The Manila Electric Company (Meralco) and its social development arm, One Meralco Foundation (OMF), have taken the lead in organizing and participating in volunteer activities to support the government’s "Brigada Eskwela."
The program is an annual initiative led by Department of Education aimed at preparing public schools for the school year through various maintenance and clean-up efforts.
Meralco and OMF's regular involvement in the program demonstrates their commitment to education and community development.
Jeffrey O. Tarayao, OMF President and Meralco chief Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) officer, stressed the significance of ensuring readiness of school facilities even before classes start.
"By partnering annually with DepEd and with the various local governments in the Meralco franchise area, Meralco and One Meralco Foundation commit to doing our part in ensuring schools are safe and prepared to welcome the students for a new year of learning," Tarayao said.
During the 2024 Regional Kickoff ceremony held at Rizal High School in Pasig City, OMF backed the Pasig City government, led by Mayor Victor Regis N. Sotto, in preparing for the opening of classes. Lone District of Pasig Rep. Roman T. Romulo, Pasig City Vice Mayor Robert Jude Jaworski, DepEd-NCR Regional Director Dr. Jocelyn DR Andaya, and Pasig Schools Division Superintendent Sheryll Gayola attended the ceremony, themed "Bayanihan Para sa Matatag na Paaralan."
Sotto said the people of Pasig were grateful to Meralco for its unwavering support of the local government's various programs and initiatives to benefit the community.
"Maging sa LGU, kasama natin sila araw-araw at sigurado ako tutulong sila sa lahat ng schools natin hindi lang sa Pasig kung hindi sa buong region din, kaya maraming maraming salamat sa Meralco (Even in the LGU, Meralco has been with us every day, and I'm sure it will help our schools, not only in Pasig, but in the whole region. That is why, thank you very much, Meralco)," Sotto said during the activity.
To make school communities safe and promote a more conducive learning environment, Meralco and OMF, along with Meralco volunteers, inspected electrical wirings and pruned trees in public schools to avoid electrical hazards and provide stable and reliable electricity service.
School beneficiaries
Even Meralco’s own departments, subsidiaries and business units believe in the importance of Brigada Eskwela and regularly participate in the program.
The company’s power generation unit, Meralco PowerGen Corporation (MGen), also partnered with OMF and several Meralco Business Centers in donating chairs, school supplies, slippers, paintings, and cleaning materials to nine schools in Rizal, Bulacan, and Nueva Ecija.
Their school beneficiaries included Malalim Elementary School, Pinugay Elementary School, Dona Paz Sumulong Tanjuatco Elementary School in Baras, Rizal; Tibagan Elementary School, Labne Elementary School and San Juan Elementary School in San Miguel, Bulacan; Capirpiriwan Elementary School in Cordon, Isabela; E. Pesa Elementary School and Tamale Elementary School in Bongabon, Nueva Ecija.
Meralco’s own Legal and Corporate Governance and Compliance Office partnered with the DepEd Division Office in Rizal to extend support to Alas-Asin Elementary School. Located in Brgy. Daraitan in Tanay, Rizal, the school has 194 students, 25% of whom come from the Dumagat Tribe. The assistance included rehabilitating a comfort room, building additional wash basins, donating laptops, printers, and school supplies, refurbishing and repainting school chairs.
These contributions will also expose students to advanced learning tools and promote the school as a more conducive learning environment.
With the help of Angono Business Center and Meralco subsidiaries — MServ, Bayad, Radius, and MSpectrum — Brigada Eskwela volunteers spent time and resources fixing the school's comfort room and constructing additional wash basins. The Meralco Employees Fund for Charity, Inc. and the Facilities and Safety Management office donated the washbasins.
Meanwhile the laptops were courtesy of Information Communication Technology and Transformation (ICT&T), and the printer, painting materials, were provided by Meralco subsidiaries to help the teachers work more efficiently.
MPower, Meralco’s Local Retail Electricity Supplier, in partnership with Robinsons Land Corporation (RLC), also reaffirmed its commitment to promote quality education and empowering communities by extending its help to Tanzang Luma Elementary School in Imus, Cavite.
MPower and OMF also teamed up with Robinsons Malls and Robinsons Love Foundation (RLove) to provide the school beneficiary with essential school supplies as well as cleaning materials. These included a television set, printers, bags, books, disinfectants, and reusable water bottles, benefiting over 1,000 students and faculty members.
"We always eagerly anticipate forging opportunities with our partners to drive meaningful change. Through initiatives like this, we hope to continue inspiring and supporting the next generation of leaders," MPower Head Redel M. Domingo said.
For his part, Robinsons Mall Vice President for Operations and Marketing Joel Lumanlan said Robinsons Mall is honored to partner with MPower as Barangay Tanzang Luma was home to Robinsons Imus Mall.
"We are happy that we are able to provide more support to our local community," Lumanlan said.
"Together with MPower, we are able to champion education and empower young minds that pave the way for a brighter future" he added.
The initiative falls under MPower's award-winning CSR program, iMPower, which is dedicated to fostering community empowerment and making a tangible contribution to supporting education.
The activity also aligns well with RLC's R Eskwela program, which aims to support learning institutions nationwide by rehabilitating school facilities and providing learning tools.
Tanzang Luma Elementary School is the 29th school beneficiary of MPower's 11 years of service in the retail energy industry. Through these efforts, MPower has empowered over 31,000 students, contributing to a brighter future for them.
All these valuable Meralco contributions have significantly enhanced the overall experience of the Brigada Eskwela campaign. The company's active engagement reflects its commitment and dedication to positively impacting students' lives.