for the San Pablo Apostol Parish (SPAP) in Tondo, Manila. This donation from Chevron was the single largest corporate donation for this pilot project.
The project aims to help the parish lower its electricity costs and reduce its carbon footprint. The savings from power bills will be used to further expand the many poverty alleviation, education, and feeding programs being carried out by the parish.
Chevron’s donation was made through the Bakhita Canossa Foundation Inc., the congregation’s official foundation handling projects such as youth development, livelihood, and feeding programs.
The signing ceremony, held at SPAP in Tondo, was attended by Chevron Corporate Affairs Advisor Joel Gaviola, SasonbiSolar’s Briones and the company’s engineers, SPAP parish priest Rev. Fr. Rey Daguitera, FdCC, Bakhita Foundation President Rev. Fr. Fermin Leoveras, FdCC, Jacinto, nuns and priests from other parishes, and SPAP parishioners. Chevron funded the initial purchase and installation of the solar panels.
“This donation is aligned with the strategy of Chevron in advancing a lower carbon future. We hope that this will further strengthen SPAP’s capability to support its community members in need,” Gaviola shares.
A more sustainable future for Tondo
Fr. Daguitera expressed his gratitude and shared how the project will impact the church’s overall spending. “We started a feeding project in 2017 that has since evolved into a livelihood and education program for more than 50 Tondo students and parents. With the solar panels installed, our monthly electricity bill of PHP80,000 can be reduced to zero. The P13,000 monthly payment will go to amortize the portion of the project cost which is financed by Sasonbi Inc which installed the solar panels. Whatever we save will go directly to our social programs. This means we can help more students attain a better future,” he shared.
“What the solar panels symbolize to me is life. Like the sun that gives life, these solar panels will also be a source of life for the children of Tondo and the entire community,” shares Bakhita Foundation’s Fr. Leoveras, Chevron’s active social investment programs support projects that boost health, education, livelihood, and the environment throughout the Philippines.
Sasonbi Inc which is the project proponent, the Bakhita Canossa Foundation, and the parish of San Pablo Apostol which are the project beneficiaries greatly appreciate the participation and support of Chevron.