Antipolo City is located in the northwest of Manila, about 2 hours by car. It is located in the middle of the Sierra Madre Mountains, and about half of the area is a plateau at an altitude of 200m. The city center is relatively low in altitude, and many cathedrals and churches are scattered around. Antipolo City has long been known as a place of pilgrimage, and even today, Catholics continue to visit the cathedral. As I passed in front of the church, I saw many people gathered there.

I had the impression that it was a "big city," but about an hour after leaving the city center and heading further into the mountainside, the scenery changed completely. The paved road had turned into a dirt and stone road. Furthermore, the road was muddy due to the rain that had fallen the day before.

The roads were muddy due to the rain that had fallen the previous day, and the words of a local employee that "If it rains and the roads become bad, we may not be able to reach our destination" came to mind.

The car we were in was bumpy and shaky as it drove over the rough roads. If the heavy rain continued, the off-grid areas would be isolated, and not only would they be without electricity, but their food, water, and lifeline supplies would be threatened... We drove on with this thought in mind.
Along the way, we witnessed a sight that hadn't been there two years before. It was a large "power transmission tower" that had pierced the deep forest. "Could this mean that electricity now reaches the entire area without electricity? Will the lack of electricity be resolved?" Our hearts were filled with such hope, but later we heard from a resident, "That is probably for urban areas. Unfortunately, there is no electricity in the village." Areas with electricity and areas without. We felt the disparity between cities and villages.

About three hours after we left, we finally arrived at our destination, the Calawis district. Our group, LIGHT UP THE FUTURE, often partners with NPOs, NGOs, and UN organizations to provide support to local areas, but in the Philippines, as in this case, it is mainly churches that provide support on the ground.

As we prepared for the interview, several children, from pre-elementary school age to toddlers, passed by us playing. When a local employee called out to them, the children looked shy and feigned indifference as they walked past. I have two children about the same age, so I looked at them from a mother's perspective and thought, "Are you curious, but also a little embarrassed? I know how you feel!" and my face started to light up. Although our countries and environments may be different, children are adorable!

We split into several groups and visited several homes. I spoke with the family, consisting of a husband and wife (hereafter referred to as Maria), their daughter Sophia (age 6), and their son Roy (age 4). When we showed up, Maria removed the lantern that had been hanging on the eaves and held it in her hands to show us. It looked like it had been used quite a bit over the past two years, as there were scratches of all sizes on the surface of the lantern. "I've dropped it and hit it a few times, but it still hasn't broken. I'm grateful that it's so strong," said Maria, smiling as she held the lantern tightly to her chest.

How have Maria and her family incorporated the lanterns into their lives? "Until now, it was pitch black at night in the village. All housework had to be done during the day, and the children couldn't play or study at night. Now that we have the lanterns, the children can study at night, and my son, inspired by my daughter studying, has started studying with her. They both started studying at the same time, so the two siblings are learning the same material." "Because they can study at night, they were able to receive 'Academic Excellence' at school." "Having the lanterns has made a big difference to the children's environment. Most of all, it's huge that the children can dream of going to college and have hope for the future."

Maria says that a dream has come to her as well. Maria is also a Christian. Until now, she could only read the Bible at church during the day. But with the lantern, she can now read the Bible at night, whenever she wants, and this sparked her "curiosity." "I want to go back to school someday. That might be a while from now, after my children have left home, but I'm very happy that I can now feel hope. In the future, the area around the village may develop rapidly, and the residents may be driven out of the village. When that happens, I believe that the first thing that will help us is education. If we are educated, if we have the knowledge and skills that education has given us, we will be fine no matter where we go. That's why I want to work hard and learn together with the children." Maria's expression was very gentle as she spoke, but her words were clear.

The lanterns have also brought about a big change in the family's lifestyle. Before the family received the lanterns, they relied on kerosene lamps for light. However, it cost 20 pesos (about 55 yen) just to light a lamp for one night, which was a considerable burden for Maria and her family. What's more, the air indoors became polluted with soot, and considering the health of the children, they said it was not something they could use on a daily basis. "With the lanterns, we can save fuel, and the air isn't polluted. I'm also very happy that I can protect my family's health."

Maria owns a field, where she harvests rice and vegetables to provide food for her family. The field is located three hours away from the village by foot. She doesn't have enough time to do all the housework and childcare in the daytime, as well as farm work, and the road home after sunset is pitch black and dangerous. Inevitably, the number of days she can work on the farm is limited, and she says it has been difficult to escape her harsh lifestyle.

"Thanks to the lantern, I can now light the way at night even after dark. I can now spend more time on farm work, and my harvest has increased. Thanks to this, I can not only feed my family, but I can also earn an income by selling at the market the next morning. It's not a huge amount, but it's enough compared to before, and I feel at ease now," says Maria. Maria now earns about 2,000 pesos (about 5,300 yen) a month from selling her crops. Considering that the average monthly income of the poor in the Philippines is said to be 16,000 yen, this seems like a large sum.

We at Panasonic deliver lanterns to areas without electricity, with the hope of helping to improve the education, health, and income of the people there. Lanterns are small objects that can be held in one hand. They may not be able to light up the whole city like neon lights. But we want them to continue to light the way for those who truly need light, and for the feet and hands of those who need it. We want to see through each and every lantern we deliver to various regions with sincerity. Maria said to me during this interview, "I also want to go back to school someday after my children leave home. I want to study again," and the reason she wanted to do so was because of the lanterns. Perhaps the lanterns were able to bring out a little of the inner thoughts of the people living in areas without electricity. Through this interview, I was inspired and felt very warm throughout.

We would like to once again express our gratitude to Maria's family, the people of Calawis who welcomed us, and the local company, Panasonic Manufacturing Philippines Corporation. We will continue to work to ensure that the lanterns continue to shine a light on a bright future full of possibilities.