May 2023

In the Philippines, SATO, the social business arm of the LIXIL Group, has just begun operations. SATO offers consumers and institutions in rural and peri-urban regions who require off-grid solutions innovative, aspirational, and cost-effective sanitation and hygiene products. SATO presented its product range to decision-makers, corporate executives, and potential partners in the nation on May 17, 2023 at the Okada Manila. As we witness the meaningful event, we are delighted to know more about SATO and how beneficial the product they have for the people. I’m also excited to try and get to know more about them as I trust their efficiency. As we strive to better our lives, SATO is here to help us and give us the choices that would make our lives safe and healthy.

The launch is in line with SATO’s mission to inspire people to live a better life, every day, and enjoy a brighter future through innovative sanitation and hygiene solutions, which also happens to be the brand’s 10th anniversary. The launch in Southeast Asia is a further step in LIXIL’s mission to enhance 100 million lives by 2025.

SATO’s sanitation and hygiene products offer a practical and affordable solution to around 7 million Filipinos who still open defecate or use unimproved toilets. In addition, more than 20 million people have inadequate hand washing facilities at home, according to WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme for Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene (JMP).

The new range of products will also be instrumental in supporting the country as the Philippine government works to attain Zero Open Defecation (ZOD) status and achieve universal access to safe and adequate sanitary facilities by 2028.  

The SATO series is produced in the Philippines by Manly Plastics, the largest supplier of end-to-end plastic solutions and a company that has been active there for more than 59 years. It is reliable, economical, water-saving, and easily accessible. Manly is a reputable and trusted brand with capabilities ranging from mold engineering to fabrication, mass production, and more. Manly has cooperated with businesses across the globe to produce and supply plastic components and products.

The SATO pan, stool, I-trap, and a hand washing station called the SATO Tap that enables handwashing with as little as 100 ml of water are just a few of the toilet solutions that Manly will produce for SATO. The SATO-developed trap door technology is used in the toilet solutions to minimize odor, keep insects at bay, and conserve water, providing freshness, comfort, and safety to homes and establishments without access to running water and sewage systems. Customers who want to build their first toilet or upgrade an existing one can utilize the goods in off-set settings or direct pits.

“The launch in the Philippines is a proud moment for SATO and LIXIL as we serve more consumers and institutions and expand our reach and impact into a new region. SATO solutions are already making a difference in the life of millions across the world as the brand works with partners who believe in our mission of sustainable and safely managed sanitation and hygiene” – Says Suguru Sakata, Leader, Asia, SATO

Jonathan Co from Manly  elaborated about the partnership, saying: “Simple solutions can create a large impact. We are thankful to LIXIL for bringing SATO Toilet; this is a much needed hygiene solution for the country, and at the same time, it will help the economy by choosing to manufacture locally, creating jobs for our citizens. We are committed to helping LIXIL make SATO toilet solutions a success in the Philippines. SATO is a great example and that’s why we are proud to add this innovative and affordable range of sanitation and hygiene solutions to Manly’s portfolio of offerings to its many customers.”

With the construction of its dealership in Barangay Langlangca II, Candon City, Ilocos Sur, Toyota Ilocos Sur will soon be able to meet the mobility demands of clients in the Ilocos Region. This will be the 74th dealership for Toyota Motor Philippines.

A “3S” facility, Toyota Ilocos Sur will offer sales, service, and replacement components. The dealership will have a total floor size of 5,868 square meters and be situated on a 2-hectare property. A workshop with 37 General Service & Body Repair Bays and a showroom with four vehicles on display are both included.

“We are confident that with the strong guidance of our next generation leaders and their team, along with the supervision and partnership with TMP, we can lead in offering the best possible customer experience in Ilocos Sur and further expand our market in the whole of Region 1,” said Rene So, President of Toyota Dagupan Inc. Group during the groundbreaking event.

“With the construction of Toyota Ilocos Sur, Toyota looks to maintain its position in the industry as the top-of-mind car brand. We are excited to welcome this new dealership as we create mobility and happiness for all our customers in the province of Ilocos Sur,” said TMP Senior Vice President for Marketing Division Masando Hashimoto.

The Philippine government has awarded contracts to SunAsia Energy Inc. and Blueleaf Energy to construct and manage the largest floating solar project in the world, with a total capacity of more than 610.5 megawatts (MW).

The Department of Energy (DoE) has issued the first batch of Solar Energy Operating Contracts (SEOCs) for a total of 1.3 gigawatts (GW) in floating solar projects, marking a significant development in the nation’s energy sector.

During President Ferdinand Marcos Jr’s state visit to Singapore in September 2022, Blueleaf Energy, a standalone portfolio company of Macquarie, signed a Letter of Intent (LOI). In the Philippines, the firm promised to considerably increase its investments in sustainable infrastructure.

In partnership with SunAsia Energy, Blueleaf Energy is jointly developing the large-scale floating solar facility on Laguna Lake, spanning the growing cities of Calamba, Sta. Rosa and Cabuyao, and the towns of Bay and Victoria.

During the contract turnover ceremonies, Energy Secretary Raphael Lotilla reiterated his promise to strengthen the renewable energy sector and declared the DoE’s strong support for the commercialization of floating solar facilities as an emerging technology.

Australian Ambassador HK Yu PSM and Singaporean Ambassador Gerard Ho Wei Hong were among those who attended the event at the DoE office in Makati City. The program echoed the need to accelerate the realization of the country’s decarbonization targets by 2040.

Raghuram Natarajan, CEO of Blueleaf Energy, said that “as an active investor in sustainable infrastructure in the Asia Pacific region, we believe the Philippines holds great potential to add significant renewable energy capacity to its energy mix and at the same time delivering green energy at an affordable cost compared to fossil fuels.”

The recent announcement of the removal of foreign ownership restrictions, Mr. Natarajan said, “is an important step in attracting the much-needed foreign direct investments in Philippine Renewable Energy (RE) sector to accelerate the energy transition for meeting the country’s decarbonization and net zero targets.”

After the signing of the SEOCs, Blueleaf Energy’s top executive said his company would push for cooperation among public and private stakeholders to ensure the successful development of the project.

This will “not only contribute to the country’s RE goals, but also spark green job growth locally during construction and the long-term operations of these floating solar projects, enable local supply chains through the manufacturing of critical components and bring about notable benefits to the local community,” Mr. Natarajan said.

The SEOC is a testament to the viability of this emerging technology. Tetchi Capellan, president and CEO of SunAsia Energy, noted that “land use is becoming a big issue for renewables.”

“People are worrying about competing uses of land, and in some markets, you might struggle to find land,” Capellan said. “There is a strong incentive to build on water as the Philippines gears up for an ambitious 46 GW solar energy installations in 2040 and at the same time, increase power supply in the country.”

She said that this first 610MW floating solar project “is our collective legacy, our immeasurable contribution to the body of knowledge in the renewable energy space and to the growing solar energy installations worldwide.”

“Once built, we are certain that it will stand as one of the engineering wonders of the world. It will capture the imagination of developers, it will be published in multiple journals, shared in social media, visited by hundreds of practitioners, and studied by academics,” Capellan added.

Since 2019, SunAsia Energy has been operating a testbed on Laguna Lake to study the behavior of waves, the movement of wind, the intensity of the sun, as well as the variability of the temperature in the locality. The wealth of experience has contributed to the growing knowledge of floating solar panels on the lake.

SunAsia Energy further explained that like land-based systems, floating solar panels generate electricity from the sun’s rays. But the bodies of water that these farms rest on also help to cool the panels, allowing them to be more efficient than terrestrial solar, according to the Environmental and Energy Study Institute.

Solar-on-water will definitely boost clean power as the world races to cut carbon emissions. Massive solar farms can now be found atop bodies of water in South Korea, Japan, China, Thailand, Singapore, and Portugal.

Developing solar-on-water projects, in the country’s largest lake, will help achieve not only the government’s ambitious decarbonization target but also much needed power to run industries, light homes, and energize cities.

More importantly, it will be a legacy of the Philippines to the global renewable energy space, SunAsia Energy said.

In the last two decades, Blueleaf Energy has developed and built almost 2 GW of solar capacity across the globe, including 250 MW in the Philippines. It currently has over 7 GW of solar, wind and storage projects project pipeline across the Asia Pacific region.

Since its founding in 2013, SunAsia Energy, a national developer of renewable solar energy, has collaborated with numerous organizations to create solar projects, such as the 20 MWp Dagupan solar project in Pangasinan and the 60 MWp Toledo solar project in Cebu.