Recognized With Multiple Accolades One Meralco Exemplifies Business and Communication Excellence
The Manila Electric Company (Meralco), the country’s largest and premier distribution utility led by its Chairman and CEO Manuel V. Pangilinan, has once again demonstrated its exemplary brilliance in business and communications, clinching multiple accolades from two of the country’s most prestigious award giving bodies.
Meralco emerged as one of the top winners at the 20th Philippine Quill Awards with a total of 28 Excellence and Merit trophies—the most number of awards among entrant companies— for its communication programs centered on sustainability, corporate social responsibility, innovation, and public service.
With such fetes under its belt, the company was cited as one of the finalists for the “Company of the Year” Award from the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC) Philippines during its first in-person awarding ceremony post-pandemic.
As a testament to its excellence in communications, Meralco received two Gold and one Silver Anvils from the Public Relations Society of the Philippines (PRSP) during the 59th Anvil Awards.
The Philippine Quill Awards—organized by IABC Philippines—is considered as the country’s most prestigious awards program in the field of business communication, highlighting its importance in achieving goals and in making a difference in society.
Meanwhile, the Anvil Awards—also known as “the Oscars of Philippine Public Relations”—is an annual awards program organized by the PRSP which recognizes outstanding public relations programs, campaigns, and tools that exemplify the highest standards of PR practice in the country.
Among the communications campaigns that bagged Excellence Awards in the Philippine Quill Awards are centered on customers’ needs, namely Meralco’s Always On Content in the New Normal, Meralco Storm Watch, Safeguarding the Stability of the Power Grid through Power Supply and Energy Management Education, and The New Meralco Bill: Giving More Power to the Customers We Serve. These proactive information campaigns reaffirm Meralco’s commitment to constantly position customers at the heart of the power distributor’s services with programs that aim to answer or help address the needs and requirements of clients.
Beyond electricity distribution and generation, Meralco’s commitment to sustainability extends to people empowerment through its diversity and inclusivity program #Mbrace. A testament to the program’s impact,
Meralco Advances Diversity and Inclusion through #Mbrace was bestowed an Excellence Award. Since it pioneered the training and hiring of female line crew in Southeast Asia in 2013, Meralco has been actively promoting gender equality in the male-dominated power industry.
For its Liwanag sa Dilim: Amplifying the Heroism of Meralco Typhoon Odette Restoration Contingent campaign, Meralco highlighted the spirit of bayanihan and malasakit by sending its own contingent of 150 linemen and engineers to help electricity distributors in Cebu and Bohol following the devastation of the powerful typhoon. These unsung heroes toiled for more than a month away from their families to help bring back electricity in the affected areas.
In recognition of its green mobility advocacy, Meralco’s campaign for The 10th Philippine Electric Vehicle Summit 2022 earned an Excellence Award for highlighting the progress and developments in the industry, earning wide media coverage. The company co-hosted the event with the Electric Vehicle Association of the Philippines alongside the Department of Energy and Nissan Philippines Inc.
Meralco’s social development arm, One Meralco Foundation (OMF), also bagged three Excellence Awards for its initiatives that put the spotlight on providing much needed support beyond its franchise.
Through its Light Up Pilipinas campaign, OMF shed light on the impact of its solar lamp donation program which has so far benefitted 6,000 low-income families in various communities from the provinces of Rizal, Cebu, Antique, Bulacan, Cagayan, Aurora, Laguna, Zambales, Ilocos Norte, and Catanduanes.
Rooted on its advocacy for environmental stewardship, OMF’s One for Trees: Empowering People and Communities to Nurture Our Forests program meanwhile presented how the foundation continuously expands its environmental program that also provides livelihood opportunities to tree farmers. In 2022, OMF marked a significant milestone under its One For Trees program with over 2 million trees planted and nurtured in various parts of the country. As part of Meralco’s overarching sustainability campaign, One for Trees also equips communities with the means to engage in agroforestry and raises awareness on the importance of preservation and protection of our forests.
Meanwhile, Electrification for Development: Improving the lives of last-mile Filipinos showed how the OMF’s electrification program uplifted the lives of those living in unserved and underserved communities across the country.
Garnering another Excellence Award is Meralco’s entry, The Gift that Keeps on Giving: Meralco’s Spectrum on Solar Rooftop Installations, which captured the benefits of investing in clean and renewable energy, particularly solar, by telling the story of renowned environmental advocate, Illac Diaz.
Meralco’s 2021 Corporate Annual Reports entitled “Bayanihan,” “Kalinga,” and “Malasakit” also clinched an Excellence Award for showcasing how its purpose and values propelled the company’s recovery and growth.
At the Anvil Awards, Meralco bagged a Gold Anvil for its campaign, Turning Crisis Into An Opportunity: Meralco’s Efficient And Quick Communications Response To The Manage NAIA’s Power Outages. Meralco’s awardwinning entry demonstrated its quick action to respond to negative sentiment which led to an overall audit on the power systems of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) to ensure optimal operations of the country’s major gateway.
Another Gold Anvil was bestowed on Meralco’s #BuildingABrilliantFuture with Meralco: Facebook as a Social Media Recruitment Marketing Tool for consistently amplifying its talent acquisition and employee welfare programs.
Meanwhile, the PRSP awarded Meralco with a Silver Anvil for Paving the Way for a Sustainable Energy Future: Meralco’s Strategic Communications Program for the 2023 Giga Summit which narrated the importance of public discussions and consultations to achieve a sustainable energy future.