Iloilo’s renewable energy push is putting women at the centre

In 2022, Iloilo Province became the first in the Philippines to pass a renewable energy ordinance with its own budget allocation, setting off a wave of renewable energy installations and more resilient local energy systems. Now the province is taking another pioneering step: ensuring that these energy gains also contribute to gender equality and women’s empowerment and strengthen climate resilience.

Women experience energy-related challenges differently, shaped by caregiving responsibilities, mobility constraints, unequal access to resources and decision-making spaces. Yet these realities often remain insufficiently reflected in how energy development is designed and delivered.

Through workshops organized by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and UN Women under the EmPower: Women for Climate-Resilient Societies Programme, Iloilo’s provincial officers explored how renewable energy systems can better respond to these realities and support more inclusive local planning.

This created a timely opportunity to embed gender equality into the province’s next phase of renewable energy investments, as it updates the Iloilo Provincial Ordinance on Renewable Energy (I-PORE) and the Local Energy Efficiency and Conservation Plan.

Gender Specialist Cecilia Iguiron-Fantastico facilitates the workshop. Photo: Courtesy of UNEP

Improving participation, essential services, safety and economic opportunities for women

Even as inclusion efforts grow, caregiving responsibilities, financial constraints and gender and social norms continue to limit women’s participation in energy planning, according to Alma Ravena, co-chair of the Gender and Development Focal Point System: “The workshops gave us a fresh perspective on how to engage women in our renewable energy projects and ensure they benefit.”

The health sector is already seeing the impact of Iloilo’s investments. Following the passage of I-PORE, the provincial government began installing solar photovoltaic (PV) systems across district hospitals to strengthen the reliability of essential services, including during power interruptions.

For women seeking maternal, reproductive or emergency care, stable electricity can mean safer procedures, uninterrupted treatment and more reliable health services when they are needed most.

Anne Marie Doromal, Energy Efficiency and Conservation Focal Person for Iloilo Province District Hospitals, said solarization has also generated savings used to purchase additional medicines and supplies, and maintain the Women and Child Protection Unit.

“The workshops will help us plan future hospital solarization projects in ways that strengthen services for everyone, especially women and children,” she added.

Renewable energy is also improving mobility and safety in public spaces. Engineer Jomar Aguilar from the Planning Division of the Provincial Engineer’s Office shared that before solar-powered streetlights were installed, many residents, particularly women, felt unsafe walking in the dark.

“We learned how to better integrate women’s perspectives in our planning so that projects like street lighting truly respond to their needs,” he explained.

Beyond safety and services, the workshops also prompted provincial officers to consider how renewable energy technologies can create economic opportunities for women.

Ravena emphasized that training women in solar PV installation and maintenance could provide new sources of income, but “we need a conscious effort to move away from the idea that this work is only for men.”

Rey Victor, Project Development Officer and Energy Efficiency and Conservation Focal Person at the Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Office, shared that the province plans to purchase electric vehicles to reduce fuel costs as part of its clean transport shift.

“We will be tapping the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority and the Provincial Office for Employment to train women drivers, so they can become qualified once employment opportunities arise,” he said.

The initiative reflects a broader effort to ensure that emerging green jobs do not automatically reproduce existing gender divides.

A more inclusive energy future ahead

With its upcoming energy plan updates, Iloilo is ensuring that women benefit from safer services, improved infrastructure and new livelihood opportunities. As UN Women and UNEP continue supporting this work, Iloilo’s experience offers a practical model that other local government units can follow.

I suggest this be revised to "contribute to gender equality and women's empowerment". We are not only trying to meet the "PRACTICAL needs" of women but pursuing "gender-transformative" programming.