This project dubbed Solar Power Technology Support (SPOTS) ) aims to alleviate poverty incidence in remote communities that are highly inaccessible to basic services.

Ponce bared that Ned is one of the 11 agrarian reform communities (ARCs) that has been identified as a beneficiary of the P3.3 billion SPOTS project under the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP).

ARCs are composed of clusters of barangays with farmers earlier awarded by the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) with land titles and with strong associations supported by government service agencies, local government units, non-government organizations and international donor communities.

He said that DAR has been taking more effort to mobilize resources for Mindanao as part of the pledge of President Arroyo to transform the region into a major zone of progress and peace when she launched theMindanao National Initiative Project years back.

Meanwhile, DAR Region XII Assistant Director and SPOTS Assistant Project Manager Ruben Quejas recently handed over to the Ned ARC the project package that includes communal lighting systems each for the barangay hall, barangay health center, Ned Elementary School; another six household lighting system; and television and digital video disk (DVD) set and 20 pieces of educational DVDs.

According to Provincial Agrarian Reform Officer Felix Prias, the SPOTS project is being implemented in Ned ARC with three components of infrastructure, institutional and agricultural development.

He said that the infrastructure component of about 600 households have been approved to avail of individual lighting system, lighting system and vaccine fridge for barangay centers of Kibang and Tinogas, and television and DVD sets for six schools in the ARC.

Under the institutional development component, members and officers of two cooperatives operating in the barangays of Kibang and New Tupi were trained to maintain and manage the SPOTS project.

The agricultural component of the projects has initially trained 10 farmer-beneficiaries on village sasso breeding and provided with 50 heads of sasso chicks for livelihood industry.

Barangay Kagawad Marcelino Tungkay during the recent ceremonial switching expressed his gratitude for the SPOTS project as this will be a precious commodity to spur growth in their barangay.

"With the solar power, the school children can now enjoy studying even at night time, and more people in our barangay will be expected to engage in income generating activities supported by solar power," said Kagawad Tungkay.