RP firm banks on govt's 'green' campaign to boost sale of power-saving lights

MANILA, Philippines - Carlson Corp., the Philippine distributor for imported lighting and electrical systems brands Akari and Toshiba, banks on consumers' increasing environmental awareness as it aims to be the leading company to offer energy-saving devices. Company chief executive Christopher Tiu said Carlson distributed lighting products can help consumers save as much as 30 percent in electricity costs. Tiu said big Philippine companies like the SM Group, Ayala Land, Inc., and Filinvest Land, Inc. have started shifting to Akari brands in their commercial and residential projects. Akari is the third most popular lighting system, next to the Philips and Omni brands. Akari has holds 30 percent of the low-end market. It hopes to increase its share by five to ten percent annually with its “green" solution to address the rising fuel and energy costs. “It (Akari) is an active partner of the Department of Energy for its Palit-Ilaw projects, an initiative that seeks to promote the shift in the use of incandescent bulbs to compact fluorescent lamps," Tiu said. Akari sold P1 billion worth of lighting systems, including switches and fixtures, in 2007. As much as 95 percent of the Akari lighting products are imported from China, while the rest come from Thailand and Taiwan. Carlson imports one million units of lighting systems a month. - GMANews.TV