Noel Batario, a native of Candelaria, Quezon is the eldest son of 8. He was under the care of his stepmother who had to accept laundry services within their neighborhood to earn a living. This situation of the family made Noel realized the importance of hard work, ingenuity and preparing for the future.
TAKING SMALL STEADY STEPS.
Noel’s first work was an “extrador” in a construction firm. It was enough to say that his income was small that his family lived in ‘hand to mouth’ daily existence. With his siblings whom he had to send to school, life was not easier. Noel lost his source of income when the construction firm ended its contract in Noel’s hometown. But this never put his spirits down, he took odd jobs to help his family.
When Superstar Coconut Products, Inc. mounted their factory in Quezon, Noel was one of the very first who was hired by the company as a machine operator. It was also the time that he realized that he has a knack in ‘understanding and operating machines’. He got promoted and transferred to Davao where he worked as a machine operator for producing export products. He was also tasked to teach and train his fellow workers on how to operate specialized machines.
After a few years, Noel was again promoted to the electronics department. His work experience, enthusiasm, and determination to learn more made the promotion beneficial. It also inspired Noel to pursue his knowledge of electronics academically which he later earned a national certificate for computer technician from Mindanao Master Institute.
It was in 2011 that Noel was introduced to Mindanao Land’s Building Pilot Disaster Resilient Communities (BPDRC) Project as a volunteer/participant. At first, Noel was shy and hesitant to attend meetings. Later, he was seen helping in his own little way by cleaning and setting the venue before every activity.
Noel fondly remembered the first activity he got involved with MindLand; it was the Thematic Mapping for the 1 Liter
of Light Training, a joint project of TESDA, Minland and PMPI Davao Cluster last April 2015. Noel further engaged himself for a follow-up activity conducted by TESDA on Solar Technology. After these training, Noel researched more on how to make solar panels and the advantages of using solar technology for lighting.
‘I realized that I can do so much with solar energy,’ Noel excitedly shared. He had another brush with solar technology when TESDA conducted a one-day training on Solar Installation, ‘It was during this training that I got more interested in the Solar Panel Technology. In fact, I became so interested it has become my family’s bread and butter,’ Noel said.
As of the moment, Noel and his family have zero electric bills because he uses 100% solar energy for their appliances. Not only that he actively promotes the use of solar energy, he also makes and installs solar panels for other people. His business began when a friend of his recommended his service to a resident of Suawan who was also interested in the solar panels. The set of solar panels he is producing can light the whole house and even power a sound system, television and a DVD player.
Making SAPAT DAPAT! A habit.
Noel’s story is truly inspiring especially the road into realizing that individuals have the command into pursuing things they love. In Noel’s case, machines and electronics, his interest had spurred values that are Sapat Dapat! Worthy. Not only does he make, install and actively promotes solar panels, he also illustrates persistence, hard work and care for mankind by providing a cheaper and progressive source of energy.
Noel humbly said that he would also like to avail further training on Solar Panel to better gain more knowledge. He is very hopeful and confident that he will be able to seek greater opportunities to improve his life, family and be able to contribute more to his community.
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