One Meralco Foundation (OMF), the social development arm of the Manuel V. Pangilinan-led Manila Electric Company (Meralco), has energized the water system of an underserved community in South Cotabato that has long faced challenges with access to clean and reliable water.

The initiative, which is part of OMF’s Water Electrification Program that entails provision of solar photovoltaic (PV) system to improve water security in local communities, benefited residents of Barangay Guinsang-an which is comprised of farmers who had been sourcing their water through deep wells.

While the barangay officials institutionalized Barangay Water System Association (BAWASA) to provide tap water to residents, it was still a struggle for the households – which are mostly low income – to afford their share in paying electricity bills. In addition, water supply still gets cut when power outages occur, which is an added challenge for the community according to barangay kagawad and BAWASA Administrator Cris Valencia.

With OMF’s initiative to energize the water facility, the community now enjoys greater water security, and the barangay is poised to save on electricity costs, which can be allocated to social services and the expansion of water access to nearby areas. “Our savings in maintaining the water system can be allotted for other projects. We will strive to extend our facilities to more purok without access to water,” Valencia said.

“Meralco extends its social responsibility to our fellow Filipinos through electrification programs that we implement, even in the farthest, most remote communities across the Philippines. Being able to bring the benefits of solar power technology to various communities will help enable the good life Filipinos deserve,” Meralco Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Ronnie L. Aperocho, who hails from Sto. Niño, South Cotabato, said during the turnover of the solar PV facility.

Water Access Electrification, one of the Foundation’s electrification programs, is focused on improving the distribution of water to households or through communal water stations through solar technology. Since 2022, it benefited more than 800 households in different communities in Quezon, Bulacan, and South Cotabato.

“By providing a sustainable solution to the community’s water system, we ensure that the residents today — as well as the future generation — can have access to clean and safe water for years to come,” said OMF President Jeffrey O. Tarayao