Spreading Light this Christmas Season: One Meralco Foundation brings brighter holidays for thousands of Filipino families
SEASON of spark. The community launch to celebrate the electrification initiative there was attended by our local government partners, including Mayor Joy Belmonte, Barangay Captains Daniel Leon Berroya and Beverly Gaw and Meralco leaders, including Customer Retail Services head Charina Padua, OMF president Jeffrey Tarayao, HMB North Business Area head Alleni Pascual, Balintawak Sector manager Noel Espiritu, Kamuning-Roosevelt Business Center head Emmanuel De Jesus, Commonwealth-Balintawak Business Center head Ryan Vicente and Novaliches Business Center OIC Armida Virgo.
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.
LIGHT for all. The Household Electrification Program was made possible by the efforts of (from left) Meralco Central Metering Services & Security head Lord Percival B. Cheng, Meralco HMB Central Business Area head Joy P. Mendoza, OMF president Jeffrey O. Tarayao, Meralco first vice president and head of Customer Retail Services Charina P. Padua, Meralco senior vice president, chief revenue officer and OMF Trustee Ferdinand O. Geluz, Manila City Administrator Atty. Eduardo P. Quintos XIV, 4th District City Councilor Louisa J. Quintos-Tan, Barangay 581 Chairman Areeya Espino, Barangay 107 chairman Cheryl Gonzales and Barangay 649 chairman Diana Espinosa.
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.
