Electricity brings new life to Philippines’ southern tip off Tawi-Tawi mainland

The port on Taganak Island in Tawi-Tawi province is the lifeblood of trade and commerce in the southernmost tip of the Philippines, near the border with Malaysia. - Photo courtesy of Bangsamoro Port Management Authority

TAGANAK ISLAND, TAWI-TAWI (Philippines): To the mostly fisherfolk families on this island in the Philippines’ southern tip, the black power cables connecting an electricity post to their households are a very welcome sight.

“It means hope; it means better life,” says Nur Aina Shariff Banding, 58, who supports her children by selling drinks and food coming from Sandakan, Malaysia.