Project SHINE Launches in Halian, Del Carmen: Electrification, Fisheries, and Women at the Center

Project SHINE launched in Halian, Del Carmen, Siargao, on May 1, 2026, linking agriculture, fisheries, and livelihood electrification for island communities.

A launch on an island that knows the stakes

Halian is a small island barangay in Del Carmen, Siargao, reached by a boat ride across the water that separates Siargao from Dinagat. It has a population of roughly 1,100 people, most of whom depend on fishing and trading. Until recently, its power supply came from a community generator that ran for a few hours each evening, with households supplementing it with batteries, flashlights, and small solar kits.

On May 1, 2026, Project SHINE was officially launched at Naghiusang Gagmay’ng Mangingisda sa Halian (NAGMAHAL), the island’s fishers’ organization. The initiative is designed to strengthen agriculture, fisheries, and livelihood electrification in island communities—connecting energy access to the work that sustains households.

The launch was attended by H.E. Marielle Geraedts, Ambassador of the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in the Philippines. In her message, she emphasized that women are at the heart of agriculture and fishery development and called for greater investment in women’s empowerment and in the food-water-energy nexus to help communities become more resilient, sustainable, and inclusive.

What Project SHINE is trying to do

Project SHINE is described as an initiative that strengthens agriculture, fisheries, and livelihood electrification in island communities. The specific technical design, funding envelope, and implementation timeline were not detailed in the launch announcement. What is clear is the model: reliable energy is treated as a foundation for livelihood activity, not as an end in itself.

That distinction matters on an island like Halian. Fishing depends on ice, light, and communication. Post-harvest handling depends on cold storage. Small enterprises—fish processing, food production, trading—depend on consistent power. Without it, catch is lost, prices are dictated by intermediaries, and women who process and sell produce absorb the losses.

Halian’s fishing dependence is well documented. Approximately 25 percent of residents aged 15 and above rely on fishing, according to WWF-Philippines. The same documentation notes that the island has significant eco-tourism potential but has lacked reliable 24-hour electricity, limiting economic opportunities and increasing vulnerability to climate shocks.

Electrification in Halian is not a new agenda. WWF-Philippines’ SMILE Project—Solar ComMunity-Based Island Tourism and Livelihood Energizer Platform, funded by the European Union—has been working since 2019 to provide 24/7 renewable hybrid energy services to Halian and other off-grid island communities in Siargao and Dinagat. The SMILE Project integrates electrification with sustainable livelihoods, including a solar-powered micro-hotel model and downstream micro-industries.

Project SHINE, as described in the announcement, appears to build on that trajectory, adding agriculture and fisheries livelihood components to the electrification agenda. Whether it is a continuation, a successor, or a distinct initiative is a detail that should be confirmed with the partners (see verification notes). What the launch makes clear is that the work is moving from pilot installations to a broader livelihoods framework.

The food-water-energy nexus, in practice

Ambassador Geraedts’ reference to the food-water-energy nexus is not an abstract policy phrase. On an island,

the three are inseparable. Energy is required to pump and treat water. Water is required to grow food and process fish. Food production and processing generate income that allows households to pay for energy and water.

When one part of that system fails, the others follow. A power outage spoils fish that could have been sold. A water shortage limits what can be grown or processed. A poor harvest reduces the income available for electricity. The nexus framework is a way of saying that interventions in one area have to account for the others.

Project SHINE’s focus on electrification alongside agriculture and fisheries is an attempt to work across that nexus rather than treating energy access as a standalone infrastructure project.

Women at the center

Ambassador Geraedts’ emphasis on women in agriculture and fisheries reflects a structural reality in island communities. Women often manage post-harvest processing, marketing, and household food preparation. They are the ones who turn catch and harvest into income and meals. Yet they are frequently excluded from decisions about infrastructure, credit, and market access.

In Siargao, that pattern is being addressed through parallel work. A collaboration involving AGREA Foundation, One Meralco Foundation, WWF, BPI Foundation, Tukod Foundation, and the Para sa Baji programme has introduced solar-powered facilities for fish processing and cold storage. The point of those facilities is not simply to reduce spoilage. It is to give women who process and sell fish a more stable position in the value chain—less dependent on intermediaries, less exposed to loss, and more able to plan.

Project SHINE’s stated focus on women, agriculture, and fisheries places it within that same logic. The launch did not announce specific targets for women’s participation or income, and none should be assumed. But the framing signals that the project is intended to address the gendered dimensions of island livelihoods, not just the technical ones.

The partnership behind the launch

Project SHINE is a collaboration among One Meralco Foundation, AGREA Foundation, the Embassy of the Netherlands in the Philippines, the Municipality of Del Carmen, Surigao del Norte, WWF-Philippines, UNDP Philippines, and Surigao del Norte State University (SNSU).

Each partner brings a distinct contribution. One Meralco Foundation has a long track record in community electrification, including solar PV installations in off-grid schools and livelihood programs. WWF-Philippines has been working in Halian since 2019 through the SMILE Project, with deep community relationships and technical experience in renewable hybrid energy systems. UNDP Philippines supports circular economy and local governance work in Del Carmen through the EU-funded Green Economy Partnership. SNSU, a public university with a campus in Del Carmen, contributes research and extension capacity in agriculture, fisheries, and environmental studies.

AGREA Foundation’s role in Del Carmen includes circular economy livelihoods through the Para Sa Isla initiative, implemented with iLAJA and the municipal government. That work supports People’s Organizations in transforming local resources into sustainable products—an enterprise-focused approach that complements electrification and fisheries support.

No single partner could deliver this combination alone. The launch was a demonstration of what the partners describe as a shared commitment to community-driven action.

What the launch does and does not signify

The launch of Project SHINE is a milestone. It marks the point at which a partnership moves from planning to implementation, and it brings international attention to a small island’s development priorities.

It does not, by itself, deliver 24/7 electricity, increase incomes, or improve nutrition. Those are outcomes that will depend on implementation over the months and years that follow. The project’s specific activities, timelines, and measures of progress have not been publicly detailed.

What can be observed in the near term is whether the project’s components reach the households and enterprises they are intended to serve, whether women’s participation in livelihood activities increases, and whether energy access translates into tangible economic activity. Those are the intermediate markers that will indicate whether the launch was a beginning or a headline.

A note of appreciation

To the fishers of NAGMAHAL, the local government of Del Carmen, and the partners who made this launch possible: the work ahead is the hard part. The launch was a moment to mark. The implementation is where the value will be created.

To learn more about AGREA Foundation’s work in Siargao on circular economy livelihoods, community partnerships, and food systems, explore the organization’s official channels. Organizations interested in supporting this work can reach out through AGREA’s contact page.