As the holiday spirit filled the air, One Meralco Foundation (OMF), the corporate social responsibility arm of Manila Electric Company (Meralco), carried on with a mission to spread the light of the season — bringing hope, warmth, and brighter days ahead to more Filipinos. 

Through its Household Electrification Program (HEP), the Manuel V. Pangilinan-led foundation literally and figuratively lit up homes of 1,766 low-income families in the cities of Manila, Pasig and Parañaque in Metro Manila, as well as in parts of Cavite, Rizal, and Laguna provinces. 

Sparking holiday hope in Quezon City

About a week before Christmas Day, OMF, Meralco and the Quezon City local government unit (LGU) spread the holiday cheer to residents of Barangays South Triangle and Escopa 3, 185 West Riverside, 24 F. Carlos, Sitio Militar, K-9 Compound, Greenland and Tumana.

With the successful energization of their homes, these families no longer need to resort to submetering from their neighbors. With direct access to safe and reliable electricity, potential electrical hazards are effectively reduced, and residents can now pay the standard Meralco rate which is lower than the asking rate of their neighbors.

Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte said access to electricity is not just a symbol of progress but is also an enabler of basic human rights. “This is why the Meralco’s Household Electrification Program is so important to us. This is a big step forward not only for the families who will benefit, but for our broader vision of uplifting the quality of life here in Quezon City. By bringing light to homes that need it most, we are offering the chance to build a better life for all,” she said in Filipino.

“These families, who once depended on unsafe connections — such as tapping into a neighbor’s line, using submeters, or having no access to electricity at all — now enjoy a safe, reliable, and legal power supply,” Meralco Head of Customer Retail Services Charina P. Padua said in Filipino. “Meralco, together with OMF and the Quezon City government, remains committed to reaching more families in need of safe and dependable electricity.”

The electrification is made possible by the partnerships among OMF, Meralco Kamuning-Roosevelt, Commonwealth-Balintawak and Novaliches Business Centers, and Meralco Balintawak, Pasig, and Valenzuela Sectors as well as the city government of Quezon City.

Bringing light and joy to Manileños

OMF also brought its flagship program in Manila and energized 179 more low-income households in four barangays in the city before Christmas.  Meralco, OMF leaders and local government officials led the lighting ceremony celebrating the families’ access to safe and reliable electricity through its flagship program.

“The city of Manila continues its commitment to ensure that every household, street, family has access to safe, reliable, and sustainable electricity. This electrification program is more than just installing power lines. It is about improving the quality of life of our residents. By energizing our barangays, we are empowering families and building a brighter future for our community,” according to Manila Mayor Francisco “Isko” Moreno Domagoso, who was represented by Manila City Administrator Atty. Eduardo P. Quintos XIV.

The beneficiaries of this initiative are residents of Barangay 581, Barangays 254 and 107, and Barangay 649 Baseco Compound (Port Area). Prior to the energization of their homes, they rely on their neighbors for access to electricity via submetering.

Senior citizen Crisanta Prado Sandrino, who has been living in Barangay 581 Zone 57 for almost 50 years, had been submetering electricity from her neighbor wherein she would have to pay around P1,000 a month for the minimal use of electric fan and light. Now that she has her own Meralco account, she can monitor her actual consumption and pay the standard rate which is lower than the asking rate of her neighbors.

To provide safer and more affordable electricity and enable productivity, OMF, together with Meralco’s España-Tutuban, and Malate Business Centers and the Manila Sector, partnered with the City Government of Manila brought HEP to these Manileños — assisting them to have legal and reliable electricity connections.

Illuminating homes in Pasig City

An additional 168 low-income Pasigueños are now benefiting from their own access to electricity through OMF’s electrification program.

“At the heart of this initiative is promoting public safety. We all know that using jumpers or submeters is dangerous aside from the fact that submeters are also costly. In my conversations with local officials, Meralco, and One Meralco Foundation, we recognized the need to establish this project so that the electricity service here will finally be safe and legal under Meralco,” Pasig City Mayor Ma. Regis “Vico” N. Sotto said in Filipino. 

Emphasizing the importance of energizing low-income households, OMF Trustee and Meralco Chief Revenue Officer Ferdinand O. Geluz said: “Meralco and One Meralco Foundation will continue working closely with local government units to bring light and opportunity to more Filipinos. For us in Meralco, HEP is an investment for the future. Beyond providing electricity, it is about strengthening families, empowering communities, and supporting inclusive sustainable development and nation-building.”

No one will be left in the dark 

In addition to these, 987 more low-income homes through the HEP have been energized this year in Cavite (37), Rizal (187), Marikina (103), Quezon province (341), Parañaque (41), Mandaluyong (65) and Taguig City (213).

For Meralco and OMF, Filipino families — no matter how challenged — deserve safe, reliable and stable electricity service and their mission is to make sure that no one is left in the dark. 

 “Our celebration of Christmas has become more meaningful with the lighting up of the homes of thousands of our fellow Filipinos who were living in the dark for years. It is our unique mission in One Meralco Foundation to illuminate these households, so they can celebrate the season meaningfully with their families and to welcome the new year with renewed hope and productivity,” Meralco chief corporate social tesponsibility officer and OMF president Tarayao said.

To date, OMF has already energized over 84,000 low-income households, helping drive the national government’s vision of achieving 100 percent electrification across the Philippines by 2028. This effort has enabled communities to thrive, fostering productivity, creating meaningful change, and improving the quality of life for thousands of Filipinos.