Demonstrating its leadership in innovation, Manuel V. Pangilinan-led Manila Electric Company (Meralco) was named as one of the winning companies at the 2024 Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards.

During the awarding ceremony held in Taguig City recently, the power distributor took home three (3) gold, one (1) silver, and one (1) bronze awards in recognition of its outstanding initiatives centered on sustainability, thought leadership, and social media.

Over 1,000 nominations from organizations, including utility companies, across the Asia-Pacific region were considered in this year’s Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards, which recognizes innovation in the workplace in 29 markets of the Asia-Pacific region. The Stevie Awards are widely considered to be the world's premier business awards, conferring recognition for achievement in programs such as The International Business Awards for 22 years.

Meralco was bestowed with a Gold Stevie under Building Sustainable Supply Chains category for its “Meralco Supplier Sustainability Scorecard (MS3) Program” which aims to drive and promote sustainability across its value chain. MS3, currently an essential part of Meralco’s vendor accreditation process, provides a comprehensive view of its business partners’ environmental, social, and governance (ESG) performance, incorporating 14 Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) and 131 Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) Standards-aligned criteria. In 2022, Meralco rolled out MS3 to 218 suppliers which collectively constitute 95% of the company’s procurement spend. By yearend, 93% of Meralco’s top supply chain partners fully complied with the company’s sustainability standards.

Under the Most Innovative Facebook Page category, the company took home another Gold Stevie for its campaign “Redefining Meralco’s Facebook Page to Empower and Engage Customers” under the Most Innovative Facebook Page category. In 2023, the distribution utility further enhanced its social media content to cater to customers’ changing behaviors, preferences, and informational needs. The strategy revolved around strengthening trust, while serving customers with a wide range of valuable and useful content.

Meralco Power Academy’s (MPA) “Giga Summit on Sustainable Energy, Energy Efficiency, and Future Grid” was awarded a Gold Stevie after it was named the Thought Leadership Campaign of the Year. MPA, Meralco’s education arm, spearheaded the 3-day Giga Summit in 2023 which focused on three key pillars – Sustainable Energy, Energy Efficiency, and Future Grid. The conference, which gathered local and international power industry experts, underscored the imperative to accelerate the transition towards cleaner energy sources, optimize energy usage, and develop smarter, more resilient grids.

Earning a Silver Stevie under the Reuse and Recycle category was the “Meralco Race to Zero Waste Program” that highlighted its initiatives and key results in reducing waste generation and waste disposal in landfills. Through the program, Meralco achieved its goal of keeping waste away from landfills, reaching a record-high waste diversion rate of 96% in 2022 versus its 17% in 2019.

Rounding up Meralco’s haul is the Bronze Stevie for the Climate Hero of the Year category won by Meralco First Vice President and Chief Sustainability Officer Raymond B. Ravelo. Appointed in 2020 to head the company’s sustainability office, Ravelo’s mandate was to Establish, Embed, Elevate and Evolve sustainability in the company. His achievements have been instrumental in transforming Meralco into a recognized leader in sustainability—evidenced by all-time best ESG scores across the board and multiple recognitions from ESG rating agencies and from global and local award-giving bodies.

Gold, Silver and Bronze Stevie Award winners were determined by the average scores of more than 100 executives around the world acting as judges earlier in February and March.

“The 11th edition of the Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards attracted many remarkable nominations,” said Stevie Awards President Maggie Miller.  “The organizations that won this year have demonstrated that they are committed to being innovative, and we applaud them for their perseverance and creativity.”

“One Meralco continuously champions innovation in all forms. We are honored to be recognized internationally for our campaigns and programs that aim to exhibit our strong commitment to providing excellent customer service and contributing to the economic development of our country,” Joe R. Zaldarriaga, Meralco Vice President and Head of Corporate Communications, said.