Manila, Aug. 5 -- Five local government units (LGUs) in Eastern Visayas have partnered with the Department of Energy (DOE) to promote the use of solar energy in public buildings, a move aimed to improve energy efficiency and cutting electricity costs.

The first LGUs to join the Solar Solutions for Government: Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy in Public Buildings (SSG-ERPB) program are the provinces of Eastern Samar, Leyte, Northern Samar, and Southern Leyte, along with Tacloban City.

DOE Undersecretary Mario Marasigan led the signing of a memorandum of agreement with local officials during a ceremony at the Summit Hotel here on Wednesday.

"This partnership supports the objectives of the Government Energy Management Program and con...