Meralco volunteers bring relief goods

The recent floodings in Luzon caused by heavy monsoon rains prevented many families in affected communities from venturing out from homes to get basic necessities. One Meralco Foundation (OMF), the corporate social responsibility arm of power distributor Meralco, reached out to these families by bringing relief packs to their doorsteps.

OMF organized a disaster response for Bulacan and Cavite with support from partners Meralco PowerGen Corporation (MGEN), Meralco business centers, Meralco’s animal welfare initiative CATropa, and local governments.

Meralco employee-volunteers prepared relief packs and delivered these to some 2,500 affected families in the Bulacan towns of San Miguel, Balagtas, Calumpit and Hagonoy, as well as in Bacoor City and Tanza in Cavite, and San Mateo in Rizal. The distribution was done over several days.

Partnering with the Balagtas municipal government led by Mayor Andy “Andrews” Santiago, OMF and the Meralco Balagtas Business Center waded through deep waters aggravated by high tide to deliver food packs directly to the homes of residents of Barangay San Juan.

In Hagonoy, Bulacan, a joint relief effort was spearheaded by community coordinator Gelvien Montalla, who reached out to OMF online to seek help for his community. OMF’s swift response brought immediate relief to families whose livelihoods were disrupted by the deep floods.

Lilibeth Roberto, a single mother caring for her child with a disability, shared how the flooding halted the operations of her small eatery.

“It’s a big help because we lost our livelihood,” Roberto said.

Relief operations also helped evacuation sites and frontline responders.

In Bacoor City, Cavite, OMF and the Meralco Bacoor Business Center provided relief packs to evacuated families from Barangays Aniban 1, Aniban 2, and Ligas 1, as well as municipal traffic enforcers whose own homes were submerged in flood water.

Additional food supplies were also turned over to Bacoor City Mayor Strike B. Revilla for distribution across other affected barangays.

Meanwhile, OMF and Meralco Rosario Business Center worked with the local government of Tanza, Cavite, led by Mayor Archangelo Matro, to help distribute relief packs to affected residents.

OMF also worked with the local government of Calumpit, with Vice Mayor Zacarias “Doc Zar” Candelaria joining the efforts with the Meralco Malolos Business Center.

In Barangay Balungao in Calumpit, OMF, with the Philippine Animal Welfare Society (PAWS) and CATropa, provided relief packs with rice for families and supplies for pets, with volunteers wading through floods to reach out to those in need.

MGEN volunteers from its MTerra Solar and MGEN Renewables Bulacan Solar distributed relief packs to disaster-hit residents in San Miguel, Bulacan.

In Marikina City, residents of Barangay Guinayang received relief packs from OMF and Meralco Marikina Business Center.

Local executives of assisted families thanked OMF for the relief goods.

‘This is a big help to our families in need. Thank you for your care and cooperation,” Mayor Santiago said.

The distribution of relief packs is part of OMF’s broader disaster response efforts to deliver immediate relief to affected communities.

“In times of disaster, our responsibility to communities extends far beyond restoring physical light — it is about restoring hope. As heavy rains and the Habagat disrupt lives across the nation, we remain steadfast in our commitment to stand by our fellow Filipinos when they need us most,” OMF president Jeffrey O Tarayao said.