Illuminated path. Through BDO Life’s Lights for Life, solar lamps now bring safer journeys home for Liezel and the Dumagat-Remontado communities.
For most of her life, Liezel Sarmiento has lived without electricity nor paved roads. A member of the Dumagat-Remontado tribe and a barangay councilor from Sitio Cablao in the mountainous areas of Quezon, she has long relied on daylight to safely make her way home and accomplish even the simplest daily tasks.
Reaching the nearest market means walking for hours over rugged terrain to buy groceries and other essentials—a reality that reflects the challenges faced by many indigenous communities in rural Philippines. Today, that reality is beginning to change.
Marking BDO’s 50 years of empowering Filipino communities, BDO Life has partnered with One Million Lights Philippines and BDO Foundation to bring light to the Dumagat-Remontado communities through Lights for Life.
For every qualified life insurance policy purchased, BDO Life donates P500 to help fund solar lamps for families living beyond the power grid—bringing safer evenings, greater mobility, and more opportunities for learning and livelihood.
Lights for Life aims to support more than 1,000 households from the tribe, whose livelihoods depend on river fishing, vegetable farming, and copra production.
For these indigenous families, darkness affects far more than visibility. Once the sun sets, children’s study time often comes to an abrupt end, while parents race to finish household chores and prepare meals before nightfall. For years, many households relied on makeshift lamps fueled by almaciga resin to light their homes—a dim and temporary solution to a daily challenge.
"Sa mga mag-aaral naman, pagdating nila sa bahay, hindi na rin nila nagagawa ‘yung mga aralin nila, dahil walang ilaw,” shares Myra Dela Cruz, the tribal chieftain or punong tribo from Quezon.
Hope in hand. For Myra and her community, a solar lamp is more than a source of light; it is a beacon of hope.
A solar lamp may seem like a small thing, but for communities living beyond the power grid, it can create a world of possibilities. For the tribe, light means more than visibility; it means safer journeys home, longer hours to earn a living, and greater opportunities for children to grow.
As Barangay Councilor Sarmiento puts it, "Kahit sa simpleng ilaw, mabibigyan tayo ng liwanag."
At BDO Life, insurance has always been about protecting futures. Through its Lights for Life campaign, that promise of protection extends beyond policyholders to communities that have spent generations living in the dark.
Every qualified policy does more than secure a family’s future—it brings light, hope, and opportunity to another family striving for a better tomorrow.
