The Manuel V. Pangilinan-led utility and its social development arm, One Meralco Foundation (OMF), have delivered relief packs to 2,500 families in Bulacan, Cavite and Rizal, with distribution continuing in the coming days.
Flooding and high tides left roads impassable in some communities, forcing Meralco volunteers to wade through deep water and deliver food directly to residents’ homes.
“In times of disaster, our responsibility to communities extends far beyond restoring physical light—it is about restoring hope,” OMF president Jeffrey Tarayao said.
Going door-to-door
In Balagtas, Bulacan, OMF and Meralco employees went house-to-house in flooded Barangay San Juan, working with the local government to reach stranded families.
The response also covered San Miguel, Calumpit and Hagonoy in Bulacan; Bacoor and Tanza in Cavite; and San Mateo in Rizal, with Meralco PowerGen Corp. and local business centers joining the effort.
In Hagonoy, resident Lilibeth Roberto said flooding forced her small eatery to stop operating, cutting off her source of income.
“Malaking bagay [itong relief] dahil wala akong kabuhayan ngayon,” Roberto said.
Help for families and pets
Meralco also teamed up with the Philippine Animal Welfare Society and its CATropa animal welfare initiative to bring rice, food packs and pet supplies to flooded communities in Calumpit.
MGEN employees from MTerra Solar and MGEN Renewables Bulacan Solar separately distributed supplies in San Miguel, while other Meralco teams assisted evacuation sites, affected residents and frontline workers.
—Edited by Miguel R. Camus
