Empowering communities: One Meralco Foundation energizes homes in Doña Remedios Trinidad, Bulacan
One Meralco Foundation (OMF), the corporate social responsibility arm of Manuel V. Pangilinan-led Manila Electric Company (Meralco), has energized 255 homes in several barangays in Doña Remedios Trinidad, Bulacan, allowing low-income families to have access to stable electricity service.
Through OMF’s flagship initiative Household Electrification Program, Meralco’s Sta. Maria Business Center and Plaridel Sector partnered with the Municipality of Doña Remedios Trinidad to provide assistance and install individual service entrances for residents of Barangays Pulong Sampaloc, Camachile, and Camachin — enabling them to have their own electricity connection and minimize the risk of fire hazards due to illegal connections and use of candles for lighting at night.
Doña Remedios Trinidad Mayor Ronaldo T. Flores lauds the program that brought stable electricity access to low-income households across seven barangays in the municipality.
OMF and its partners recently held a community launch at the Doña Remedios Trinidad Municipal Hall led by Doña Remedios Trinidad Mayor Ronaldo T. Flores.
“Our residents greatly benefitted from this program, allowing their homes to have its own electric meter. One Meralco Foundation, Meralco, and its contractors’ efforts to ensure access to reliable electricity will improve their daily living conditions,” Mayor Flores said.
The program allowed the residents to better manage their consumption and budget for electricity bills now that they have their own electric service.
With own access to electricity, it is now more convenient for Ana Marie Galvez to use her nebulizer at home.
“For 15 years, we relied on our neighbor for electricity access. The arrangement was to split the bill equally among three households regardless of power consumption. To limit this, we only use one electric fan and essential lights. Now, we can conveniently use more appliances at home including a nebulizer which helps me with my asthma,” resident Ana Marie Galvez shared.
Stable electricity access allowed Leah Laron to expand the family’s sari-sari store business now that she can also sell ice and frozen products.
The electrification program also helped improve the lives of residents, like that of Leah Laron, who shared: “We bought a new freezer so we could also sell ice and other frozen products in our sari-sari store. With internet access, my children can now research online for their homework and we can easily communicate with our loved ones.”
OMF’s community electrification program paves the way for basic services to be available to more underserved Filipinos, said Meralco Chief Corporate Social Responsibility Officer and OMF President Jeffrey O. Tarayao.
“Bringing electricity to homes is at the heart of One Meralco Foundation’s mission. We empower not just the family by illuminating their homes, but we also unlock a world of possibilities for the community by enabling and enhancing productivity through new businesses which they can start, expand and evolve. Through this, we contribute positively not just to the community but to our country’s growth and development,” he said.
OMF has already energized more than 2,600 homes in other barangays in Doña Remedios Trinidad since 2015. In fact, seven out of eight barangays in the municipality are beneficiaries of the Household Electrification Program. The effective partnership with the local government was also recognized at the 2023 Meralco Luminaries, which honors outstanding customer-partners in nation-building efforts.
Meralco and OMF are one with the government in its pursuit of 100% electrification. Aside from its Household Electrification Program, it also powers remote, off-grid public schools and helps communities become more productive by energizing livelihood facilities, rural health centers and water access facilities, and drive sustainable development opportunities to underserved communities in the country.
Life-saving medical services within reach in mountain communities
In many rural communities in the Philippines, rural health centers are the go-to institution for basic medical needs and emergency medical services. However, some of them do not realize their full potential because there was no electricity to power simple medical equipment that may save lives. One Meralco Foundation helps address this challenge by energizing rural health centers — enabling the delivery of improved medical services in the community.
With the newly energized barangay health station, Janna Dalde can now keep her sons’ vaccines up to date and have access to nebulizer services.
Janna Dalde soothes her crying two-month-old, John Anthony, after he received his second shot of vaccine inside the Barangay Laiban Health Station in Tanay, Rizal. The 19-year-old mother carried him across three rivers for vaccine shots that would protect him from diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis or whooping cough.
Janna’s eldest son is also a frequent visitor to the barangay health station. The toddler has asthma, and she brings him in for puffs using the health station’s nebulizer.
“We don’t have to cross 11 rivers and travel to town for more than an hour for John Anthony’s vaccines and for Arjohn’s nebulizer needs because we have our rural health station here in the barangay,” Janna shared.
Prior to electrification, health services that need electricity like nebulizers for patients with asthma and refrigerators for vaccine storage were only an impossible dream for the community consisting of more than 3,500 residents, including members of the Dumagat Remontado tribe.
For almost two years, Nurse Zander Noche had to meticulously ferry vaccines three times a week to the health station because there was no cold storage available. A shift in temperature can spoil the vaccine and a wrong move atop his motorcycle can break the vials. Worse, he must cross rocky terrains and eight flowing rivers to reach the health station.
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