As One Meralco, we continue to provide quality and reliable electricity service to our customers. Apart from providing our core services, we also contribute to national development through various corporate social responsibility initiatives in the areas of community electrification, environmental sustainability, youth development, community relations, disaster resilience and response, and employee giving and volunteerism.
Anchored on our corporate values of malasakit and bayanihan, we engage with various stakeholders, such as national and local governments, people’s organizations, educational institutions, and the Church, among others, through our corporate foundation and social development arm, One Meralco Foundation (OMF). By joining forces with our stakeholders, we are able to implement social development programs that result in meaningful impacts on people, prosperity, and the planet.
Providing energy access to low-income households and off-grid communities
Meralco provided electricity to 5,751 low-income families in its franchise area through its household electrification program. Our business centers and network sectors, local government, and OMF worked together to address the technical, legal, and financial hurdles that make electrification challenging for these households, especially those in informal settlements and relocation sites. Since the program started, OMF has energized 75,715 low-income households.
Outside the Meralco franchise area, the Company also helps address the energy access challenges of remote and off-grid public schools, rural health centers and barangay health stations, agriculture, and livelihood facilities and equipment, as well as support the electrification needs of water access programs. These community electrification initiatives utilize solar power, and strike at the heart of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) particularly SDG1: End Poverty and SDG7: Affordable and Clean Energy.
Remote public schools were energized using solar power and can now utilize multimedia learning equipment and other technologies. The ability to use these tools makes for improved learning experiences for students and helps educators innovate their class delivery strategies. In 2023, 10 schools from the provinces of Sarangani, Sultan Kudarat, South Cotabato, and Palawan benefited from the program. The program also successfully electrified its 300th school, Catagupan Elementary School, situated on a remote island in Balabac, Palawan, located in the westernmost part of the Philippines. This year, OMF also energized, for the first time, schools from the province of Sultan Kudarat in Mindanao, which cater to students coming from indigenous tribes.
Learn MoreProtect and enhance forest lands and mangroves
Meralco contributes to the reforestation and regeneration of forests, wetlands, and watersheds at risk in the country through the One for Trees (OFT) program. In 2023, the program reached a milestone of having planted and nurtured two million trees since its inception. Reforestation sites are now found in San Miguel, Bulacan; Siniloan, Laguna; various towns in Bohol province along the Carood Watershed; Butuan, Agusan del Norte; Kalibo, Aklan; and Pangantucan, Bukidnon. In 2023, as part of the program’s expansion, new mangrove sites were added in Aringay, La Union; Ibajay, Aklan; and Del Carmen and Siargao Islands, Surigao del Norte.
Meralco subsidiaries Meralco PowerGen Corporation and Global Business Power have upheld reforestation and carbon-sink sites in Toledo, Cebu, and in the provinces of Iloilo and Aklan for over a decade.
Learn MoreResponding to the needs of communities where our various companies operate
Throughout the year, Meralco and OMF implemented 249 community relations projects in partnership with public schools, local governments, national government agencies, private organizations, non-government organizations, and civil society and people’s organizations.
These projects encompass a variety of initiatives, including computer donations, distribution of school kits, provision of vitamins, multimedia equipment, food and noche buena packs, support for environmental initiatives, and relief goods for post-calamity situations. These endeavors aim to address the priority and immediate social development needs of marginalized communities within the Meralco franchise area. Many of these projects also play a strategic role in enhancing the efficiency of institutional operations. For instance, computer donations to police stations, barangays, and other NGO offices enable them to automate their processes and workflows.
Education remains a priority area of assistance. For example, MSERV, the Group’s subsidiary and one of the largest Electrical, Mechanical, Fire Protection, and Plumbing (MEPF) contractors and energy service companies (ESCO) in the Philippines, donated e-vehicles to the De La Salle University - Laguna to aid engineering students with their e-vehicle technology research. The partnership with the university has been ongoing since 2017, resulting in one e-vehicle donated for the school’s use.
Learn MoreInvesting in the youth and women
Within the Company, OMF continued its annual program of recognizing the academic excellence of dependents of Meralco rank and file and supervisory employees through the MVP Academic Achievement Awards, which returned to face-to-face mode after three years of virtual awarding ceremonies. In 2023, it honored 210 awardees and 82 top achievers. Throughout the 13 years of the program, it has already awarded educational grants to 2,540 dependents who excelled academically.
As part of its ongoing advocacy to create more opportunities for women in the energy sector, the Company sustained its commitment to two scholarship programs tailored for women.
The Women Technicians Program, carried out in collaboration with Don Bosco College Canlubang which welcomed 12 new scholars in 2023, empowers aspiring young women to pursue careers as skilled electrical technicians. Notably, from the program’s inaugural cohort, 13 scholars have now secured employment with Meralco, contributing to various technical roles within the Company.
Learn MoreEmpowering for resilience and responding to disasters
The Company was also responsive to the needs of communities affected by calamities. Relief operations provided assistance to a total of 9,697 families directly impacted by fires, floods, typhoons, and the displacement caused by Mayon Volcano’s activity. Beneficiaries received essential aid in the form of food packs and hygiene kits to help them cope with the challenges posed by these natural disasters. Outside its franchise area, Meralco extended aid to Ilocos Norte province when it was hit by Typhoon Egay (Doksuri) in July 2023. It deployed a power restoration team of 32 personnel and equipment to help the Ilocos Norte Electric Cooperative immediately repair damaged facilities in the province.
To bolster multi-stakeholder disaster resilience and preparedness, OMF remained steadfast in supporting the PlanSmart Ready to Rebuild project. Led by the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) and the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS), this initiative is a collaborative effort involving the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC), the Office of Civil Defense (OCD), and the World Bank. OMF supported the training of 216 local government disaster risk managers and team members from cities and municipalities in Southern Tagalog, Bicol Region, and the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao, as well as representatives from national government agencies. The capacity building involved helping the LGUs revolutionize disaster risk reduction and management planning processes, including preparing budgets, utilizing technologies, and enabling citizen participation.
Learn MoreBayanihan is alive through Volunteerism
In July 2023, OMF conducted its annual “Balik Eskwela” campaign, benefiting 3,457 public school students across 65 schools. Each student received a specially designed bag filled with essential school supplies like notebooks, writing materials, and a hygiene kit. This endeavor was made possible through a partnership with the Meralco Employees Fund for Charity, fully funded by employee contributions totaling PhP 1.8 million. Meralco employees also personally selected the beneficiary schools and directly coordinated with them, showcasing this initiative as a comprehensive volunteer effort from start to finish.
Meralco employees not only pursue excellence at work but also embrace the corporate values of “malasakit” and “bayanihan.” Throughout the year, they contributed to the work of One Meralco Foundation through volunteerism and donations. In 2023, they raised PhP 4.17 million to fund various programs of OMF.
Meralco continues to be a committed partner in helping address the various sustainable development challenges in the country, particularly those where electrification, environmental protection, and citizen empowerment are the best solutions. Thanks to the concerted efforts of the One Meralco Foundation, the dedication of Meralco employees to volunteerism, and the collaborative spirit of partners across business, government, academia, and community organizations, significant opportunities for enhanced productivity, livelihood, and citizen engagement are now within reach for kababayan who need them most.
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