Throughout her 37 years of residency in Barangay Salambao, a fishing village where houses stand on stilts, Roselyn Anzures relied on her neighbor for electricity. But the electricity sourced from the next-door house were only limited to powering electric fans and light bulbs. Getting their own electric connection and service is costlier and more challenging because of their geographic location. They have to use a boat to leave and return home.

Early this month, Anzures were among 60 households in the barangay that were connected to the grid through One Meralco Foundation’s (OMF) Household Electrification Program (HEP) and support from the Meralco Valenzuela Business Center.

With access to electricity, the Anzures family wasted no time and put up a lamination and photocopying business. Aside from having a source of livelihood, it proved helpful to villagers who have to travel far just to laminate and ID or duplicate documents.

For Obando Mayor Ding Valeda, the addition of 60 more homes to Meralco’s HEP bring to 300 the number of households with legal electric meters and safe power at affordable installation fee.

“I support this program because this is one way of ensuring the safety of the people. It’s in illegal connection that fire starts,” Valeda said, according to a post of the event on OMF’s Facebook page.

“This is not the end of the story,” he added. “The project continues for other Obando families. Together we will reach a brighter tomorrow.”