When war fell on Marawi, the city and its residents were left, literally, in the dark. Close to 400,000 Filipinos were displaced from their homes and struggled in temporary shelters and refugee sites with no electricity.
The darkness around the city did not just make the situation difficult and unsafe but also perpetuated fear in the evacuees who were unsure of what the next days would bring.
A month before the siege was declared over, PepsiCo and Pepsi-Cola Products Philippines Inc., in partnership with MyShelter Foundation’s Liter of Light, immediately went to work to provide the community with sustainable sources of light.
The government tapped the Pepsi Philippines team as one of the private institutions to aid in the rebuilding of Marawi, working with the Philippine Disaster Resilience Foundation to further their reach.
Oc October 2017, the team engaged its celebrity brand ambassadors, including Daniel Padilla, Jasmine Curtis-Smith, National University volleybelle Jaja Santiago, and Magic 89.9 radio jocks Tin Gamboa (DJ Suzy), Anthony James Bueno (Tony Toni), and Eric Virata (Slick Rick) to help build Solar gasera lights for delivery to Marawi.
Each gasera light is made of LED bulbs wired to miniature solar panels using a copper board. It houses rechargeable batteries similar to those found in computers.
To date, the Pepsi Philippines team and Marawi community leaders have distributed 1,000 solar gasera lamps and installed 200 street lights in the city and temporary shelters.
“The lights help make the people feel safe,” said PCPPI president Samudra Bhattacharya. “But apart from that, it helps uplift their spirits. This, we believe, is a step to rebuilding their lives. With this project, we replace the darkness around them with a light of hope.”