Meralco
One with the government’s goal to achieve 100% electrification in the country, the Manila Electric Company (Meralco) has energized a community in Barangay Sangandaan in Quezon City through One Meralco Foundation’s (OMF) Household Electrification Program.
As Meralco’s social development arm, OMF provided the much-needed financial support and technical assistance to 83 households in Loans Street, who have long been paying thrice the rate of Meralco for electric power sourced from sub-meters and service extensions from neighbors.
Through the program, OMF covered the cost of the installation of individual service entrance for the meter and helped facilitate, together with the local government and the Meralco Balintawak Business Center, the processing of pertinent permits such as the certificate of final electrical inspection. The company has likewise upgraded the distribution facilities in the area to accommodate the additional electric services.
Prior to having her own Meralco service, resident Cristina Nocos recalled the financial ordeal that her family had to face just to have access to electric service.
“My family is beyond grateful now that our monthly bill was reduced by half after we had our own Meralco meter. This also saves me time in doing my daily household chores which I normally do manually, such as washing the laundry,” she said in Filipino.
In addition to being unburdened from the costly, unsafe, and unreliable electric service, residents of Loans Street are now qualified marginal end-users who are eligible to register under the government’s Lifeline Rate Program which entitles them to a discount on their electricity bill ranging from 20% to as much as 100%, provided that their monthly consumption does not exceed 100 kilowatt-hours (kWh).
Quezon City District 6 Rep. Ma. Victoria Co-Pilar has recognized OMF’s efforts in improving the welfare of her marginalized constituents through its Community Electrification Program.
“For years, the One Meralco Foundation has been fervently engaged in serving communities and individuals facing socio-economic challenges in the realm of energy accessibility. The Lifeline Rate Program will make electricity more accessible for our marginalized communities, weaving families together with energy that not only sustains, but empowers our communities,” Rep. Co-Pilar said.
Since its inception in 2011, over 70,000 low-income households have already benefitted from OMF’s community electrification program within Meralco’s franchise area. In parallel, close to 300 off-grid public schools in far-flung areas across the Philippines now have access to sustainable electric service through the Foundation’s school electrification program. OMF has likewise recently included rural health centers, agriculture and livelihood facilities, and water access in the said program.
Meralco Chief Corporate Social Responsibility Officer and OMF President Jeffrey O. Tarayao emphasized that bringing the benefits of electrification to Filipinos living in unserved and underserved areas is what makes the Foundation’s programs and initiatives more meaningful and significant.
“Empowering communities through provision of access to electric service has always been one of the keystone advocacies of One Meralco Foundation. With the government’s push towards inclusive and collective prosperity, we will remain steadfast to our commitment to actively support this national goal through our community electrification program,” Mr. Tarayao said.
Reference: Meralco