Following its integration in 2021, the enlarged MERALCO Power Generation Corporation and Global Business Power Corporation (MGen-GBP) further cements its goal of bringing a sustainable future for Filipinos through its various capacity-building efforts for its host communities.
To achieve this, MGen-GBP anchored its community programs on One Meralco Group’s sustainability agenda of Powering the Good Life, particularly under the Prosperity pillar. This pillar aims to empower MGen-GBP’s host communities and ultimately, uplift the quality of their lives.
Going beyond its sustainability commitment of building 1,500 MW of renewable energy in the next seven years to initiate its low-carbon energy transition, MGen-GBP ramps up the following initiatives to power the good life and create better lives for the communities it serves.
Empowering Communities
One of its notable efforts under the Prosperity pillar is the Aplaya Sardines Enterprise in Atimonan, Quezon Province, which provides an alternative livelihood for fishermen, especially members of the Atimonan Coastal Food Producers Association, during off-peak seasons. Atimonan One Energy, a subsidiary of MGen-GBP, in partnership with the local government unit and other partners, have been helping the said organization in marketing its products, in securing business registration, and in capacity-building effort since 2019.
Members of Atimonan Coastal Food Producers Cooperative preparing Aplaya Spanish Sardines
MGen-GBP also has a “Kaisa sa Kalusugan” radio program—in partnership with a local radio station in Atimonan, Radyo Natin—that helps disseminate relevant and timely information about COVID-19 and other pressing health concerns. Both the Aplaya Sardines Enterprise and Kaisa Sa Kalusugan bagged Excellence Awards during the recent 19th Philippine Quill Awards.
In the community around BulacanSol, its solar power plant in San Miguel, Bulacan, the company equips health workers and frontliners with the necessary skills that they can use to better manage health issues in their area through the KlinikaBarangay Program.
A representative of the Bureau of Fire Protection demonstrates the proper use of fire extinguisher as part of the training of 35 barangay health frontliners in San Miguel, Bulacan
Both health programs were especially helpful during the height of the pandemic as they assisted local healthcare professionals in combating the COVID-19 pandemic.
In Rizal, the company (through PH Renewables, Inc., a subsidiary of MGEN Renewable Energy, Inc. (MGreen)) turned over a livelihood starter kit which is composed of a chest freezer, refrigerator, and kitchenware for Balai Café—a collaborative project that gives former rebels a source of income so they can rebuild their lives.
Balai Cafe is located at Sitio Galaxy, Barangay Pinugay, Baras, Rizal which is adjacent to PH Renewable’s solar farm project.
To arm students with more educational materials, MGen-GBP distributed 800 books authored by the Center for Art, New Ventures, and Sustainable Development (CANVAS) to various public elementary and high school students who are the company’s scholars in Iloilo, Aklan, Cebu, and Rizal.
GBP scholars showing the CANVAS-authored books they’ve received
Moreover, MGen-GBP (through subsidiaries Panay Energy Development Corporation and Panay Power Corporation) sponsored the printing of over 100 modules for the Bulig-Basa Project in Iloilo. The program aimed to upskill and reskill teachers so they could better handle remote and distance schooling for their students.
The “Powering the Good Life” campaign is One MERALCO Group’s way of telling Filipinos that they are more than a company that provides adequate, reliable and cost-competitive energy. They too are fully committed to helping the nation grow through equally meaningful projects at the local level.
MGen-GBP, with a total power generation gross capacity of 2,446 MW that utilize coal, liquified natural gas, diesel, and solar technologies, is the power generation arm of MERALCO—the largest private sector electric distribution utility company in the Philippines.
