Towards a Brighter Future: ONE MERALCO FOUNDATION CHAMPIONS INCLUSIVE EDUCATION FOR THE FILIPINO YOUTH

Education is key in securing a bright future for the youth, but many Filipino students struggle to have access to learning opportunities due to financial limitations. For students living in off-grid and remote areas, inadequate power supply for classrooms also poses a big challenge for learning.

As part of its mission to provide solutions to the challenges faced by the country’s education sector, One Meralco Foundation (OMF), the corporate social responsibility arm of the Manila Electric Company (Meralco), partners with various organizations including the Department of Education (DepEd), local government units (LGUs), and the private sector to implement programs for the education sector. This advocacy is rooted in the vision to foster partnerships for community development, harness capability of beneficiaries, and uplift the lives of Filipino families.

School Electrification Program

Students of Kboyong Elementary School in T’boli, South Cotabato can now use electronic gadgets for easier learning after the installation of a solar PV system that provides electricity to the school building.

Most schools located either in the mountains or in islands are not able to tap into a power source, making it difficult for students and teachers to maximize multimedia aids such as televisions to view educational videos or laptops for learning.

OMF has responded to these challenges through its School Electrification Program, through which it provides solar photovoltaic (PV) systems that supply power to school beneficiaries. This support enables students and teachers to use their laptops, TVs, printers, and scanners for interactive learning. Similarly, the teachers no longer have to travel to areas with electricity just to print activity sheets or test papers, increasing their productivity.

In 2023, a total of 10 public schools benefitted from OMF’s School Electrification Program. These include Kboyong Elementary School in T’boli, South Cotabato, which has 134 students of tribal descent. These students endure a 6-hour travel via a motorcycle ride and a long walk just to go to school.

OMF partnered with Lenovo Philippines to provide the learning community with laptops that allow students to watch educational videos and connect to the internet for research purposes.

Blanga Elementary School in Sitio Blanga, Barangay Nalilidan in Kalamansig, Sultan Kudarat receives one of the laptops donated by Lenovo Philippines Inc.

Since 2011, OMF was able to provide solar-powered electricity to 300 public schools nationwide under its School Electrification Program, which has since benefited more than 91,000 students and almost 3,000 teachers.

Balik Eskwela Program

Public school students gear up for the new school year with Balik Eskwela kits.

OMF and its partners also help thousands of public-school students prepare for the school opening through the Balik Eskwela Program.

Meralco employees, through the Meralco Employees Fund For Charity, Inc. (MEFCI), Meralco business centers, and Meralco subsidiaries jointly support the program by donating bags and other school supplies to student beneficiaries, making sure they are equipped to participate in class.

In the past years, OMF has handed out “Laging Handa” disaster preparedness kits for students, “Teacher Frontliner” backpacks for teachers during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, and “Power Pack Kits” to provide student with lunch meal kits.

Students from San Diego Elementary School in Quezon City received Balik Eskwela kits from OMF and the Meralco Internal Audit team.

In 2023, more than 3,400 kindergarten students have received the back-to-school kits, each including a backpack, a set of school supplies, and a hygiene kit.

A total of 44,000 students have benefitted from OMF’s Balik Eskwela Program which started in 2014.

Scholarships for Youth and Women

OMF scholarships empower young people to acquire new skills which they can use for their chosen profession.

As a champion of diversity and inclusion, OMF also empowers women who aspire to pursue a career in the power industry. Through the “MpowHER” scholarship program, OMF provides financial support to female electrical engineering students from partner schools such as Batangas State University, the University of the Philippines, Polytechnic University of the Philippines, and Nueva Ecija University of Science and Technology. 

In addition, OMF offers scholarships for aspiring female electrical technicians through its partnership with Don Bosco College Canlubang in Laguna that covered the technical vocational course on Electrical Installation and Maintenance and Mechatronics Servicing, a National Certificate II (NCII) Program.

Since 2022, OMF has already supported 67 women scholars, some of which are now employees of Meralco.

In partnership with the Pasig City LGU and Ateneo School of Medicine and Public Health, OMF also supported deserving students from the LGU who aspire to become doctors. These scholars are expected to serve in the different public hospitals and health centers in Pasig once they complete their degree.

Recently, OMF, together with other non-profit organizations under the MVP Group and Full Phils Association Inc., has allocated an educational grant fund to help overseas Filipino workers in Hong Kong to study through online learning. 

OMF walks along with Filipinos who dream of improving their lives and skills through quality education. It continues to implement initiatives and foster strong partnership with the government, schools, universities, and Meralco employees to help the Filipino youth build a future that they can look forward to.